skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

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

Federal inquiry traces payments from Gaetz to women; a new Florida-Puerto Rico partnership poised to transform higher-ed landscape; MT joins Tribes to target Canadian mining pollution; Heart health plummets in rural SD and nationwide; CO working families would pay more under Trump tax proposals.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transgender rights in Congress, a historic win for Utah's youngest elected official, scrutiny of Democratic Party leadership, and the economic impact of Trump's tax proposals highlight America's shifting political and social landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

Ohio's voting system affects BIPOC communities

play audio
Play

Monday, November 4, 2024   

Ohio voters are facing significant challenges at the ballot box, with some groups expressing concerns over voter roll purges and gerrymandering affecting representation, particularly in Black and other communities of color.

The issues draw attention to Ohio's "use it or lose it" policy.

Molly Shack, executive director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, said the policy affects marginalized groups more than others. She explained some voters, especially in underserved communities, may feel disappointed by a system when it does not meet their needs, resulting in fewer people voting and a higher chance of them being removed from the voter rolls.

"Ohio has purged literally millions of voters over the last decade and most recently, close to 160,000," Shack pointed out. "Those are policies that allow voters to be removed from the rolls not because they are ineligible citizens who can't constitutionally cast a ballot but because they haven't voted in a while."

Critics like Shack argued Ohio's current electoral practices contribute to voter suppression, disproportionately affecting low-income individuals, working-class citizens, voters of color and young voters, especially in districts already burdened by participation barriers.

Advocates also expressed concern about Ohio's persistent gerrymandering issues.

Bria Bennett, communications director for the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, asserted such practices dilute Black voter influence by packing and splitting urban areas, a tactic known as "cracking and packing."

"When we're thinking about gerrymandering, many times, that dilutes the Black vote," Bennett observed. "So think of your urban centers, you're packing all your votes into one area so that, yes, that voting block is together. However, it is diluting it everywhere else."

As Ohio voters prepare to decide on Issue One, supporters see the measure as a crucial step toward a fairer, more representative democracy.

Advocates for a voter bill of rights, currently stalled in the Supreme Court, continue to raise awareness about the barriers faced by some communities, emphasizing the need for comprehensive voting reforms to ensure access across the state.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Despite a 70% approval rate of all school referendums this year, the state saw a 10% decrease from 2022, making it the lowest passage rate in a midterm or presidential election year in the last decade. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsinites overwhelmingly voted 'yes' on a record number of school funding measures, according to a new Wisconsin Policy Forum study. The appeals …


Social Issues

play sound

Ohio is among the many states where a majority of workers lack access to paid family leave. A new report by Groundwork Ohio finds three in four …

Social Issues

play sound

On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump called on the U.S. Senate to stop confirming President Joe Biden's nominees to federal judgeships, even as …


Health and Wellness

play sound

'Tis the season for celebration and good cheer. However, for many Michiganders, the absence of a loved one - whether through death, divorce or …

A report from the Maryland Public Interest Research Group anticipates future emissions reductions will come from the transportation and industrial sectors. (Adobe Stock / AI-generated)

Environment

play sound

New research finds Maryland leading the nation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental Protection Agency data show between 2005 and 2022…

Social Issues

play sound

Immigrants and the agencies that help them are preparing for what could happen when President-elect Donald Trump returns to office. In Wyoming…

Environment

play sound

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has revived congestion pricing after a five-month pause. The program's biggest change is a $9 toll, down from $15 but by 2…

 

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