News
Abortion ballot organizer says Montanans should not take reproductive rights for granted
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of conversations about voter-initiated efforts to restore abortion access across the country. The year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Montana’s Republican-majority legislature passed an array of bills restricting abortion. Though these laws were blocked by courts and abortion until fetal viability […]
Anti-trans laws may complicate access to the ballot for trans voters
Originally published by The 19th in partnership with Them. In Kansas, lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union have drafted a letter reminding election workers that a gender marker on a person’s identification does not need to match or correspond to a voter’s gender expression. Staff for the organization have also held clinics elsewhere to […]
After conservative criticism, Trump said he is a “no” on Florida’s abortion rights ballot measure
Originally published by The 19th After criticizing Florida’s six-week abortion ban on Thursday, former President Donald Trump, a resident of the Sunshine State, told Fox News that he will be voting against a ballot measure to protect and expand abortion rights. “I disagreed with that right from the early primaries when I heard about it,” […]
Arkansas officials plan immediate bed expansions while they await new prison
In an attempt to relieve pressure from crowded county jails while the completion of a new 3,000-bed prison facility remains in the distant future, the Arkansas Department of Corrections and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders have turned their focus to immediate expansions. “We have roughly [a] 16,000-prison-bed capacity and we have north of 17,000 people that […]
Trump delivers marathon speech in Potterville railing against Harris: ‘She just doesn’t care’
Former President Donald Trump talked to Michiganders in Eaton County for over an hour Thursday, delivering this overarching message about his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris: “She just doesn’t give a damn about you.” Hundreds of attendees at Alro Steel in Potterville chanted Trump’s name as he spoke in Michigan, which could serve as one […]
Arkansas medical marijuana amendment supporters submit 39K more signatures
Supporters of changes to Arkansas’ medical marijuana industry submitted petitions with 38,933 additional signatures to Secretary of State John Thurston’s office Friday in hopes their proposed measure qualifies for the November ballot. The ballot question committee Arkansans for Patient Access submitted 108,512 signatures July 5. Thurston’s staff verified that 77,000 were from registered voters, totaling […]
Arkansas AG rejects proposed education constitutional amendment for 2026 ballot
This story was updated at 11:45 a.m. on Aug. 30, 2024 to include additional comments from the attorney general’s office. Arkansas’ attorney general on Thursday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would require identical standards for public and private schools that receive state funding. In his six-page opinion, Attorney General Tim Griffin said he could […]
Federal judge temporarily blocks ‘wet signature’ rule for Arkansas voters
This story was updated at 10:35 a.m. on Aug. 30, 2024 to include comments from Get Loud Arkansas. A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the implementation of a new rule barring the use of electronic signatures on Arkansas voter registration forms except at certain state agencies. State lawmakers in May approved an emergency rule […]
Federal appeals court upholds Alabama’s gender-affirming medical care ban
The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Wednesday refused to reconsider a three-judge panel’s decision to allow Alabama’s ban on gender-affirming medical care. Ten of the circuit’s 11 judges participated in the ruling, including U.S. Circuit Judges Barbara Lagoa and Andrew Brasher, both appointed by former President Donald Trump and members of the panel that […]
Biden’s newest student loan repayment plan temporarily blocked by Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday slashed the Biden administration’s latest efforts to provide student debt relief to millions of borrowers to go forward while the appeals process unfolds. The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan provided lower monthly loan payments for borrowers and lessened the time it takes to pay off […]
Arkansas election board plans to tout 100% accuracy from voting machines, as found in audit
The Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners on Wednesday approved the use of favorable language regarding electronic voting machines for a future press release, despite pushback from one member. The language was written in the executive summary portion of the agency’s first audit report of primary elections, which is now required under Act 620 of […]
Americans’ perception of AI is generally negative, though they see ‘beneficial applications’
A vast majority of Americans feel negatively about artificial intelligence and how it will impact their futures, though they also report they don’t fully understand how and why the technology is currently being used. The sentiments came from a survey conducted this summer by think tank Heartland Forward, which used Aaru, an AI-powered polling group […]