skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Study: Vote-by-Mail Promotes Equity, Reduces Racial Gap in Voting

play audio
Play

Tuesday, April 19, 2022   

The pandemic changed the way we vote in California, and some reforms made voting patterns more equitable, while others did not, according to a new study from the Public Policy Institute of California.

The decision to send mail-in ballots to all registered voters narrowed the gap between groups often turning out in force, such as non-Hispanic white voters and older people, and those who are underrepresented, often people of color and younger voters.

Eric McGhee, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California and the report's co-author, said concerns about voter suppression are overblown.

"When you mail everybody a ballot, you get basically the same number of people turning out to vote," McGhee pointed out. "You're not suppressing one side's vote versus the other. There's no evidence that it alters election outcomes. And there wasn't even a gap in opinions about mail-in voting until the 2020 election."

Deep blue Oregon and deep red Utah have been mailing ballots to all registered voters for years with very few irregularities and no partisan effect.

However, in the context of a primary, the study found mailing every voter a ballot actually worsened the turnout gap.

McGhee noted while it elevated everybody's turnout, it raised turnout for white voters and seniors even more.

"So in a primary election context, it can't be just sort of a 'rising tide lifts all ships' kind of thing," McGhee contended. "It has to be more of a targeted deliberate effort to bring out the vote of underrepresented communities."

In recent years, many counties have embraced the Voting Rights Act, which allowed them to open regional vote centers to allow for more early voting while closing down some local polling places.

McGhee reported it actually widened the turnout gap because it caused significant voter confusion, especially among neighborhoods of color and young voters.

"So what we recommended was to consider maybe doing less consolidation," McGhee urged. "Or to do better outreach, to communicate the change to voters so that they're more aware of it."

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


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021