Bolts

Instead of commissioning independent investigations, the Tarrant County Sheriff's office has defended sending its own internal investigations into jail deaths to the Fort Worth Police Department, and asking local police to “review” its findings. boltsmag.org/texas-jail-dea…

Critics of a Wyoming law requiring voters to show proof of citizenship stress that it will disproportionately affect women; they may have changed their name due to marriage since they were issued these documents. boltsmag.org/wyoming-voter-…

A wave of states have passed legislation to abolish life without parole for people under 18. These reforms have granted thousands of people who are already incarcerated a chance to apply for release, typically only once they’ve spent decades in prison. boltsmag.org/north-carolina…

Public defenders in Illinois are hoping a new reform addresses massive gaps in their resources: “What we have now is justice based on geography, where different counties have wildly different resources. We need sufficient resources based on local need.” boltsmag.org/illinois-publi…

A new Wyoming law is the brainchild of Secretary of State Chuck Gray, a Republican who became Wyoming’s chief election official in 2022 after campaigning on accusations that the nation’s elections are “rigged.” boltsmag.org/wyoming-voter-…

Wyoming became the second state, after New Hampshire, to require that all would-be voters provide physical documentation of their citizenship to vote in any election. boltsmag.org/wyoming-voter-…

Two-thirds of voters at Indiana University Bloomington’s sole on-campus polling site used their university ID to vote last fall. Indiana banned students from using these IDs for voting this spring. boltsmag.org/indiana-bannin…

A 2024 California law allows prison officials to put pregnant women in isolation for up to five days at a time in certain cases. For the first time, the legislation codified in law that it is permissible to use solitary confinement against pregnant women. boltsmag.org/california-sol…

A Florida law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in May makes it a felony for a volunteer to collect more than 25 signatures for a campaign from people outside their family without getting approval from the state. boltsmag.org/florida-new-re…

When asked about Virginia Sheriff Dave Rosado’s recent contract with ICE, the chair of the local Democratic Party, which endorsed Rosado last week, said he was unaware of that detail. boltsmag.org/chesapeake-she…

In Arkansas, organizers working on ballot initiatives already face a mountain of technical rules to satisfy — down to the color of ink that notaries must use on petitions. The state this spring made the obstacle course even tougher. boltsmag.org/new-rules-from…

The Democratic Party’s endorsement of Sheriff Dave Rosado stings for local immigrant rights organizers in Virginia who were angered at his actions to collaborate more closely with ICE. boltsmag.org/chesapeake-she…

More than half a million people in the U.S. are held in local jails on any given day, and, unlike people held in state prisons, most remain eligible to vote. Yet they are rarely included in the democratic process, let alone part of forums like this one. boltsmag.org/flint-michigan…

Lorelei Cloud was born 3 years before Native Americans living on tribal lands in Colorado were guaranteed the right to vote. She is now vice chair of the Southern Ute Tribe. “I don’t want future generations to have to deal with any of what we’ve had to.” boltsmag.org/automatic-vote…

The Texas state legislature begins meeting today in a special session. It is expected to adopt a new congressional map that would gift seats to the GOP in next year’s midterm elections. Have questions about this redistricting effort? Share them with us: boltsmag.org/another-texas-…

State supreme courts are a battlefield for pressing issues, from abortion rights to ballot access. But do you know how your court works? Our guide breaks down the structure and procedures of every single state’s highest court. boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-b…

Democrats in Southeast Virginia are now backing Sheriff Dave Rosado, just a month after he signed a new contract with ICE. “He was the candidate that was in line with our values,” says local party chair David Washington. boltsmag.org/chesapeake-she…

Oklahoma voters have expanded the state’s Medicaid program and lowered some criminal penalties. Next year, they'll choose whether to raise the minimum wage. But the GOP has now cracked down on citizen initiatives. boltsmag.org/oklahoma-restr…

We want to hear from you: What questions do you have about Texas’ mid-decade redistricting plans? Are you wondering about their legality, or whether the VRA comes into play? Send us your questions below; a redistricting expert will answer our readers: boltsmag.org/another-texas-…

An Australian scholar explains the idea that drove Australia to adopt compulsory voting: "You would know that the government that was elected had the support of the majority of voters in the electorate—not just the majority of the people who turned up." boltsmag.org/compulsory-vot…