Politics
The Brennan Center for Justice* Voting Issues to Watch Election Day 2016: 14 States Have Voting Restrictions for the First Time in a Presidential Election - Arizona, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin
Voter Fraud: "Rigged" is the buzzword if this election, with Donald Trump saying there is "large scale voter fraud." Every major study, investigation, and court decision has found voter fraud is vanishingly rare. See the Brennan Center’s briefing memo debunking the myth of fraud. Cuts to polling locations, confusion over new voting requirements, faulty machines, and other factors have led to long lines in North Carolina and Texas during early voting this year, and in Arizona during the primaries. In 2012, between 500,000 and 700,000 eligible voters did not cast a ballot due to excessive wait times.
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Public Health on the Ballot: Marijuana Legalization, Minimum Wage Hikes and Gun Control Issues on the Ballot
Five states will vote on legalizing recreational marijuana use this year: Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada. And, Arkansas, Florida, Montana, and North Dakota, could be the latest states to legalize medical marijuana use — it's already legal in 25 states and the District of Columbia. As Silvia Martins, associate professor of Epidemiology, notes: "There are several potential pros and cons of legalized recreational marijuana. More years of data are needed for researchers to truly be able to estimate the public health impact of these policies." more »
For Many Americans, Election Day Is Already Here: Early voting, Absentee Voting, What’s the difference?
In 2012, more than 46 million voters — almost 36% of the total — cast ballots in some manner other than at a traditional polling place on Election Day, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of state and federal election data. That figure includes 23.3 million people who cast civilian or military absentee ballots, 16.9 million who voted early and 6.3 million who mailed in their ballots. The share of the total electorate that such nontraditional voting represents has grown rapidly over the past few election cycles. In 2004, according to our analysis, about 22% of the total vote was nontraditional; by 2008, nearly a third was. more »
The Seasonal Tsunami of Senior Mail; No Longer a Pandora's Box
Doris O'Brien writes: Casting a ballot is usually a biannual event. But the obligatory trek to pick up our paper-based stash has for many of us become an urgent daily ritual. For some, the habit may have even morphed into an obsession. At the appropriate time of year, for example, we may happily discover a birthday card or two, sent to us by those who still buy and lick stamps. And if we're lucky, the holiday season may bring a comparative bonanza of greetings — though, again, there's always the chance of ending up as disappointed as Charlie Brown. more »