NEW YORK -- The inaugural "America Talks" event begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday, as part of an effort to heal social and political divisions that have driven a wedge between people with different viewpoints.

Thousands of Americans will take part in the mass video-chat event, which marks the start of the fourth annual National Week of Conversation.

Cheryl Hughes is a co-organizer of the event and a nonprofit consultant from Greenville, Ohio. She is a self-described liberal, and says it's important to reach across the aisle.

Cheryl Hughes of Greenville, Ohio, a co-organizer, participant and self-described liberal, said it's important to reach across the aisle.

"I have actually lost friends because of positions that they hold," Hughes acknowledged. "I just have decided I need to become a better listener."

The National Week of Conversation is designed to counteract the kind of vitriol often found on social media, and introduce people to folks with differing views.

To be matched with a conversation partner for the event this weekend, sign up at AmericaTalks.us. The site also lists dozens of online forums on the schedule for next week.

Organizers ask people to choose courage over contempt, and reject the hostility that leads to political gridlock and hampers efforts to tackle the big issues.

Ron McFarland, a retired teacher from Iowa who describes himself as a fiscal conservative and moderate Republican, said he's taken heat for his views.

"There's so much hurt, so much polarization and divide in the country," McFarland remarked. "But for me, it's 'Go, America!'"

The National Week of Conversation promotes what organizers call "bridging norms." They advise everyone to listen with curiosity, speak from their own experience, and connect with respect.

This election season, South Dakota is starting to implement voting-access reforms in light of a recent settlement with Native American tribes. Advocates for the tribes hope there's proper follow-through.

In the settlement announced last month, the state agreed to designate a voting-rights coordinator to ensure statewide compliance by agencies through mandatory training and monitoring. It's the result of a court ruling this spring that said the state violated the National Voter Registration Act.

Bret Healy, a consultant for the the Native American advocacy group Four Directions, said the situation deserves scrutiny.

"The unfortunate thing is," he said, "even when things get won in court, there's always recidivism, it seems to be, by public officials."

He pointed to South Dakota's long history of involvement in similar cases. The latest one centered around lack of opportunities to register to vote at motor-vehicle and public-assistance offices near tribal lands. The secretary of state has said a key change since then includes updated forms at driver's license locations. Other key reforms will be addressed after the November vote.

Healy stressed that restricting voting access for Native Americans still is a problem in many states. His organization is assisting with a new lawsuit over voting opportunities for a tribe in northeastern Nevada.

"It is not a new story, but it's an unfortunate one," he said. "We need to make sure that everybody's got a shot at granting that 'consent to be governed' at the election ballot box."

As for the South Dakota case, the state has until early December to show that core reforms have been implemented. The secretary of state has said they've identified a person to be voting-rights coordinator and are making preparations for the role to begin. He said they're also working on plans to enhance training and track voter registration, as outlined in the settlement.


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


get more stories like this via email

Election Day is November 8, and Utah elections officials say it isn't too early for voters to start making a plan for casting their ballots. For many, voting by mail is a popular way to save time and avoid long lines at the polls.

Utah county clerks will begin sending mail-in ballot packages to all active registered voters after October 28, which is the last day to register.

Hayden Loftus - election specialist with the Lieutenant Governor's Office - said in 2020, more than 90% of the votes cast were by mail. He said the system gives Utah voters a lot of options.

"You can vote it in person at your county clerk's office," said Loftus. "You can use any of the drop-box locations across the state up until Election Day, November 8, at 8 p.m. Or you can mail your ballot back in, as long as it's postmarked by the day before the election."

Voting by mail was introduced in 2013 in Utah - and by 2016, about 25% of voters were using the system. By 2020, all 29 Utah counties were participating.

Earlier this year, skeptics of mail-in voting tried to end it, but their initiative failed to garner enough signatures to put it on the ballot.

Loftus said it's especially important for voters to complete the signature verification on the ballot envelope or face a delay in their vote being counted.

"Voters need to sign that, or their ballot will be challenged, and they'll have to come into the office," said Loftus. "But as long as they get it signed and the verification process works out, then their ballot will be counted, and everything will go smooth."

Registered voters can track their ballot's progress through the system by signing up at 'vote.utah.gov.'

Members of the military and citizens who live abroad can register to vote absentee by filing a Federal Post Card Application with their county clerk.

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

CLARIFICATION: Lynna Kaucheck is the communications manager for Progress Michigan, and the group is not a sponsor of MichiganVoting.org. Dates to order and return mail-in and absentee ballots also were clarified. (11:31 a.m. MST, Oct. 3, 2022)


Voting advocates say more and more Michiganders are choosing to cast absentee ballots to save time and avoid long lines on Election Day.

In 2020, two-thirds of the 5.5 million votes cast in Michigan were mail-in or absentee ballots. Although turnout is historically lower for midterm elections, officials expect voting early will remain a popular option this time around.

Lynna Kaucheck, communications manager for Progress Michigan, said if you want to vote with an early ballot, you have to ask for one.

"You need to request a ballot even if you're on the permanent absentee voter list," Kaucheck noted. "You can do that online, by mail, by calling your city or township clerk's office and requesting a ballot, or just going to your clerk's office and requesting the ballot."

Kaucheck says voters should request their ballots by October 25th, 14 days before the election, to ensure it arrives on time.
Ballots must then be returned to your county or township clerk's office by mail, to a drop box, or to a satellite office of your clerk by November 8th.

Kaucheck added it is easy to follow your ballot through the process by logging on to the Secretary of State's Michigan Voter Information Center at Mi.gov/vote.

"Once you go in to check your ballot, it will tell you if your clerk has received your application," Kaucheck outlined. "Once they've mailed it, it will show that they've mailed it. Once you submit it, and they receive it, it will show that they have received it."

Elections usually go smoothly in Michigan, but Kaucheck suggested if you have questions about your mail-in ballot or any other facet of voting, there is help online.

"All of our information comes from michiganvoting.org," Kaucheck explained. "It's a voter education site. It's nonpartisan, and it's been reviewed by legal experts. It's very factual."

She added if you encounter illegal interference or voter fraud at the polls, you should call the watchdog group Election Protection at 866-Our-Vote (687-8683).


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