Bolts

Margaret Morris @marmorr.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 04, 2024 at 01:32 UTC

Clear answers to good questions about voting in France and the UK.

0 replies 1 reposts 3 likes

Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 04, 2024 at 14:41 UTC

In a sharp contrast from the punitive measures used today, vagrancy laws at the founding of the country actually mandated support for the homeless community.

“The founders would have been appalled by the behavior of Grants Pass,” one expert told Bolts: boltsmag.org/grants-pass-...

0 replies 6 reposts 23 likes

Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 03, 2024 at 22:23 UTC

The U.K. is voting tomorrow. But how do these elections work? Can you vote by mail? Can you vote from prison, or if you live outside of the country?

You asked, we answered: boltsmag.org/how-voting-w...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 03, 2024 at 20:16 UTC

Bolts sat down with three experts in the aftermath of last week's Grants Pass ruling. They explain what the impact will be, and why it was “designed explicitly to be cruel to people experiencing homelessness.” boltsmag.org/grants-pass-...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 03, 2024 at 16:58 UTC

NEW: France and the U.K. are on the cusp of major elections, so we asked you to send us your questions on how voting works in these two countries. We chose 10 to answer — learn about runoffs, gerrymandering, registration, and much more.

0 replies 9 reposts 8 likes

Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 17:11 UTC

NEW: The supreme court’s Grants Pass ruling blessed bans on sleeping outdoors. In a Bolts roundtable, three experts explain that this may encourage aggressive policing over long-term housing solutions.

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 15:40 UTC

Wisconsinites this year are electing their 71 DAs, powerful county officials with wide discretion over who gets prosecuted to what degree of severity.

But voters only have any choice in four of those elections. boltsmag.org/wisconsin-20...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 03:19 UTC

California changed visitation from a right to a privilege in the mid-1990s to give correctional officers more control over prison activities. boltsmag.org/california-p...

0 replies 17 reposts 43 likes

Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 01, 2024 at 20:54 UTC

Oklahoma's incarcerated survivors of domestic violence had given up hope when a bill giving them a shot at freedom was unexpectedly vetoed.

But when a new version became law, the cheers in the prison “seemed even louder and more exuberant,” one woman said. boltsmag.org/oklahoma-sur...

0 replies 6 reposts 16 likes

Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 01, 2024 at 02:36 UTC

Dennis Linthicum joined lawmakers from around the country in calling for an audit of the 2020 presidential election in all 50 states based on unspecified “fraud and irregularities.” Now he’s the GOP nominee to lead Oregon elections. boltsmag.org/oregon-secre...

1 replies 7 reposts 7 likes

Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 20:36 UTC

On his first day in office, Los Angeles DA George Gascón rolled out a suite of reforms. The ensuing years became a crash course in the politics of reforming prosecution, @psfrench.bsky.social reports in Bolts.

boltsmag.org/los-angeles-...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 20:36 UTC

Assigned to a prison job paying $0.13 per hour, Abron Arrington refused to work, figuring his time could be better spent learning physics.

The DOC punished him with bouts of solitary confinement. boltsmag.org/colorado-pri...

5 replies 208 reposts 390 likes

Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 17:03 UTC

In South Carolina, where parole rates have plunged in recent years, prisoners and their lawyers can only access their files the morning of their parole hearings, making it nearly impossible to correct inaccuracies. boltsmag.org/parole-plung...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 16:47 UTC

Do you value our work on local politics, criminal justice, and voting rights? It takes time and resources for our small team to produce it, and you can help! You can donate to Bolts—and even become a monthly subscriber. boltsmag.org/donate-page/...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 14:37 UTC

Minnesota became the latest state to eliminate prison gerrymandering last month.

A new law will end the practice of counting incarcerated people where prisons are located, which skews political power within the state. boltsmag.org/minnesota-en...

0 replies 9 reposts 26 likes

Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 29, 2024 at 22:21 UTC

Since Denver officials set up in-person voting in the city's jail, voter turnout has occasionally surpassed turnout in the city overall. Now, a new law mandates that polling places be instituted in jails across the rest of Colorado: boltsmag.org/colorado-vot...

0 replies 26 reposts 56 likes

Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 29, 2024 at 17:59 UTC

FCI Dublin, where women were sexually abused by guards, medical staff, and even the warden, was finally closed this year.

But the vast majority of women were transferred to other facilities that also have a history of abuse by guards. boltsmag.org/federal-pris...

0 replies 5 reposts 7 likes

Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 28, 2024 at 16:42 UTC

The Delaware supreme court this morning restored state laws that set up early voting and permanent absentee voting; the justices overturning a lower court decision that had struck down those laws.

0 replies 5 reposts 24 likes

Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 28, 2024 at 16:14 UTC

Defendants in Virginia often face an impossible choice: go to trial, or accept a plea deal that waives their Fourth Amendment protections and opens them up to police searches — sometimes for years. boltsmag.org/fourth-amend...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 27, 2024 at 23:52 UTC

Women who survived sexual abuse at FCI Dublin continue to face retaliation for their reports even after the facility’s closure. Lawyers are fighting for compassionate release, and have already secured it for 17 survivors: boltsmag.org/federal-pris...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 27, 2024 at 17:34 UTC

Women who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of guards at a notorious federal prison in California are now seeking compassionate release. NEW in Bolts:

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 27, 2024 at 13:50 UTC

In New Jersey, 25% of Black adults are barred from ever serving on a jury.

"We’re whitewashing a space that’s disproportionately affecting Black and brown communities,” said one lawyer. “Which calls into question: who is getting a jury of one’s peers?” boltsmag.org/new-jersey-j...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 26, 2024 at 22:57 UTC

Nashua City Clerk Dan Healey is concerned that an updated proof of citizenship requirement would be “a pretty big change for our poll workers” and leave New Hampshire's election officials scrambling to train them and implement the new rules. boltsmag.org/new-hampshir...

