Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 225 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Forget civics class: Students want to make a difference in real life

Charlotte West

October 30, 2020 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

The Oakland Youth Vote started as a youth-led ballot initiative to give 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote for school board representatives. Student activism helped get the initiative on the November 2020 ballot and the Oakland City Council promised to fund and implement the measure if it is approved. The ballot measure passed with 67% of voters supporting it. Voting for school board representatives will allow students to have a say in the policies and decisions that shape their education and ensure that the diverse student body is appropriately represented.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Election Season Is Wildfire Season. These Voters Lost Everything.

Julia Thomas

October 29, 2020 |

The New Republic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oregon

Rule changes in counties impacted by wildfires have made it easier for displaced residents to vote in the 2020 presidential election by using their temporary residence, shelter, a P.O. box, or their county election office to receive a ballot. Social media campaigns inform residents about their voting options, in addition to wildfire responses, and thousands of people have changed the address where they want to receive their ballot. The number of registered voters also increased by tens of thousands in many counties.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Power of the people: Get-out-the-vote efforts blanket the U.S.

Claire Galofaro Jocelyn Novek

October 29, 2020 |

Associated Press |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

National get-out-the-vote efforts are turning out people to vote, despite Covid19-related challenges. Vote Forward organized 182,000 people to participate in a 50-state letter writing campaign urging people in over 17.5 million homes to vote. “Protest to the Polls” led a voter information parade through Louisville’s predominantly Black West End. The Neighborhood Assistance Corporations of America has driven 25,000 people to the polls in three states. Other GOTV efforts include texting and phone banking, peer-to-peer outreach, drive-in rallies and caravans, and entertainment for those in line at the polls.

Read More
Go to Original Story
S.D. election officials take new approaches to voting amid pandemic

Bart Pfankuch Nick Lowrey

October 28, 2020 |

South Dakota News Watch |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, South Dakota

Some officials took steps to make registration and voting easier and safe during the coronavirus pandemic. After issues during the primary, many counties enlisted additional staff and expanded infrastructure to process mail-in ballots. Recruitment initiatives in high schools helped replace higher-risk senior poll workers. County auditors helped assisted-living residents vote by validating their identities through a glass barrier and working with staff to safely deliver ballots. Several satellite polling locations were set up, including adjacent to tribal nations, to increase access to voting.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Twitch-inspired live streams could be the future of political fundraising

Steven Melendez

October 28, 2020 |

FastCompany |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Hovercast is a technology startup helping democratic organizations add interactivity to virtual events. The model, which has been used by prominent political candidates such as Bernie Sanders, uses interactive live-streaming features like on-screen highlighted comments, real-time donation meters, trivia questions, polls, videos, and animated GIFs to collect donations, sign up campaign volunteers, and encourage other types of voter engagement. The model is inspired by video gaming platforms that are geared towards younger audiences, which is one of the demographic groups engaging in the virtual events.

Read More
Go to Original Story
At Voters' Service

Shinhee Kang Ian Karbal Feven Merid

October 27, 2020 |

Columbia Journalism Review |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Ohio

Ohio media outlets have provided practical voter information to combat confusion. WOSU, the local NPR affiliate, created an online guide for mail-in voting, with deadlines prominently bolded and videos explaining how to request and fill out absentee ballots. They also ran six call-in shows to give listeners practical information about voting and an opportunity to hear from election administrators and voting-rights experts. The Columbus Dispatch and the Akron Beacon Journal, among others, have run voting “how-to” articles and created informational guides with candidate profiles and ballot explainers.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Ismaili, Ahmadi Muslims push national voter registration efforts

Aysha Khan

October 26, 2020 |

Religion News Service |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Muslim civic advocacy groups Emgage and Ismailis Rise Up have partnered to engage a more diverse Muslim population in the 2020 election. They added thousands of contacts among new Muslim voters in six states, trained volunteers in electoral organizing and countering voter suppression, use personal connections to encourage people to vote, and will staff the Election Protection Hotline, where voters can get help in their native language. They also published videos about voter registration and mail-in voting in languages commonly spoken by Ismaili families and held virtual events aimed at mobilizing seniors.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Ballots Behind Bars

La Risa Lynch

October 24, 2020 |

The Crisis Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Votes works to ensure access to voting for people awaiting trial in jail. In addition to registering thousands of voters, they helped pass a Cook County law designating the nation’s largest single-site detention facility as a polling place. This access enabled 1,850 people to cast their votes and about 600 people were able to take advantage of same-day registration and voting, which isn’t possible with traditional absentee ballot voting. Addressing jail-based disenfranchisement, which disproportionately impacts communities of color, gives people a voice in policies that directly impact them.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Youth Vote Goes Virtual

Charlotte West Ilyne Castellanos

October 23, 2020 |

Voices of Monterey Bay |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

California Students Vote Project, a public-private partnership, encourages college students to vote. Covid-19-adjusted strategies include sending out multiple emails, using social media, and encouraging peer-to-peer contacts to inform students about how to register to vote and the ways they can actually cast their ballots. Group representatives also visit Zoom classrooms to share information and some students have organized virtual events, such as political trivia night, to foster student engagement. Over 65,000 California students have registered to vote since August, triple the number from all of 2016.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Midwestern Youth of Color Are Using Art and Culture to Build Their Political Power

Cinnamon Janzer

October 22, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

The Midwest Culture Lab consists of three organizations working to increase voter turnout among young people, especially young people of color. The partners work with artists, musicians, and other creative people to create messaging and campaigns that are culturally relevant and engage young people in civic participation. One partner, the Ohio Student Association, had artists create an ad that used relatable messaging about a criminal justice reform ballot measure to appeal to young people to vote. The ad brought in over 150 volunteers and contributed to doubling Ohio’s youth voter turnout from 2014 to 2018.

Read More
Go to Original Story