Elections and Voting
Republicans and Democrats, Libertarians and Independents: The South is full of people from all sides of the political divide, and they’re all vying for seats in the government. Political battles are happening all over the region, and the consequences could have drastic effects on Southerners for a very long time.
Why long lines are a voting rights issue
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November 5, 2012
In 2008, when reports surfaced of voters waiting in line for two, three, and, in one remarkable case in Georgia, 12 hours to vote, at Facing South we wrote about why this is a...
Recounting in the battleground states
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November 5, 2012
With the latest polls showing the presidential race to be in a virtual deadlock nationally, recount procedures could play an important role in determining the final outcome.
To...
Could Florida's new voting laws really change the election?
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November 2, 2012
Florida is the purest of swing states: According to poll-watching websites like FiveThirtyEight, President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney are deadlocked, separated by a...
Impact of voter suppression efforts less than feared
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October 31, 2012
Voting rights advocates have successfully pushed back against a national effort to restrict Americans' ability to cast a ballot, with far fewer people disenfranchised than...
What's going on in the Southern swing states?
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October 26, 2012
In 2008, President Barack Obama managed a historic accomplishment: He was not only elected as the first African American in the White House, he got there in part due to becoming...
INSTITUTE INDEX: Watching the tea party poll watchers
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October 26, 2012
Number of poll watchers that True the Vote, a Houston-based tea party organization, has said it plans to mobilize nationally for the upcoming election: 1 million
Year in which...
North Carolina sticks out on national stage -- for suspicions of gerrymandering
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October 25, 2012
By Sarah Ovaska, NC Policy Watch
This post, up over at Governing magazine, takes a look at a recent study by a geospatial software firm that found that North Carolina has some of...
INSTITUTE INDEX: The big money behind the political conventions
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October 19, 2012
Total amount raised by the host committee for the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.: $55.8 million
Total amount spent on the event: $52.4 million
Total amount...
Presidential debate: Top 10 questions that weren't asked
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October 17, 2012
By New America Media
As Barack Obama and Mitt Romney squared off in the second presidential debate last night, New America Media editors posed 10 questions that have largely gone...
INSTITUTE INDEX: North Carolina's racially-charged redistricting plans come under fire
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October 12, 2012
Date on which plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging legislative and congressional redistricting in North Carolina filed a motion asking the court to rule that district maps created...
VOICES: New constitutional amendment needed to protect the right to vote?
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October 11, 2012
By Khalil Abdullah, New America Media
The struggle over state-sponsored legislation limiting or redefining how and when citizens can vote has generated contentious debate. Judith...
Nonpartisan? True the Vote gave $5,000 to Republican State Leadership Committee
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October 10, 2012
In recent weeks, Texas-based True the Vote has been subjected to growing scrutiny for its efforts to mobilize poll watchdogs across the nation this November. While the group says...
Study: 1 in 3 Asian-American voters is undecided
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October 4, 2012
By Khalil Abdullah, New America Media
Asian Americans have been trending Democratic in their voting patterns but remain highly independent in party allegiances, according to a...
INSTITUTE INDEX: Pressure grows to open presidential debates to third parties
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October 3, 2012
Over the past week, number of the 10 sponsors of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) that have terminated their support because of pressure from advocates who want the...
Want to be an election watchdog? (updated)
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October 3, 2012
Calling all bloggers, reporters and other media types: Do you want to write or report on the 2012 elections? Do you want to learn more about key election issues like voting rights...
INSTITUTE INDEX: Disenfranchising Latino voters
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September 26, 2012
Number of states that have enacted voting restrictions, which a new report from the Advancement Project finds will have a disproportionate effect on Latino voters: 23
Estimated...
Stronger state protections needed to prevent voter intimidation
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September 12, 2012
With Tea Party-affiliated groups planning a massive effort to challenge voters in targeted communities on and before Election Day, a new report from voting-rights watchdogs...
NC isn't a swing state? Somebody tell the Big Money donors
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September 11, 2012
Lately, North Carolina's status as a battleground state has been called into question. After President Obama's narrow victory in 2008 put it on the swing state map, a...
From Clinton to Castro: Democrats' Southern strategy reaches out to both older and newer South
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September 6, 2012
Wednesday night, reporter John Frank tweeted that North Carolina delegates to the Democratic National Convention were sharing high-fives after former President Bill Clinton's...
Five ways courts say Texas discriminated against black and Latino voters
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September 5, 2012
By Lois Beckett and Suevon Lee, ProPublica
How does Texas discriminate against minority voters? Federal judges counted the ways.
Last Tuesday, a panel of federal court judges...
As Goes the South: Your convention guide to Southern politics 101
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September 4, 2012
"As goes the South, so goes the nation." - W.E.B. DuBois
With the nation's eyes on party conventions in Tampa and Charlotte, the media is cramming to get a handle on...
Voting Rights Act key to rolling back new voting restrictions in the South
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August 31, 2012
Over the last two weeks, voting rights advocates have scored a string of victories in Florida and Texas -- and may soon in South Carolina. The key to their success: a provision in...
GOP Convention: Anti-government message a tough sell in Florida
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August 22, 2012
This week Republicans revealed the theme of their national convention in Tampa, Fla., which kicks off on Aug. 27: "We Built It."
A GOP press release says the message...
Will Latino voters fully flex their voting power in 2012?
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August 10, 2012
This election season, there are two dominant stories about the much-discussed "Latino vote."
One, that President Obama enjoys a strong advantage among Hispanic voters....
INSTITUTE INDEX: The party conventions' extraordinary security
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August 10, 2012
Date on which the Democratic National Convention gets underway in Charlotte, N.C.: 9/3/2012
Amount in federal funds the city will spend on security for the gathering, which is...
