Search the reporting blog
Teaching young people the importance of voting in elections
Teresa Martinez, voting rights ambassador for the Arizona Secretary of State, explains the information on a voter registration form to several high school students at a mock election event on April 12, 2016. (Photo by Marianna Hauglie/News21) PHOENIX — At 12:08, two minutes before the start of the s…
Active duty service member or recent veteran? Tell us about your vote
Archived 2016 reporting invitation. The original participation form is no longer active.…
Arizona felons have steep path to restore voting rights
Michele Keller lost her voting rights when she was sent to prison on drug charges. Even though she was released in 2007, she hasn’t earned the right to cast a vote in an election because she hasn’t been able to pay her fines in total. (Photo by Kathryn Peifer/News21) PHOENIX – Michele Keller has bee…
Arizona’s online voting system makes it easy for military personnel to cast their vote
An old voting machine stands in the lobby of the Maricopa County Elections Warehouse. (Photo by Erin Vogel-Fox/News21) PHOENIX — It was just a few short days before Halloween in October 2012. Petty Officer Second Class Scott Bourque was stationed in Japan and had just received his mail-in absentee b…
Ballot harvesting law could impact Latinos and seniors in general election
Jose Barboza, a volunteer for Promise Arizona, works to get people registered to vote. (Photo by Courtney Columbus/News21) PHOENIX — Arizona’s new law that criminalizes the collection of voters’ early ballots by volunteers could impact the ability of the elderly and Latinos to cast their votes, acco…
Elderly Arizonans face familiar voting barriers
Voters wait in line for more than an hour Tuesday at the Arizona Historical Society Museum in Tempe. (Photo by Grecia Drabos/Cronkite News) PHOENIX – Loretta O’Malley has been voting since she was 21-years-old. Even in Okinawa, Japan in the 1950s, she cast her ballot while serving in the U.S. milita…
Nevada: Tell us about your vote
Archived 2016 reporting invitation. The original participation form is no longer active.…
Texans: Have you had a hard time voting?
Archived 2016 reporting invitation. The original participation form is no longer active.…
Census release could require more communities to offer voter language assistance
The U.S. Census Bureau this summer will release a list of voting areas required to translate ballots into other languages in addition to English. (Photo courtesy U.S. Census Bureau) EUGENE, Ore. – Every five years, the U.S. Census Bureau releases a list of voting areas required to translate ballots …
Citizenship applications this year outpace those in 2012
Through March 2016, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received 435,196 naturalization applications. (Photo by News21 staff) PHOENIX – Applications for U.S. citizenship have spiked in recent presidential election years. The number of applications so far this year has outpaced those re…
More than a millennial: election perspectives from America’s largest generation
Archived 2016 reporting invitation. The original participation form is no longer active.…
Austin NAACP leader calls Supreme Court ‘one person, one vote’ decision ‘encouraging’
Video produced by Pinar Istek/News21 AUSTIN – The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Texas'”one person, one vote” system in April. The ruling was seen as a victory for legislators – mostly Democrats – who represent areas made up of high populations of people who are not eligible to vote. Austin’s NAACP chapt…
Kansans: Share your experience with the voting process
Archived 2016 reporting invitation. The original participation form is no longer active.…
Women voters: Have you had trouble voting?
Archived 2016 reporting invitation. The original participation form is no longer active.…
Michigan governor to decide whether elected officials should control Detroit Public Schools
PHOENIX – It’s now up to Michigan Gov. Rick Synder to decide whether to create a new public school district in Detroit, which would give a locally elected board control of the schools for the first time in seven years. If he signs the bill, which was passed by state legislators in early June, the De…
Rejected: Hundreds of U.S. counties tossed provisional ballots in 2014
PHOENIX – More than 200 counties in about 25 states rejected every provisional ballot cast during the 2014 general election, according to a News21 analysis of data from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Most of the counties were small, with an average of 21,897 registered voters. And voters i…
Judge may decide ‘ballot harvesting’ law, provisional ballot issues in Arizona
PHOENIX – A U.S. district court judge may decide two critical issues in Arizona before the November presidential election: whether to stop the state’s new so-called “ballot harvesting” law from taking effect and whether to force elections officials to count out-of-precinct provisional ballots. The D…
How do states clean their voter rolls? Find out in less than a minute
States are required to keep accurate voter registration rolls, according to the National Voter Registration Act. The lists can constantly change because of population changes, such as residents moving or dying. There are two national programs available for states to compare rolls to keep better trac…
Voices: College students share thoughts on voting, elections
For many college students, this year’s primary elections marked the first time they could vote. While some found the process painless, others faced unexpected hurdles. News21 interviewed college students from campuses across the country to find out their thoughts on the registration process and the …
Who got kicked off North Carolina’s voting rolls? You may recognize these names
PHOENIX – Some North Carolina politicians and voting integrity activists have been among the most vocal in the country warning of the dangers of voter fraud. The problem, they say, demands vigilance in keeping voting registration lists accurate and current. A News 21 search of North Carolina’s curre…
Court battles over Wisconsin voter ID law continue
The Wisconsin Capitol Building in Madison. (Photo courtesy of Jordan A Richmond/ Flickr) PHOENIX – Wisconsin’s new voter ID laws – among the strictest in the nation – were enforced statewide for the first time in April during the spring presidential primaries. Historically, the state had a reputatio…
Nevada’s Clark County brings polls to voters through mobile voting trailers
Video produced by Roman Knertser/News21 In a state where ease of access to the polls is the norm, Clark County has made it even easier for voters. Home to Las Vegas and more than 75 percent of the state’s population, the county has taken the unique step during early voting to bring the polls to the …
Your turn: What issues are you most passionate about?
