CHARLESTON, W.Va. – President Donald Trump may be considering a military strike in Syria, but an interfaith group in West Virginia wants the White House to allow families escaping the war to resettle here.

Trump has pointed to the human cost of a likely chemical weapons attack there. Lynn Clarke with the West Virginia Interfaith Refugee Ministry says Charleston was ready to take in people fleeing that violence, but that was stopped by the State Department. She thinks the refugee policy should be reversed, given how badly those families need help to start again.

"I hope and pray that we get the chance,” says Clarke. “The resources are here. It would grow the pie in West Virginia, and it would help us to be the mountaineers that we've always been in saving lives."

Trump has stopped all immigration from Syria, saying he wants what he calls "extreme vetting" of applicants. Clarke points out that refugees go through two years of vetting now, and have proven to be excellent neighbors.

Clarke says they were ready to take in 30 families a year in Charleston, and local employers were very interested once they found out more about the people and skills in the refugee community. Charleston's population has slowly declined, and Clarke says cities like Utica, New York, and Cleveland, Ohio, have shown how refugees add to the local economy. She says Charleston could use the new blood.

"I think 30 families would have fit in very well. Many of them would be highly skilled – nurses, engineers. They would help grow more jobs, and it would be a net benefit for West Virginia," says Clarke.

Clarke says in the last eight years, the world has gone from fewer than five million refugees to 25 million today. She says the U.S. is now admitting the lowest number ever under the current system. But she also expects that to change, and inch closer to the historical norm.

"Get ready to welcome someday. This isn't a problem that's going away. I'm not giving up hope; I think that the United States will step up," says Clarke.


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During every big election, tens of thousands of California voters make a mistake on their mail-in ballot and often get differing advice on how to fix it, depending on who they ask. A new bill aims to standardize the response.

Assembly Bill 1072 would require the Secretary of State and county elections officials to come up with clear answers, applicable statewide.

Kim Alexander, founder and president of the California Voter Foundation, said the problem causes widespread delays in counting.

"In Orange County in the last election, officials had to duplicate over 40,000 ballots," Alexander pointed out. "There are other reasons why ballots have to be duplicated, but the primary one is that the voter made a mistake filling out their ballot, indicated a different choice, and it has to be remade."

Common mistakes include accidentally filling in the wrong bubble, signing the witness signature box or signing their spouses' envelope. If there is time, the county will often send a new ballot.

Alexander noted a common set of instructions should be posted on the website of the Secretary of State and every county registrar.

"They are instructed, typically, to cross out the choice and fill out the choice that they preferred and draw an arrow to it or circle it to indicate that is their intent," Alexander explained. "What they should not do is initial it, and sometimes voters think that's what they should do."

The outlook for the bill is good. It is currently on the consent calendar for the Assembly Appropriations Committee.


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An Indiana debate over history and power is growing. Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith recently defended the Three-Fifths Compromise in a social media video. The compromise counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxes.

Beckwith called it a "great move" for America at the time, and praised the group WallBuilders, describing them as the "gold standard" for teaching U.S. history.

The Indiana Citizen investigated both claims. Publisher Bill Moreau called on Hoosiers to pay attention.

"We have been working on a project since the first of the year that we called: 'One Heartbeat Away: Do Christian nationalists have an agenda for Indiana?' Lt. Gov. Beckwith is literally one heartbeat away from being governor," he said.

If Beckwith became governor, he could shape education policy. That includes choosing textbooks. The Indiana Citizen's report found WallBuilders promotes views rejected by most historians. Some Hoosiers agree with Beckwith and say his views reflect America's religious roots.

Moreau encouraged Hoosiers to stay informed and take a closer look at the history Beckwith promotes.

"Understand what Lt. Gov. Beckwith said about the Three-Fifths Compromise," he added. "How he attributes that analysis to this group called WallBuilders - which he considers to be 'the gold standard for learning the real history of America.'"


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Seattle's City Council voted last week to put the city's Democracy Voucher Program on the ballot to be renewed in August and supporters of the program are looking to take it statewide.

Launched in 2017, the program gives each resident four $25 vouchers to donate to participating candidates. Data show the program has boosted voter turnout, increased small donors fivefold, and encouraged more women and people of color to run.

Spencer Olson, spokesperson for the nonprofit People Powered Elections Seattle, said voucher programs counter nationwide voting rights rollbacks and model a more inclusive democracy.

"It's proof that we can reduce the influence of big money, can expand participation, and can give regular people a stronger voice in who represents them," Olson outlined.

People Powered Elections has been working on a bill for next session to bring democracy vouchers to Washington's state legislative races. Participating candidates must get a minimum number of signatures and small donations to qualify and must adhere to contribution and spending limits.

Critics of the program said it creates new avenues for corruption because candidates will be motivated to lie about where the contributions come from. Olson countered so far in Seattle there has been no evidence of widespread misuse or fraud, adding there are robust legal safeguards in place.

"Anyone who commits theft, forgery, trafficking or unlawful transfers of democracy vouchers face steep penalties and fines and up to time in jail," Olson pointed out.

Olson noted Seattle's success has inspired interest from other cities and counties. He added a statewide voucher program for legislative elections could create infrastructure to expand it locally, helping smaller communities hold more competitive races.

"I used to live over in Kittitas County for many years, and it was very common to have an uncontested election or not even have anyone run for local office," Olson recounted.

A bill to bring a voucher program to Washington's state elections will be introduced next year.


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