When Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., needed assistance after threats during her 2020 election campaign, she turned to unarmed civilian protection in Saint Louis.

Unarmed civilian protection members are specially trained to de-escalate even the worst scenarios.

Eli McCarthy, director of programs for the group D.C. Peace Team, said a highly skilled unarmed civilian protection unit uses many nonviolent resources such as centering and different forms of dialogue, listening and acknowledging feelings and needs.

"Things like distraction and delegation, dignity phrases, interconnectedness phrases," McCarthy outlined. "For example, like, 'We are in this together, let's find a way through this.' And then other tactics like interposition so different ways, they can use their bodies to get in between to block."

McCarthy said unarmed civilian protection is practiced in war zones such as South Sudan, Colombia, Iraq and the Philippines.

As we gear up for the next election in November 2024, some national organizations are already planning for and asking for de-escalation training from the D.C Peace Team.

McCarthy said training and deployment of an unarmed civilian protection unit for election polling places, faith-based groups and those involved in the election process who are feeling directly threatened or at risk can be beneficial.

"One option is to hire an unarmed civilian protection team or unit to provide regular accompaniment and really try to put that person more at ease so they can focus on the work. You know, Cori said, 'I don't have to look over my shoulder and be on constant alert.'"

DCPT is part of a broader network known as the Shanti Sena Network. It is composed of members from peace teams from around the U.S. and Canada and is open to members worldwide.


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In a significant turnaround, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has reversed its stance on ballot dropboxes - making them legal again in a 4-3 ruling.

Two years ago, when conservatives controlled the court, the justices restricted the use of dropboxes. The ruling said they could only be placed in local election clerks' offices, and a voter had to return their own ballot in person. However, when Justice Janet Protasiewicz was elected last April, control shifted on the high court.

Nick Ramos, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, is pleased with the decision and said his organization has known all along dropboxes are safe and improve voting access.

"They are a way that the electorate can access our democracy when it isn't necessarily so convenient," Ramos argued. "For our health care workers, the rural community, single parents out there."

Conservative members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court were against reviewing the case, stressing the significance of upholding and respecting legal precedent.

Luke Berg, deputy counsel at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, condemned the ruling, calling it "one of the worst decisions from the court in recent memory." He is convinced it was political and not what he thinks a court should be doing.

"I think it's deeply ironic that the court announced, by judicial fiat, its policy preference on a voting issue on the same day that it issued an opinion praising separation of powers, and then violated those very principles in the other opinion it issued," Berg asserted.

Ramos maintained the decision to make ballot boxes more widely available sends a clear message not only to the people of Wisconsin but the entire country.

"Especially after the year we've had, with bringing new maps, after living under the extreme partisan gerrymander that we've lived under for over a decade," Ramos emphasized. "It's a message of hope."

Ramos added he is proud of the volunteers, activists and key organizations who worked to bring about the change.

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


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Arizona's 50+ voters will be key in determining who wins the presidential election in November.

A new AARP Arizona poll, which was commissioned before the recent debate debacle, found former President Donald Trump leading President Joe Biden by eight percentage pointed.

Bob Ward, partner at the research firm Fabrizio Ward, said Arizona has a high number of older voters, which have historically made their voices heard but are not necessarily party-loyal. He pointed out one of the poll findings worth noting is women over the age of 50 could play a pivotal role in tipping the scales.

"There is a gender gap, and if we look at women over 50, they are tied on the presidential race," Ward reported. "Both Trump and Biden are at 42% among women 50+ and Trump has more than a 22-point lead among men 50+."

Ward added Trump's lead among older Arizona voters is 10 points ahead of Biden, with most citing immigration and border security as the most important issue, followed by inflation and rising prices and threats to democracy. Meanwhile, Arizona Hispanic voters are helping Biden lead over Trump, 48% to 37% respectively.

Another highly anticipated contest is the Senate race between Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake. Poll results showed Gallego holds a narrow lead over Lake. The gender gap among 50+ voters is also significant, with women supporting Gallego by 12 percentage points and men preferring Lake by 15. Gallego has been an advocate for abortion rights and Lake has been a strong proponent for increased border security.

Jeff Liszt, partner at Impact Research, said 50+ voters are highly motivated and will make their voice heard.

"If you look at the people that are 10 out of 10, extremely motivated to vote, the percentage of voters over 50, who are 10 out of 10 is 86%," Liszt explained. "That is 20 points higher than the 66% of voters under age 50 who tell us they are 10 out of 10 motivated to vote."

Liszt called it a huge gap and added it will be interesting to see whether younger voters will show up and vote, adding he has confidence in older voters in the Grand Canyon State.


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Data show older voters are an influential demographic in Wyoming elections and a new series of videos asks candidates questions specific to the group.

The Secretary of State said more than two-thirds of Wyoming voters in 2022 were over age 50.

Tom Lacock, associate state director for AARP Wyoming, said sometimes issues important to the group get overlooked. The organization is producing a series of short videos with candidates asking straight-to-the-point questions about property taxes, funding ambulance services and how the state can best help older adults age in their homes and communities.

Lacock explained the questions are designed to focus on issues important to older voters.

"We're hoping that doing this helps cut through some of the other stuff that you see online," Lacock emphasized. "And becomes less about maybe a specific party or even a specific traction of a party and more issues-based."

Lacock reported candidate participation is increasing. As of Wednesday, the AARP Wyoming Facebook page and website featured videos from 18 races and 44 candidates across the state. Many Wyoming races will be decided during the primary and Lacock pointed out the group is working to release more videos before the Aug. 20 election.

Lacock noted AARP started the video series before the 2022 election. The number of video views for this year's primary, he added, shows voters aged 50 and up are continuing to pay attention.

"We're approaching 2,300 over the course of the last month," Lacock observed. "People are taking the time to look through these to figure out where candidates sit on issues that are important to them."