Elections and Voting

June 7, 2013 - Human rights advocate Chokwe Lumumba's election this week as mayor of Jackson, Miss. is the result of work by a new Black-led progressive coalition that intends to fight for power in a state too often written off as redneck Tea Party territory.

May 31, 2013 - Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell unveiled a plan this week to automatically restore voting rights to nonviolent felons in a state where one in five African-American adults is disenfranchised due to an unusually harsh law. Civil rights advocates praised the move, but some say the governor should go further.

May 24, 2013 - With its trailblazing public financing program for judicial elections targeted for elimination by Republican state leaders, North Carolina got a visit this week from two prominent West Virginia conservatives who made a case for why such programs benefit a state's people and economy.

May 9, 2013 - The three-judge panel hearing a lawsuit challenging North Carolina's redistricting on the grounds that it dilutes the African-American vote called the attorneys together this week to discuss a few remaining questions, indicating a decision could be near.

April 17, 2013 - Most surveys on voter ID ask only if voters support or oppose it. But what happens if you ask them about voter ID's potential impact on certain voters, and whether they support less strict alternatives?

April 12, 2013 - Lawmakers in North Carolina and Texas are attempting to cut early voting hours. But after Florida's 2012 election fiasco -- and mounting evidence of the racial disparities in who such laws affect -- it could be a tough sell.

April 3, 2013 - Over the last week, GOP lawmakers have unleashed a flurry of bills that would make sweeping changes to North Carolina elections. They share a common message - and a common sponsor, backed by one of the state's biggest political donors.