We cover the nuts and bolts of power and political change, from the local up.
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More than half of North Carolina’s community colleges failed to get their student IDs approved for voting in November, NC Local reports:
nclocal.org/2026/10/14/north…
Bolts retweeted
There's a lot of talk right now about what happens *after* votes are cast. So a reminder:
Bolts has a state-by-state, 50-state resource on WHO COUNTS AND CERTIFIES the results.
Always with the hope that it doesn't end up useful to know, but bookmark it:
boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ba…
Bolts retweeted
Secretary of state races rarely make headlines, but in most states they decide who runs our elections.
This fall, 35 states + D.C. are choosing who oversees voting in 2028. @SUAction is tracking every race. 👇
boltsmag.org/guide-to-contes…
If Alvin Sharp wins his DA race in Louisiana, he says he would set up a conviction integrity unit to review old cases like Chris Duncan’s for errors or evidence of innocence. Similar units have led to exonerations across the country.
boltsmag.org/prosecutor-ouac…
Families impacted by incarceration have been on the frontlines of the fight to protect the prison visiting experience in California.
This month, Governor Newsom signed a law making it easier to visit incarcerated family members.
boltsmag.org/california-pris…
South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson was ousted this summer at the GOP’s party convention. She now supports the Democratic nominee who is looking to replace her.
The state is among 35 choosing their next chief elections official.
boltsmag.org/guide-to-contes…
Texas’ comptroller has banned state grants from funding Flock cameras, KBTX reports:
kbtx.com/2026/10/16/texas-co…
Bolts reported last month on the growing backlash against Flock in conservative areas.
boltsmag.org/jefferson-count…
Chris Duncan spent nearly 30 years on death row in Louisiana before a judge declared him to be innocent, finding his conviction was based on junk science. That judge is now running to lead the office that prosecuted Duncan.
boltsmag.org/prosecutor-ouac…
Bolts retweeted
what you should know:
—Idaho, Nevada, and Virginia could codify abortion rights in the state constitution; in Idaho, this would reverse the current ban.
—But Missouri could reinstate an abortion ban; GOP lawmakers are trying to get voters to go back on their 2024 vote.
In Idaho, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia, voters will decide ballot measures and constitutional amendments to protect abortion access—or, on the contrary, reinstate an abortion ban.
Read more in our guide:
boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ba…
In this week’s newsletter:
-Students in an LA suburb campaign to lower the voting age
-The judge who freed Chris Duncan from death row wants to run the office that prosecuted him
-Voters in 27 states are electing supreme court justices
And a lot more:
mailchi.mp/boltsmag/newslett…
Bolts retweeted
NEW: Do you remember Chris Duncan? He spent 30+ years on death row in Louisiana, convicted with junk science from doctors later exposed for creating bite mark on victim.
A judge found him innocent last year.
Now judge is running to take over DA office that prosecuted Duncan.
An ultraconservative sheriff is retiring in Washington, and voters have shown they want to turn the page: The candidate backed by the incumbent trailed by 30 points in the all-party primary. But our reporting finds his legacy may endure past his departure.
boltsmag.org/constitutional-…
The Alabama Supreme Court issued a blockbuster decision in 2024 that endangered IVF treatments.
This year, a lawyer who helps people navigate assisted reproduction is challenging a sitting justice; she accuses the court of releasing “anti-family rulings.”
boltsmag.org/your-state-by-s…
Last week, the Department of Justice sent a list of 20,000 suspected non-citizen voters to California and Los Angeles County, requesting that any ballots cast by these people be set aside until their citizenship was verified.
calmatters.org/politics/2026…
But election officials in Los Angeles said yesterday that nearly 40 percent of those people had indicated that they were born in the U.S., and the federal government so far hasn’t disclosed the methodology it used to compile its list.
theguardian.com/us-news/2026…
Bolts retweeted
Always love the @boltsmag annual guide of every election you should be watching ... 650 (!) coming up in a couple weeks! boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ba…
An expert on the census says Trump’s push to remove questions about race threatens the enforceability of anti-discrimination laws: “What’s at stake here is the viability of anti-discrimination laws that are anchored to these data.”
boltsmag.org/trump-control-c…
Support for lowering the voting age has been growing in California. Berkeley and Oakland have allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to participate in school board elections, but not city council elections, since 2024.
boltsmag.org/culver-city-mea…
In Idaho, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia, voters will decide ballot measures and constitutional amendments to protect abortion access—or, on the contrary, reinstate an abortion ban.
Read more in our guide:
boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ba…