News21 took on the Windy City last weekend to hit up the People’s Summit. This convention brought together thousands of people from across the country to talk about what “the people’s platform” should be leading up to the Democratic National Convention. We asked the millennials gathered there one qu…
Research indicates young black voters more likely to vote than millennial counterparts
Community members gather in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Phillip Jackson/News21) PHOENIX – Millennial voters are poised to make a sizable impact in the 2016 election cycle, and experts say young black voters will likely lead the way. The young black vote has outpaced the white and Latino vote i…
Cleveland prepares to host Republican National Convention amid security concerns
Republican presidential presumptive nominee Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Columbus, Ohio, on March 1. Trump reached the majority number of 1,237 GOP delegates in May, securing his position as the Republican candidate, but he will not officially become the nominee until he accepts the nomination …
Latinos, let’s talk about voting
Archived 2016 reporting invitation. The original participation form is no longer active.…
Texas university’s student group registers voters, tries to buck trend
DENTON, Texas – Voter turnout for young adults has reached record lows in recent years, according to the Campus Vote Project . That’s one reason Adam Alattry, student body president at University of North Texas, said student groups decided to hold a voter registration drive on campus in January. Thi…
African-Americans seek changes to judicial district in one Louisiana parish
HOUMA, La. – For nearly two decades, the black community in Terrebonne Parish has pushed the Louisiana Legislature to create a majority-minority voting district for one of five judicial seats, which up until recently has always been occupied by white judges. The first and only black judge to be elec…
Alabama mobile voter ID program hits roadblock in Selma
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said the recent changes to voter ID laws have been to maintain the “credibility of the electoral process.” (Photo by Jeffrey Pierre/News21) SELMA, Ala. – Since Alabama’s photo voter ID law went into effect in 2014, the state has started setting up mobile ID lo…
Native American voters at a glance
Native American voters continue to stream to the polls in increasing numbers, but they have faced decades of discrimination in the U.S. election process. Many will cast votes for tribal governments as well as in state and federal elections this fall. Here are some facts: Marianna Hauglie is a Reynol…
Share your unique voting experience
Archived 2016 reporting invitation. The original participation form is no longer active.…
Judge questions intent of North Carolina voter ID law
This mural in Durham, North Carolina, illustrates the civil rights movement as black residents fought for integration and voting rights. (Photo by Phillip Jackson/News21) PHOENIX – The legal battle over whether North Carolina’s voter ID law is discriminatory is now in the hands of a federal appeals …
Former Alabama civil rights activist calls voter ID laws a ‘gimmick’ to discourage black votes
John Jackson Jr. poses for a portrait at the SNCC Black Panther Party Freedom House in White Hall, Alabama. The Freedom House, owned by the Jackson family, served as the headquarters of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee voting rights campaign during the civil rights movement. (Photo by Pinar…
Texans: Need to get a driver’s license to vote? You may need to fill up the tank first
ROCKSPRINGS, Texas – Residents in rural areas of Texas may have to drive up to an hour to obtain a driver’s license – one of the few IDs the state accepts from voters, according to records obtained from the Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas has 254 counties, but 74 lack a driver’s license off…
Trumpeter travels across U.S. to ‘wake up’ people
TOPEKA, Kan. — Outside the Kansas Capitol building, a trumpet’s patriotic tunes cut through the thick, humid 102-degree air. Richard Jacobson has been traveling from coast to coast since April, playing his trumpet outside of capitol buildings across the country. He is from upstate New York and plans…
Former felon can’t vote, but says his Miami neighborhood has “bigger problems” than politics
Raphael White was released from a Florida prison last year. As a convicted felon, he can’t vote. (Photo by Jeffrey Pierre/News21) MIAMI – Raphael White was released from a Florida prison last year after serving time for burglary and armed robbery. But as a convicted felon, he can’t vote in this year…
Millennials may not vote (as much), many choose activism instead
A group of millennials gather outside of Northwestern University’s campus in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Amber Reece/News21) CHICAGO – Despite consistently low voter turnout , who says millennials don’t care about politics? Many in this generation – roughly ages 18 to 34 – say they simply prefer t…
Activists: Voting Rights Act decision may lead to discrimination in 2016 election
PHOENIX – A new report by a coalition of civil rights and activists groups suggested that new voter laws enacted by several states may negatively affect minority voters and could “play critical roles in deciding the outcomes” of the 2016 election. The report, released in June by the Leadership Confe…
Phoenix protester: Voting isn’t ‘going to do it’ any more
People march in downtown Phoenix to protest the police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. (Photo by Phillip Jackson/News21) PHOENIX – Throughout the year, Black Lives Matter supporters and activists have held protests across the country partly to call on elected leaders to address iss…
Salt Lake LGBT activist: Gay elected officials represent progress, ‘which is really awesome’
