BOSTON -- This year's elections didn't change the racial or political imbalances in the Massachusetts state Legislature, and electoral competitiveness remains at an all-time low, according to new data.

The latest report from the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, or MassINC, found that voters had just one choice in roughly one-quarter of state legislative races. MassINC program coordinator Ashley Guerra-Agramonte, who co-authored this update, said she thinks the lack of competition ultimately makes it more challenging to hold public officials accountable.

"It can be harmful to constituents, because it's easier for them to feel disengaged or not know exactly where their members stand on certain policy issues," she said. "How do you make sure that this person is keeping their promises or updating their platform as they should?"

A recent MassINC poll found 27% of Massachusetts registered voters identify with the GOP, or at least "lean" Republican. But only 16% of state lawmakers are Republican. The party would need 19 more legislators in office to proportionally reflect the state's voters.

Voters elected five new women to the General Court, an increase of about 2%. Still, women make up more than 30% of the 200-member Legislature. State lawmakers of color also are underrepresented: 28 districts in Massachusetts are majority people of color, but only 12 non-white candidates were elected in November.

Guerra-Agramonte said it's crucial to have diverse perspectives.

"This is something that we have to look at systemically," she said. "Like, why are we not seeing more women elected? Or why are we not seeing more people of color running for office?"

She said one systemic barrier that leads to fewer candidates of color is campaign fundraising. She pointed to public financing as one possible way to help narrow the gap, allocating a predetermined amount of public funds for each candidate running for office.


get more stories like this via email

This coming Saturday, North Dakotans will get a chance to see how election workers go to great lengths to ensure a safe and secure voting process. Those hosting a film screening say the timing is crucial given the current political environment.

The League of Women Voters is offering a free viewing of the documentary "No Time to Fail" in Bismarck - and virtually, too.

The film provides a behind-the-scenes look at election staff in Rhode Island, at the height of the pandemic during the 2020 vote.

Kathy Tweeten is president of the League's Bismarck-Mandan chapter. She said she thinks the project dispels misinformation still being floated out there, such as electronic machines compromising elections.

"It's a paper ballot that's put in the machine," said Tweeten, "which counts the votes, and it's still available for auditing after Election Day and all the ballots have been cast."

There's an effort to get a ballot question before North Dakota voters, asking to overhaul election policies, such as banning the machines.

And the League recently took legal action to block a lawsuit seeking to limit the counting of mail-in ballots. Those behind such efforts often cite the need to bolster election integrity.

Meanwhile, the screening begins at 1 p.m. in the North Dakota Heritage Center. It also will be shown online at that time.

Nationwide, analysts say the fallout from the 2020 election has fueled more hateful rhetoric toward election workers, making recruitment harder. Tweeten said she hopes the film inspires more people to take on these roles.

"It's not an easy job but it's a very rewarding one," said Tweeten. "And I hope more people will take the opportunity to work at the polls or at least become an observer, so you know what's going on."

She reinforced what other election experts have noted: These workers are part of the communities they serve, and they receive training before helping out at a polling site.

After Saturday's film screening, there will be a panel discussion including election staff and the McKenzie County Auditor.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.




get more stories like this via email

It's Hispanic Heritage Month, and one Nevada organization wants Latinos to realize the power they can have when they are more politically engaged. The U.S. Census Bureau says Hispanics and Latinos make up over 30% of the state's population.

With the group Battle Born Progress, Latino Anti-Disinformation Manager Maite Guerra said politicians are already campaigning around this fact for the next elections.

Guerra added that the Nevada Hispanic population is hungry for reputable information and resources, especially in their native Spanish. So, Battle Born Progress is now working on an information hub for Spanish speakers across the Silver State.

"While it's not up yet, it is something we are planning to do," said Guerra. "Something else that we are doing is fact checking a lot of right-wing politicians - so, just making sure that what is being said in the political sphere is accurate, and not targeting our community."

Guerra said having accurate, accessible information is critical.

The Latino research organization Equis released a report exploring 2022 voting trends and how those portend for 2024.

It found Latino voters who see the economy as their top issue voted overwhelmingly Republican, but at lower than expected rates.

Those who prioritize abortion access were a smaller group and voted Democrat - but at higher than predicted rates.

Guerra said one of her organization's partners, Make the Road Nevada, will hold an immigrant career summit this month to help empower the Latino community.

Topics will include everything from how to get a business license to becoming familiar with the citizenship solicitation process.

"I think a lot of people maybe don't know how to take that step on how to become a citizen," said Guerra. "Being able to provide those resources is really important, and I think overall builds engagement towards our community, because I think it shows that we care."

Guerra encouraged Nevadans to enjoy the Hispanic Heritage Month events happening around the state - but to also not forget that learning more about their local issues and politics will be helpful year-round.

Across Utah, 10 cities will be using ranked choice voting in the general election in November.

In 2018, Utah passed a bill to establish a pilot program in which cities could use ranked choice voting.

Kelleen Potter, executive director of Utah Ranked Choice Voting, said the voting method "allows voters to express their will more fully." She pointed out ranked choice voting also encourages civility, especially among candidates who can work to appeal to more voters when they're looking to secure second- and third-choice support.

"So instead of this 'all or nothing' -- 'they're my friend, they're my enemy' -- you start looking at it differently, as a candidate and as a voter, where we're trying to come to a consensus and solve the problems we have in our jurisdictions, in our cities," Potter outlined.

Potter is convinced ranked choice voting is positive for democracy. In order for any candidate to be elected, they must receive 50% of the votes, unlike the current voting system. Potter added no voting method is perfect and said they are trying to educate Utahns and elections officials, some of whom have argued it is too confusing.

So far, they have found younger voters seem to be embracing the idea of ranked choice voting. Potter, who has run for public office herself, said the method is gaining popularity, but is taking longer in more conservative states. However, according to FairVote.org, Utah has the most cities of any state to be using ranked choice voting.

"We saw that in every city, over 50% of the voters liked it, and that ranged up to the 80s and 90s in some cities," Potter reported. "We find that voters, after they've used it, and it doesn't seem so scary, and they go, 'Oh yeah, this makes sense to me.' They tend to really like it."

Potter contended ranked choice voting also saves cities money by only needing to hold one general election in November, rather than an August primary followed by another election in November.


get more stories like this via email