Getting blamed for election outcomes that some politicians and voters didn’t like, election officials across the country have faced unprecedented harassment and intimidation. In video interviews, the officials described the shocking extent of the threats against them.

In response, a new report from the Brennan Center and the Bipartisan Policy Center outlines concrete steps that lawmakers, administrators, and internet companies can take to safeguard election workers.

President Biden has prioritized nominating judges who would bring diversity to the federal bench. State leaders should take action to follow his lead, as there is a dearth of racial, ethnic, gender, and professional diversity on state supreme courts. Having judges with varied backgrounds and lived experiences is critically important for both public trust in the courts and for addressing systemic unfairness in our legal system. Whether the members of state high courts are selected by governors or voters, there are numerous improvements that can be made to widen the scope of who ends up there.

We need strong federal action to combat climate change, but too often, our political system is getting in the way. Corporations and the wealthiest individuals hold an astounding amount of influence over the lawmaking process in Washington, and they have often spent aggressively to kill climate change legislation. Further, the communities that are most vulnerable to environmental injustice are often the same ones targeted for voter suppression and gerrymandering. Reforms to strengthen our democracy, like the campaign finance and voting rights provisions in the For the People Act, can contribute to a more just and sustainable world.

For many, harming the health of people in prison appears to have become part of their punishment. The coronavirus pandemic forced health officials to focus more on carceral settings, but their attention will soon shift once vaccines have been delivered and Covid-19 rates abate. Dr. Homer Venters writes in our Punitive Excess series that we must try to keep their focus on jails and prisons in order to learn and report on the truth of health care access, adequacy, and outcomes — just as they do for the rest of our society.

Our new report looks at how political actors are hijacking the election review process in states like Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia to keep spreading harmful misinformation about the 2020 vote. Read more on Instagram >>