1 replies 1 reposts 4 likes

Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 26, 2024 at 22:56 UTC

In Illinois, people with past sex offense convictions can often end up homeless due to exclusion zones—even though a state task force found that such restrictions “do not decrease sexual reoffending or the sex crime rates in the areas where they are used.” boltsmag.org/illinois-hou...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 26, 2024 at 16:41 UTC

Organizers in Florida's Broward County want the sheriff to stick to his word on stopping unnecessary arrests. “We’re not asking for something new,” one told Bolts. “The program already exists. It’s just about ensuring law enforcement executes it.” boltsmag.org/broward-sher...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 26, 2024 at 16:00 UTC

Of the 71 elections for district attorney taking place in Wisconsin counties this year, voters will only have a choice in four of them. “It’s a problem for democratic accountability, given DAs have so much power,” says the ACLU’s director of advocacy. boltsmag.org/wisconsin-20...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 26, 2024 at 13:53 UTC

Bolts reported that elections for Georgia’s statewide commission have been structured the same way for 116 years, introduced by a racist governor who wanted to minimize Black voters' power. A court overturned the system, but the ruling was later overturned.

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 26, 2024 at 13:52 UTC

The Supreme Court is passing on a case that challenged Georgia’s system of electing its public utility board through an at-large voting system. Civil rights organizations were suing to strike down the system for diluting Black political power.

1 replies 6 reposts 10 likes

Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 26, 2024 at 04:32 UTC

Are you looking to catch up with this election night?

Our Bolts guide lays out the results in dozens of critical primaries—and why they matter. boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 26, 2024 at 04:30 UTC

David Soares, the DA of Albany, New York’s capital county, lost the Democratic primary tonight to challenger Lee Kindlon.

Soares has been a vocal critic of his party’s recent criminal justice reforms.

Bolts previewed the race last week: boltsmag.org/albany-da-da...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 26, 2024 at 01:24 UTC

Election returns are now coming in from New York and Colorado. Bolts is tracking dozens of elections across both states—and Utah too, where polls are still open.

We will update our guide with results once they are known: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 25, 2024 at 15:39 UTC

Gregory Tony, sheriff of Florida's Broward County, has backtracked on a reform meant to reduce arrests for minor traffic offenses. His Democratic primary in August may decide the policy’s future. NEW in Bolts:

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 24, 2024 at 18:37 UTC

Colorado, New York, and Utah hold their primaries tomorrow.

Do you want to know what to watch? We have you covered: Our guide lays out dozens of races to watch and why they matter. boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 24, 2024 at 17:13 UTC

Wisconsinites are electing their 71 district attorneys this year, but they will only have a choice in four of these races. boltsmag.org/wisconsin-20...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 24, 2024 at 16:20 UTC

Elections are coming up in the UK and France—and we know that our readers have questions about what their voting systems look like. Ask us your questions on this page, or just drop them below this post, and look out for our next reader Q&A! boltsmag.org/ask-bolts/

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 24, 2024 at 02:38 UTC

What does your state supreme court do, and why does it matter? Are its members even elected?

Bolts breaks down everything you need to know about these powerful institutions in ten questions: boltsmag.org/what-to-know...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 24, 2024 at 02:37 UTC

Albany County DA David Soares faced backlash for awarding himself a $23,000 bonus using state grant funds, which he defended even after returning the cash. Challenger Lee Kindlon hopes this controversy propels him to victory in Tuesday's Democratic primary. boltsmag.org/albany-da-da...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 24, 2024 at 00:02 UTC

New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent decision to halt congestion pricing has created turmoil for public transit funding—and it's also spilled over in some of Tuesday's legislative primaries in New York.

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 23, 2024 at 23:39 UTC

A third of Wisconsin's counties haven’t held a single contested DA race in decades, we found in a new analysis.

This includes some of the state’s most populous counties. boltsmag.org/wisconsin-20...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 23, 2024 at 23:07 UTC

France and the UK are having major elections in coming weeks… but how does it all work? Wondering about turnout, how winners are determined, what happens to your right to vote if you have a conviction, or anything else?

Then it’s time to Ask Bolts: boltsmag.org/ask-bolts/

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 23, 2024 at 19:01 UTC

In some regards, 2024 is a new era for democracy in Wisconsin. After the state supreme court struck down the GOP’s gerrymanders, candidates have rushed to run for the legislature.

But that spirit didn’t extend to criminal justice circles. boltsmag.org/wisconsin-20...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 22, 2024 at 18:03 UTC

Three states — Colorado, New York, and Utah — are up next on the elections calendar.

Bookmark our cheat sheet to dozens of critical races taking place on Tuesday: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 22, 2024 at 16:28 UTC

Fifty-nine prosecutors in Wisconsin are running for reelection unopposed this year. It’s common for local officials to not draw any challengers, but the scope of the phenomenon in Wisconsin is still startling. boltsmag.org/wisconsin-20...

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Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 22, 2024 at 00:50 UTC

Dave Williams, the far-right chair of the Colorado GOP whose call to burn pride flags drew headlines recently, wants to head to Congress by winning an open seat in the Colorado Springs region. His primary is on Tuesday. boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...

1 replies 8 reposts 6 likes

Bolts @bolts.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 21, 2024 at 23:51 UTC

Albany County DA David Soares, once a reform champion, now blames criminal justice reforms for rising crime in New York’s capital county. But primary challenger Lee Kindlon sees this as a diversion from Soares' own failings. boltsmag.org/albany-da-da...

1 replies 5 reposts 11 likes