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Have the Past Three Years Strengthened the Case for Section Five's Constitutionality?

At the end of October, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely announce whether it will take up the question of the constitutionality of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – the so-called “preclearance” provision, which prevents certain covered jurisdictions from implementing changes in their voting laws and practices unless they can demonstrate to the U.S. Attorney General or a three-judge district court in the District of Columbia that the change will not be discriminatory in either effect or purpose.
October 25, 2012 |
Rutgers Law Review
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Voting Rights & Voter Registration 
The Politics of Voter Suppression

In her new book, The Politics of Voter Suppression: Defending and Expanding Americans’ Right to Vote, Tova Wang delves deep into the issue of voter disenfranchisement.  Six years in the making, this book is an honest, non-partisan testament to the issue of voter suppression in the United States. 
October 24, 2012 |
New Europe
Climate Silence Is Bad For Our Economy

The last presidential debate not only continued the silence on climate change, it also advanced the false narrative that we have to choose between economic growth and action on climate change. While the candidates focused on how to keep gas prices down, increase energy independence, and create jobs, they never addressed how we can use our energy plan to fight climate change. By refusing to address climate consequences, both candidates reinforce the idea that we either focus on economic growth or we focus on the environment, but not both.
October 22, 2012 |
The Huffington Post
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Sustainability & Growth 
Big Money. Small Money. More Money.

Most Americans who contribute to the presidential campaign are making the kind of $20 or $50 contributions that average folks can afford, and that’s a good thing. Voting is only one way to make our political voices heard, and joining together with other citizens to support candidates and issue organizations is an important part of our democracy. We should create policies that encourage even more non-wealthy citizens to get in the act—like matching small contributions with public funds, or providing tax credits or coupons for small gifts.
October 20, 2012 |
Zocalo Public Square
Plutocrats Want to Own Your Vote

The new Gilded Age is roaring down on us – an uncaged tiger on a rampage. Walk out to the street in front of our office here in Manhattan, look to the right and you can see the symbol of it: a fancy new skyscraper going up two blocks away.  When finished, this high rise among high rises will tower a thousand feet, the tallest residential building in the city.
October 19, 2012 |
BillMoyers.com
Impact of States' Voter Laws Can Be Difficult to Identify

Lorraine C. Minnite, a Rutgers University political scientist and a senior fellow at Demos, a liberal think tank, looked for a turnout effect in a 2009 paper she co-authored with Columbia University political scientist Robert S. Erikson. They didn't turn up definitive evidence, concluding, "our data and tools are not up to the task of making a compelling statistical argument for an effect."
October 19, 2012 |
Wall Street Journal
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Voting Rights & Voter Registration 
Have Republicans conceded defeat in the culture wars?

We are living in the twilight of the great culture war — a forty-year battle over social issues that helped separate white voters, both of the working class and the middle class, from their natural allies in the Democratic Party.
October 18, 2012 |
The Grio
Justice to the Highest Bidder

When the National Football League ended its lockout of the professional referees and the refs returned to call the games, all across the country players, fans, sponsors and owners breathed a sigh of relief. Fans were grateful for the return of qualified judges to keep things on the up and up.
October 15, 2012 |
Salon
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Economy & Opportunity 
Doctors, Drug Companies, and Doing the Right Thing

It’s no secret that there’s a lot of money in healthcare. In 2010, Americans spent $2.6 trillion on our healthcare, nearly 15 percent of our annual gross domestic product. And doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, and pharmaceuticals all want their piece of that multi-trillion-dollar pie.
October 8, 2012 |
The 2x2 Project
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Economy & Opportunity 
Why is Medicare So Expensive? Episode II

Accounting for 12 percent of the federal budget, and costing $509 Billion in total expenditures in 2010, Medicare is a massive expense. In part one of this series, we set out four trends that are key to understanding the rising cost of Medicare.
October 5, 2012 |
The 2x2 Project