Alex Burness
@alex_burness
Reporter for @boltsmag. You can find me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/burness.bsky.social
If you’re nervously killing time before polls close: 1. Follow @boltsmag 2. Subscribe—it’s free: boltsmag.org/newsletter/ 3. Consider a donation: boltsmag.org/donate-page/do… 4. Open up this jumbo @Taniel ballot guide and stay tuned: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-b…
As election night nears, open or bookmark our guide to tonight's elections and to the hundreds of races we are watching. Bolts will update the page with a result once it is known: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-b…
Last week's in person voting event was a highlight of my career. @jeffcosheriffco also arranged for a new voter to speak with us and it brought me to tears. I'm pretty lucky to get to do this work. youtu.be/CbH_WIE4kUg?si…
*3* people, out of more than 1,000 eligible, voted from the Jefferson County (Denver suburbs) jail in November 2022, per the county clerk. Colorado recently passed a law forcing jails to offer in-person voting. Now, JeffCo reports hundreds of jail voters so far this cycle:
Jeffco Inmates Vote In-Person for the First Time The #JCSO has organized inmate registration and voting opportunities since 2018. This election, for the first time, voting booths were brought into our facility and inmates were provided the opportunity to vote in-person.…
County court wrongly listed people as felons, canceling voting rights phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-c…
The Letter to the Editor that the Baltimore Sun won't publish:
From today thru 12/31, @Newsmatch will match your donations to @boltsmag. If you start a new monthly subscription, your first monthly gift is matched x12! That means more $$ for records, reporting trips, and fact checking 👏 boltsmag.org/donate-page/do…
A reminder as people go vote: Millions of people are barred from voting due to convictions. In some states, this accounts for up to 10% of voting-age population! Just a startling amount. Harshest are states with lifetime bans — you can lose your right for life for any felony.
New Mexico restored voting rights to 1000s of people w/ felonies last yr. But celebrations turned into "a year of frustration" as organizers discovered state officials had been wrongly denying ppl their right to vote for decades. My latest for @boltsmag boltsmag.org/voting-rights-…
NEW: U.S. citizens are among the voters removed in Virginia’s controversial purge. Nadra Wilson of Lynchburg, Va., had her registration canceled. "I was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. — I'm a citizen," Wilson told NPR. npr.org/2024/10/29/nx-…
Big: The Pennsylvania supreme court just issued a ruling that''ll make it easier for people to vote if their mail ballot has been tossed for a technical error. votebeat.org/pennsylvania/2… Ruling was 4-3. Remember I told you last year this court would matter? x.com/Taniel/status/…
BIG RESULT: Dems win seat on Pennsylvania supreme court. This means they'll keep a 5-2 majority on the court, and this will be important buffer for them heading into court battles over mail-voting & election certification next year. Lots of context: boltsmag.org/pennsylvania-s…
The folks at @boltsmag are doing incredible work. Maybe the best source out there for understanding the significance of key/bellwether local races and questions across the country.
We're 2 weeks out—you probably don't live in a swing state. But there's so much else. My cheat sheet has *540* things I'm watching, and why: judges, DAs, sheriffs, lawmakers, ballot measures, AGs, & more. Every state is represented. Bookmark & explore: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-b…
NEW: If you care about politics & criminal justice, this one is for you. My all-out guide to 33 pivotal races for prosecutor & sheriff next month, & how they'll shape incarceration & policing: boltsmag.org/prosecutor-and…