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BoltsMag.org

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<p>We cover the nuts and bolts of power and political change, from the local up. Boltsmag.org</p>

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    NEW in Bolts: Virginia voters passed Amendment 3 on Tuesday, restoring voting rights for people with felony convictions upon release, and codifying the end of Jim Crow-era disenfranchisement rules. https://boltsmag.org/virginia-passes-amendment-3-ending-harsh-felony-disenfranchisement/

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    In this week&#39;s newsletter: We package many of the guides and articles our team prepared in the run-up to the midterms, so you can use this as your table of contents for election night. ⬇️ https://mailchi.mp/boltsmag/newsletter110226?e=0c23b2e0ee

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    Activists in Memphis are facing retaliation for trying to document an ongoing occupation by federal agents: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/05/memphis-safe-task-force-still-operating-aclu-lawsuit-cameras-filming-ice-harassment-homeland-security-tennessee-highway-patrol/

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    Opposition to Flock surveillance cameras has been growing in red states, including Florida. Several law enforcement agencies in the state have ended programs using license-plate-reader cameras, and the governor removed them from state highways. https://boltsmag.org/jefferson-county-florida-rural-sheriff-dismantles-flock-camera-network/

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    “I’d really love to see the American Samoan communities be given what they deserve,” says the director of Pacific Community of Alaska. “We’re going to take the win, but the work continues.” https://boltsmag.org/charges-dropped-against-american-samoans-punished-for-voting-in-alaska/

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    Missouri and Montana Republicans have tried to restrict citizen-led initiatives in recent years. In response, democracy advocates have put constitutional amendments on the ballot declaring popular initiatives a fundamental right. https://boltsmag.org/missouri-and-montana-measures-aim-to-protect-direct-democracy/

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    Studies show how the effectiveness of violence interrupter programs varies greatly depending on funding. Portland programs have helped support victims of shootings, but they’ve grappled with precarious funding and lost federal grants. https://boltsmag.org/portland-violence-interrupters/

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    A crowdsourced map of Flock cameras throughout the country has flagged 44 license-plate-reader cameras in Jefferson County, a sparsely-populated rural community in Florida. That makes it one of the densest networks of this technology in the U.S. https://boltsmag.org/jefferson-county-florida-rural-sheriff-dismantles-flock-camera-network/

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    Can Ohio&#39;s one remaining Democratic justice survive this year? Jennifer Brunner, a former secretary of state, is seeking a second term this fall: https://boltsmag.org/your-state-by-state-guide-to-the-2026-supreme-court-elections/#OH

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    📣 Voters are heading to the polls today in Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, and Wisconsin, plus special primaries in Alabama and South Carolina. What’s on the menu? Way too much to sum up in one post—learn more in our guide. https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/august-2026-elections-guide/#August-11

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    Kansans rejected a measure to remake their supreme court. Missourians refused to phase out the income tax. Voters chose Senate and governor nominees, and in Washington they narrowed the field for supreme court seats. Catch up with the night&#39;s results. https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/august-2026-elections-guide/

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    🔔 Want to read more about tonight&#39;s election results? Sign up for our weekly newsletter, where we give updates on the races we&#39;re following, and share the local news stories that our team is talking about. https://boltsmag.org/newsletter/

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    Fueled by local organizing and anger over ICE activity, voters flipped this California city to a liberal majority this spring. An immigrant rights advocate says ICE raids escalated voters&#39; frustrations. &quot;That is fueling people to the polls.&quot; https://boltsmag.org/california-immigrant-organizing-and-elections-in-whittier/

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    Five states are holding their primaries today—Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, and Washington. Our guide walks you through dozens of intriguing elections you should know about. https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/august-2026-elections-guide/#August4

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    In the past two years, the number of traffic stops by Chicago police each month has dropped significantly. But CPD has continued to conduct hundreds of thousands of off-the-books traffic stops, in violation of Illinois law. https://boltsmag.org/chicago-police-traffic-stops-declined-but-unreported-traffic-stops-increased-under-snelling/

