Arkansas lawmakers are at the Capitol today for the start of the 95th Legislative session. Over the next 88 days, legislators will discuss more than 2,000 bills that have been filed since November.

University of Arkansas Political Science Professor Andrew Dowdle said legislators will also attempt to implement bills passed during the first term of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

"Part of that is the Learns Act, where about half of all new state spending is going to private school vouchers," said Dowdle. "There was also an Arkansas Forward report to try to find savings in state government."

He said the report includes measures to slash $300 millions from the state's budget in six years, and a plan to pay state workers more competitive salaries.

One of Sanders' more controversial plans is to build a new 3,000-bed prison in Charleston, in Franklin County. Dowdle said the proposal has received pushback from residents in the area.

"Nobody seems to want a prison in their own neighborhood," said Dowdle. "You usually end up finding more support for prisons in rural areas at times where you end up having higher times of unemployment, and I don't think Charleston would really see itself in that light."

State Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, has filed a draft bill opposing the new prison.

His proposal addresses reducing overcrowding in county jails by investing in new construction, expansions, or renovations in jails with the highest prisoner backlog.


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The League of Women Voters of Florida is taking a personal approach to restoring voting rights for returning citizens.

The group is sending thousands of handwritten postcards to people with felony convictions, many of whom are unaware they may already be eligible to vote. The postcard initiative is part of a broader effort to ensure people know their rights and have the legal support they need to navigate Florida's complex voting restoration process.

Cecile Scoon, copresident of the League of Women Voters of Florida, described the importance of direct outreach to returning citizens and said the postcard campaign has made a significant impact.

"I have personally looked at people's records and they were not voting for over 10 to 20 years, but they didn't know that their felony charge was dropped to a misdemeanor," Scoon outlined. "So, 'I never filed a court paper.' I just read their records and that person was voting, like, within a week -- crying, excited."

The League's efforts began with Florida's 2018 passage of Amendment 4, which restored voting rights to most people with felony convictions. However, added fines and fees requirements created barriers, and while the state introduced a process to verify voter eligibility, advocates said it remains too complex and confusing for many returning citizens.

Scoon highlighted the challenges posed by the state's requirement, emphasizing incomplete or missing records often prevent people from proving they have paid their fines and fees.

"We proved that many of the records were lost, but the government was saying, 'You have to show me that you paid it.' If someone diligently looked for their records, 20 or 30% can't find them all," Scoon explained. "So, how are you going to prove you paid something, then there's no record, or they paid, and the probation office moved and didn't keep the record?"

She noted the League is advocating for legislative reforms to simplify voter eligibility verification. Despite challenges, like returned postcards due to the transient nature of returning citizens, Scoon pointed out they have managed to reach 5,000 people with felony convictions and yielded positive results.

She added anyone who needs assistance from the League's pro bono attorneys can call 407-710-5496 or email canivote@lwvfl.org.

The Wyoming Legislature's General Session starts Tuesday and voting-rights advocates in the state are watching several proposals they worry could hinder people's ability to vote.

Bills under consideration would prohibit the use of drop boxes to deliver completed ballots, reduce the accessibility of absentee ballot request forms and change the proof-of-residency rules for voter registration.

Marissa Carpio, policy director for the Equality State Policy Center, said the bills are priorities for the Freedom Caucus, a Republican faction that now has a majority lead in the House.

"They coin it as 'election integrity' bills to clean up what they perceive as voter fraud," Carpio explained. "Let me be clear, there are no widespread instances of voter fraud in Wyoming."

Carpio pointed out the bills would disproportionately affect elderly, rural and Native voters.

According to the Heritage Foundation, there have been four cases of election fraud in Wyoming in the last 23 years, including three people who registered with incorrect addresses and one convicted felon who cast a ballot.

Carpio argued the state's election organizers should get credit for their success.

"We have county clerks across the state that are so dedicated to the process of our election," Carpio pointed out. "They're real, hardworking people out there that deserve recognition for the fact that our elections run so well. And the upheaval of these processes could really hurt."

The Freedom Caucus has listed "election integrity" legislation first on its "five and dime plan," which details the five pieces of legislation it aims to pass in the first 10 days of the session, according to its website.

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

Minnesota's new legislative session begins tomorrow, but there are still unknowns over how much of it will actually get started.

A political expert says jockeying by both parties over House control is likely a turnoff for voters.

After last fall's election, the Minnesota House was at an even split of 67 seats for Republicans and the DFL.

But a Democratic winner stepped down because of residency rules, meaning temporarily, the GOP has a slight edge. That has Republicans setting aside a power-sharing agreement, with DFL members threatening not to show up, citing a special election.

Hamline University Political Science Professor David Schultz said the optics aren't good.

"This is the type of scenario," said Schultz, "that really feeds into why oftentimes people just think that the government just can't get anything done."

With the electorate growing more divisive, Schultz said both parties have incentives to appeal to their base voters. But for voters with a more open mind, he said the events unfolding resemble "grandstanding" by these elected officials.

Schultz added that neither party is really prepared to compromise, with recent sessions not providing an opportunity to sharpen those skills.

Even though Republicans did well at the national level in last fall's election, he said he feels both parties are at a crossroads in appealing to voters and their shifting mindsets, especially younger generations.

"There is a possibility that longer term we could see the support for the two major parties decay," said Schultz, "and does that open up a possibility for redefining the parties, creation of a new party that could provide some possibility for more compromise."

But he thinks the possibility of a less-hostile political environment likely won't take shape for another decade.

Until then, Schultz predicted more short-term thinking by the major parties that aligns with a "winner-take-all" approach -- even if it doesn't always translate to effective governing.

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



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