CHARLESTON, W.Va. - You may spot a mobile billboard on your travels in West Virginia, and its creators hope the signage reminds people of how they might benefit from the "Build Back Better" plan.

From universal pre-K and expanded child tax credits, to affordable housing and climate-crisis initiatives, President Joe Biden unveiled a slimmer version of the package - $1.75 trillion, down from $3.5 trillion.

However, Sen. Joe Manchin - D-W.Va. - and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema - D-Ariz. - are still holdouts on its passage. Ryan Frankenberry, state director of the West Virginia Working Families Party, said the rolling billboard aims to get people thinking about how the investments could work for their communities.

"Just driving down the road, you might see it past you, or you might see it parked at a rest area," said Frankenberry. "And we're already getting folks texting, saying they've seen it."

Items most recently trimmed out of the plan include paid family leave, prescription drug price reform, free community college and expanded Medicare coverage.

But more than $550 billion would support clean-energy development, including a tax credit that would lower the cost of purchasing electric vehicles made in the U.S.

While the national spotlight has been on Sen. Manchin, Frankenberry pointed out that none of the West Virginia congressional representatives have voiced support for the Build Back Better plan.

"They love to come and claim the credit when we're doing these good things with government resources," said Frankenberry. "But it's really sad that they're not voting for them as well."

The rolling billboard is a partnership between the West Virginia Working Families Party and the West Virginia New Jobs Coalition.

Meanwhile, faith groups across the state - led by West Virginia Interfaith Power and Light - are hosting a day of prayer today, All Saints Day, urging Sen. Manchin to support the Build Back Better plan and its efforts to mitigate climate change.

In a debate in the race for Indiana's next Lieutenant Governor, the candidates clashed over the future of the state.

Micah Beckwith, the Republican candidate, who grew up on his family's dairy farm, emphasized agriculture's critical role in Indiana's economy, unveiling what he called the "Braun Beckwith initiative," aimed at reducing government restrictions on farming. He argued food security is national security, and stressed the need for minimal government interference to help farmers succeed.

"It is so important that Indiana begins to be that number one breadbasket," Beckwith stressed. "For the state, for the nation and for the world."

Terry Goodin, the Democratic candidate, focused on education and rural development, calling for reforms to ensure students graduate prepared for the workforce, military service or higher education.

Goodin, who grew up on a family farm, also pushed for economic revival in rural areas and proposed a fair tax plan to ease the burden on Hoosier families and farmers.

"Folks, we're going to start a revival in rural Indiana, an economic revival," Goodin asserted. "We're going to embark on a huge infrastructure program, where these communities will have the ability -- the revival -- of opportunity, hope and optimism."

Tonya Hudson, the Libertarian candidate, championed smaller government and lower taxes.

Hudson, a real estate broker, advocated for abolishing property taxes and reforming the tax code, highlighting the importance of personal freedom and free-market principles.

"I want to live in a free state," Hudson emphasized. "I want my family, my friends, fellow Hoosiers to have the same freedoms I long for. We need better government, not bigger."


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A Cole County judge ruled Tuesday Missouri voters will decide whether to ban ranked choice voting voting statewide, which could reshape the state's elections.

The means the contentious issue will be on the November ballot, tied to a proposed amendment stating only U.S. citizens can vote. Ranked choice voting is currently used only in the St. Louis area. It allows voters to rank candidates by preference, and ensures a majority winner by redistributing votes from eliminated candidates.

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft supports the ban.

"I have a pretty sneaky feeling -- and I think I'm right -- that this change has been pushed, not because it's a quote, 'better,' unquote, way to vote, but because it's designed to change the outcome," Ashcroft contended.

Backers of ranked choice voting said people should be given the opportunity to try it. They pointed out it eliminates the need for costly runoff elections and promotes more civil campaigning among candidates.

Jean Dugan, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Missouri, is a proponent. She said there is a growing interest in ranked choice voting, not only in Missouri but around the country.

"The St. Louis League worked to get approval voting in the city of St. Louis, and it's working very well there," Dugan noted. "But other communities might want to try it, too."

Ranked choice voting is now used in more than 50 cities, in 14 states. Ashcroft maintained those who want to use it in Missouri have been unable to attain victory for their issue or their candidate and so have decided to "change the rules." Missouri voters will have the final say on Nov. 5.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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Native voting-rights advocates contend two Arizona laws have made it more difficult for Native American voters to be civically engaged, despite already existing structural barriers.

Patty Ferguson-Bohnee, director of the Indian Legal Clinic at Arizona State University, said House Bill 2492 and House Bill 2243 will unfairly impact native voters.

House Bill 2492 said voters must present evidence of a physical mailing address, which Ferguson-Bohnee pointed out will present problems for many native people who simply do not have one. House Bill 2243 requires county recorders to terminate a voter's registration if they suspect someone is not a U.S. citizen. The pieces of legislation are being challenged in court but Ferguson-Bohnee argued education and outreach are also key.

"Trying to translate to tribal people in their own terms, in their own communities, why it's important to participate in voting can already be a challenge when you're dealing with a legal infrastructure that has tried to deny your existence," Ferguson-Bohnee asserted.

Just last month the U.S. House of Representatives released a report examining barriers and providing policy solutions, including the Native American Voting Rights Act, which would establish "consistent standards" for voting throughout Indian Country.

Ferguson-Bohnee encouraged all voters to participate in elections. For native people experiencing difficulties registering to vote or having problems on Election Day, she urged them to call the Election Protection Hotline at 866-687-8683.

Ferguson-Bohnee emphasized when it comes to Native American voting, there have been steps forward and then backward. Despite President Joe Biden having selected Deb Haaland to serve as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, many still feel voiceless and lack confidence in Washington D.C. leaders.

"There is some feeling within Indian Country and among some Native people is, 'Why should I be participating in this process?'" Ferguson-Bohnee observed. "But when you recognize that people who are elected actually have touch pointed in your everyday life, even if you're in a remote location, because of this federal trust relationship."

Ferguson-Bohnee added realities on reservations are often very different from off the reservation and contended it should be taken into account by elected officials when creating policy affecting the entire state of Arizona.


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