Politics

December 1, 2021 - Voting rights activists are growing impatient as Senate Republicans' use of the filibuster continues to obstruct popular pro-democracy legislation. They warn that the window for meaningful legislative action is closing as international observers sound the alarm about rising U.S. authoritarianism.

November 23, 2021 - Contrary to mainstream media portrayal, Georgia did not rise to national prominence in civic engagement overnight. Its achievement came through hard work by vast numbers of grassroots organizations — and through funders who worked with them as equal partners while encouraging innovation.

November 19, 2021 - The term of Ron Bloom, chair of the U.S. Postal Service's Board of Governors, ends on Dec. 8, and hundreds of public-interest organizations are urging President Biden to replace him. They object to his support for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump appointee embroiled in numerous controversies over service cuts, financial conflicts of interest, wage theft, and a pattern of questionable campaign contributions at his former North Carolina-based logistics company.

November 19, 2021 - A new report finds that while they have made dramatic progress in recent decades, Black women are still underrepresented in politics, with the disparities especially stark in Southern states. Next year's elections offer another chance for them to build power.

November 18, 2021 - Voting rights groups have challenged election districts for the Louisiana Supreme Court, which counts just one Black justice among its seven members. Legislators want to add new districts to settle the suit, but their most recent attempt broke down over the issue of how many should have majority-Black populations.

November 12, 2021 - A report by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis found there were three times as many COVID-19 cases and deaths among workers at the five largest meatpacking companies in the pandemic's first year as previously known. But at a recent hearing on the report, most Republican lawmakers spent their time calling for an investigation into the pandemic's origins. 

October 29, 2021 - The Republicans who control legislatures in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Texas have drawn congressional maps that favor their party and disadvantage voters of color. Meanwhile, an independent redistricting commission has faltered in its effort to draw new election maps in Virginia.