Christopher Cooke, 28, stands on Harvey Milk Boulevard, a street renamed in honor of the LGBT activist, in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Natalie Griffin/News21) SALT LAKE CITY – Members of the LGBT community in Salt Lake City have pushed for change in Utah. In the past year, the city has elected an open…
The future of voting? Some counties text voters when they mail, receive ballots
PHOENIX – Two texts. That’s all it takes to erase the uncertainty in the voting process, 82-year-old Colorado resident Charles Blackwell said. Blackwell lives in Boulder County, where a voter services team sends him a text when it mails his ballot. The county sends another text after it receives his…
ACLU sues Kansas over ‘unique’ voting laws – again
The Kansas Secure and Fair Elections Act requires individuals registering to vote in the state to submit proof of citizenship to complete their registrations. (Photo by Andrew Clark/News21) PHOENIX – The American Civil Liberties Union has taken the state of Kansas to court over its controversial vot…
Appeals court rules Texas Voter ID law violates Voting Rights Act
State Democratic Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said the law places a burden on minority voters, decreasing the number of Democrats who can turn out to vote. (Photo by Pinar Istek/News21) PHOENIX – Texas’ strict voter ID law, which requires voters to show a government-issued photo ID at the polls, viola…
Can you speak any Asian languages? We want to hear from you
PHOENIX – As part of a News21 investigation into Asian-American voting rights, we plan to show the diversity of Asian languages. As we traveled, we asked bilingual Asian-Americans to say the following phrase in English and their Asian languages: My name is [insert your name], and I am an American. W…
Poll: Latino Republicans not deterred by Trump’s Mexican immigrant remarks
Hector Barreto, chairman of the Latino Coalition, said undecided Hispanics in states like Arizona could determine the outsome of this year’s election. Editor’s note: This story first appeared on Cronkite News . CLEVELAND – Despite his previous attacks on Mexicans, Republican presidential nominee Don…
Want to try anarchism? How about communism? Minecraft world allows users to experiment
PHOENIX – Communist. Anarchist. Republic. These are just some of the types of towns Minecraft users have established in the new server of Devoted . For anyone who isn’t friends with someone who owns a computer, Minecraft is a “game about placing blocks and going on adventures. Explore randomly gener…
Woman votes morning of 9/11, avoids attack on World Trade Center
PHOENIX – Patricia DiMaio spent months trying to picture where all of her coworkers stood in their final moments. Hundreds of them died in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. She remembered the man who played Santa Claus at the office Christmas party. She thought about…
Security concerns about voter rolls keeps outspoken feminist away from polls
PHOENIX – Aki Braun once took an Amtrak from Chicago to Milwaukee and back just to submit a vote. The 30-year-old computer programmer said she now feels voting is no longer an option because of security concerns. “The states can’t be trusted to keep their voter files safe,” Braun said. “Until states…
Why can’t Puerto Ricans vote for president? DNC delegate calls it racial prejudice
María Meléndez, mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, and Charles Rodriguez, a former senator in the territory, said they believe the territory should become a state. (Photo by Lily Altavena/News21) PHILADELPHIA – On the third day of the Democratic National Convention, Charles Rodriguez’s waitress asked him,…
North Carolina voter ID law overturned, court says legislation had “discriminatory intent”
PHOENIX – The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday overturned North Carolina’s voter identification law, one of the nation’s most extensive, saying it targets African-American voters “with almost surgical precision.” The law took effect in 2013 and required voters to show photo ID at the polls, re…
Visually impaired Louisiana voter faces challenges at polls
David Faucheux, 51, of Lafayette, said he feels “invisible” to Louisiana politicians. (Photo courtesy of David Faucheux) PHOENIX – David Faucheux was born with vision problems that worsened as he got older. He is now completely blind. As a visually impaired voter in Louisiana, he is supposed to rece…
Texas weakens voter ID law ahead of November election
PHOENIX – Texas agreed to weaken its strict voter ID law Wednesday following a federal court ruling that determined the law had a discriminatory effect. Now, voters lacking one of the state’s seven approved forms of identification may sign an affidavit and cast a ballot. The state also agreed to spe…
People may vandalize their signs, but that won’t stop these grassroots Trump supporters
Leslie Rossi, a landlord in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, painted her house like an American flag to raise awareness for Donald Trump and voting for his delegates. Despite being a political advocate for the first time, Rossi said she’s not afraid to deal with people damaging her Trump signs. (P…
California undocumented immigrant can’t vote, but serves on city board
LOS ANGELES – On June 7, Francisco Medina accompanied three friends to the polls to cast ballots in California’s presidential primary election. He started the day at 7 a.m. with a friend in his home city of Huntington Park. Then, he went to Santa Monica. He finished in Bell Gardens. Medina’s friends…
Tuskegee’s first black mayor recounts struggle to win office
Tuskegee Mayor Johnny Ford sits in his office, which has a mix of professional and personal mementos. (Photo by Jeffrey Pierre/News21) TUSKEGEE, Ala. – Johnny Ford is the first black mayor of Tuskegee, a sleepy town of about 9,000 people in southeast Alabama. It’s the birthplace of Rosa Parks and ho…
What’s a ‘ghost voter’ and why do people keep searching for them?
