Democracy advocates worry time is running out to pass voting rights bills

Voting rights activists are growing impatient as Senate Republicans' use of the filibuster continues to obstruct popular pro-democracy legislation. They warn that the window for meaningful legislative action is closing as international observers sound the alarm about rising U.S. authoritarianism. (12/1/2021)

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N.C. Supreme Court could soon consider gerrymandered election maps

Voting rights groups have filed multiple lawsuits against North Carolina lawmakers over their new legislative and congressional district maps, which advantage the GOP. The state Supreme Court could have the final say on the cases, as well as another lawsuit challenging a gerrymandered legislature's authority. But before the court weighs in, it must deal with conflicts of interest. (12/2/2021)

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VOICES: How collaborative funding practices transformed civic engagement in Georgia

Contrary to mainstream media portrayal, Georgia did not rise to national prominence in civic engagement overnight. Its achievement came through hard work by vast numbers of grassroots organizations — and through funders who worked with them as equal partners while encouraging innovation. (11/23/2021)

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Bracing for a post-Roe South in the region's last three abortion-safe states

If the U.S. Supreme Court rolls back Roe v. Wade in deciding the Mississippi case it heard this week, the only states in the South where abortion would remain broadly accessible are Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia. Reproductive rights advocates there are girding for political battle to protect abortion access.

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How Build Back Better would transform dirty rural electric systems

Born of the New Deal's anti-poverty initiatives, rural electric cooperatives today serve 42 million Americans, most in the South, Midwest, and Great Plains. They still depend heavily on coal, but the $1.8 trillion spending bill passed by the House has a provision giving billions of dollars to speed their transition to renewables. Will it survive corporate Democrats' obstructionism in the Senate?