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    In the 1960s, Colorado and several other states eliminated most mental health care beds in its hospitals, shifting toward community-based care. But funding and infrastructure never caught up, and now many people with severe mental illness are held in jail. https://boltsmag.org/boulder-colorado-jail-mental-illness/

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    Virginians who regained the right to vote on Friday may be able to cast a ballot as soon as Tuesday, when the state will hold its regular primaries, which will decide nominees for congressional offices. https://boltsmag.org/virginia-governor-restores-voting-rights/

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    After the Civil War, Congress mandated that Southern states could only disenfranchise people over a handful of crimes. But the states quickly ignored those rules and manipulated the criminal legal system to prevent Black people from voting. https://boltsmag.org/readmission-acts-and-felony-disenfranchisement/

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    The Portland Press Herald reports on the red flag-riddled background of the ICE officer who killed an immigrant in Maine this month: https://www.pressherald.com/2026/07/27/ice-agent-in-biddeford-shooting-had-too-many-red-flags-to-become-local-cop/

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    To keep up with our coverage of local elections throughout the year, sign up for our weekly newsletter. We share election updates and stories about voting rights and criminal justice, plus behind-the-scenes insights from our team. ⬇️ https://boltsmag.org/newsletter/

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    Ramulus Mason was sentenced to life in prison without parole for shooting a man named Ricky Wilson in North Carolina in 1995. Years later, the two discovered they were cousins, and Wilson has advocated for Mason’s release. https://boltsmag.org/north-carolina-three-strikes-ramulus-mason/

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    Traffic stops are among the most dangerous interactions for drivers and police officers, says a professor who served on Chicago’s civilian oversight board. Traffic stops in Chicago have declined, but more than half are going unreported. https://boltsmag.org/chicago-police-traffic-stops-declined-but-unreported-traffic-stops-increased-under-snelling/

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    The sheriff of San Diego County says she is simply following the law by transferring detained immigrants to ICE custody. But local advocates say California’s sanctuary law is discretionary; it doesn’t force sheriffs to transfer inmates. https://boltsmag.org/violent-ice-surges-san-diego-volunteer-patrols-union-del-barrio-california-sanctuary-policy/

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    The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the death of a Philadelphia lawyer who spent decades defending the rights of public housing tenants: https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/george-gould-obituary-community-legal-services-20260717.html

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    Republican Missouri state Representative Melanie Stinnett championed a state law to roll back felony disenfranchisement after meeting a disenfranchised man while knocking doors on the campaign trail. https://boltsmag.org/gop-run-missouri-becomes-latest-state-to-roll-back-felony-disenfranchisement/

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    An advocate against solitary confinement says that dialing back reforms on isolation won’t solve violence in California prisons. “We’re not saying that there isn’t a violence problem, we’re just saying that this is not a solution to the violence problem.” https://boltsmag.org/california-dials-back-solitary-reforms/

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    Newport, Kentucky, is ending its pilot program with Flock and removing the company’s surveillance cameras, LINK nky reports: https://linknky.com/news/2026/07/14/newport-to-remove-flock-cameras-end-pilot-program/

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    A Missouri state Rep. advocated for a new law restoring voting rights to most people leaving prison. “If we can get people engaged and keep them out of our jails and prisons, then I think we should be doing everything we can,” she said this spring. https://boltsmag.org/gop-run-missouri-becomes-latest-state-to-roll-back-felony-disenfranchisement/

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    E.M., a woman with schizoaffective disorder, was held in Boulder County Jail for almost two years after experiencing a mental health crisis. “You just can’t take people that are struggling, shove them in a box, and hope they get better,” her mother says. https://boltsmag.org/boulder-colorado-jail-mental-illness/

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    North Carolina’s election board last week voted to make it easier to throw out a provisional ballot if local officials think a voter is lying about why they don’t have a photo ID. The board’s vote followed party lines, with the GOP in the majority. https://ncnewsline.com/2026/07/16/nc-elections-board-moves-to-make-it-easier-to-toss-voters-ballots/