PHOENIX – Rick LaCourse landed an intriguing assignment: Find out where all the dead people vote. It was 1988, and the computer programmer whiz from Maryland was tapped by the Republican National Committee to find these so-called “ghost voters.” It was not a frivolous request. Republicans had not fo…
Critics blast Kansas’ online voter registration system, one candidate seeks investigation
The Kansas Capitol in Topeka. (Sarah Pitts/News21) WICHITA, Kan. – An official with the Kansas Democratic Party is urging voters not to register online, saying the system has not properly processed residents’ registrations. Cheyenne Davis, the field and political director for the Kansas Democratic P…
Pine Ridge reservation youth counselor: ‘I can’t wait until they’re 18’
Youth counselor on Pine Ridge reservation stresses importance of voting from News21 on Vimeo . PINE RIDGE, S.D. – Yvonne “Tiny” DeCory was out until 3 a.m. on a rainy morning in July counseling a young woman. “I had a girl last night, she cut her arms pretty good,” DeCory said. “She just didn’t want…
Kansas voters face bureaucratic hurdle with birth certificates
WICHITA, Kan. – Advocates for gender equality say the proof of citizenship requirement to vote in Kansas can create additional barriers for women and transgender voters. The National Organization for Women released a statement June 23 claiming women are still fighting for voting rights because of ho…
Youth get-out-the-vote efforts creates ‘outlet’ on South Dakota reservation
The memorial at the former site of the Tekakwitha Orphanage on the Lake Traverse Reservation near Sisseton, South Dakota. Children from nearby communities were taken from their families and brought to the orphanage for decades. (Photo by Mike Lakusiak/News21) AGENCY VILLAGE, S.D. – Dustina Gill appr…
Native Americans’ long path to voting equality in New Mexico
GALLUP, N.M. – It wasn’t long ago that Native Americans in New Mexico didn’t have the right to vote or the ability to run for office. Now, Native Americans have greater representation among elected officials there than in most states. Congress extended citizenship and voting rights to all Native Ame…
Civil rights leader looks back at his time in Selma, Ala.
Bernard LaFayette (News21) ATLANTA – By 22, Bernard LaFayette already had participated in the Freedom Rides, the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins and been jailed in multiple states for his protest efforts. LaFayette and his roommate, now U.S. Congressman John Lewis, became leaders of the Student Nonv…
Expert: Supreme Court erred by striking down key provision of the Voting Rights Act
Edith Ingram, 74, is just called “The Judge” by many people in Sparta, Georgia, after being elected in 1968 as the first black probate judge in the United States. On her first day of work, white men stood at the base of the courthouse and threatened to shoot her in the back if she walked up the step…
Preview: Who can vote in America?
Preview News21’s 2016 project, Voting Wars, launching Aug. 20 .…
Salt Lake County Clerk focuses on young residents in voter registration efforts
SALT LAKE CITY – When Sherrie Swensen first ran for Salt Lake County Clerk in 1990, she was frustrated with the voter registration system. After taking office, she began putting voter registration forms everywhere she could – in grocery stores, laundromats, apartment complexes – anywhere that would …
Check out our full coverage of Voting Wars
Since the last presidential election, politicians in 20 states have passed dozens of new voting laws, which means millions of Americans will face unprecedented requirements to vote. Check out our full project here . And here’s the news release: The Carnegie-Knight News21 program, a national multi-un…