When North Dakotans cast their primary ballots, it is not just for state and federal contests. Local offices are up for grabs, and civic groups say the positions directly impact people's lives.

The June 14 primary will pick nominees for legislative seats, as well as the U.S. Senate, and locally, voters will decide the outright winners for municipal seats. There are a record number of candidates for Fargo mayor and city commission.

Whitney Oxendahl, Vote 411 coordinator for the League of Women Voters of North Dakota, said it is not surprising to see a lot of people motivated to run.

"There's been a lot of things that have happened in the past few years, with the pandemic, with diversity, equity, and inclusion," Oxendahl observed. "And so, you have a lot of people coming out to stand on different platforms."

She noted local candidates are often more accessible to engaged voters.

Fargo is again using approval voting, which allows people to choose as many candidates as they want. Meanwhile, June 13 is the deadline for submitting absentee ballots in North Dakota.

Janelle Moos, advocacy director for AARP North Dakota, said local elections are a way for older residents to feel like their voice is heard on key decisions before their community. She emphasized it is especially important in cities with an aging population.

"How can candidates make their streets and their neighborhoods more safe, including bike-friendly, walk friendly?" Moos asked. "How can they encourage and find ways to keep residents in their communities, and in their homes longer?"

Elections often turn on economics and demographics. New AARP research found half of women voters age 50 and older said the economy is not working well for them.

Erika White, auditor for Burleigh County, said in addition to studying local candidates, voters should find out if their legislative district changed based on new census data.

"Ten years is a long time and that's how long people reside in a certain legislative district," White pointed out. "Seeing which district you reside in and see if you're voting on any legislative candidate is always a great thing to look into."

The League of Women Voters and AARP have voter guides posted on their websites.

As Ohio gears up for the upcoming election, debates over new voting regulations are heating up. The recent proposal by Secretary of State Frank LaRose to eliminate ballot drop boxes has sparked significant controversy.

Sen. Bill Demora, D-Columbus, is a vocal advocate for voting rights and says it's already difficult to use drop boxes around the state with just one drop box in each county.

"It's ridiculous," he said. "And all that it does is hurt working people and working families and college students to make it tougher for people to vote."

Demora added that the proposal disproportionately affects those with limited access to transportation or tight schedules. However, LaRose's proposal stems from concerns over ballot harvesting, where unauthorized individuals collect and submit multiple ballots, a practice illegal under Ohio state law.

Supporters of the proposal argue that such measures are necessary to prevent potential voter fraud and ensure the integrity of the election process.

Alex Triantafilou, state Republican party chair, said there's a month before early voting begins, so this gives everyone a chance to understand the rules.

"This is a simple safeguard that we have for anyone who decides they're going to cast a ballot for another citizen," he said.

Despite these assurances, critics remain unconvinced, pointing out that the timing of these changes, just weeks before an election, could lead to confusion and deter voter participation.

Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, was among Democrats gathered outside the Board of Elections who pointed to voter intimidation.

"If you are taking your grandmother to drop off her ballot and she says, 'Sweetheart, can you please take my ballot and just drop it off at the box right over there?' you could be facing jail time?" he said

Other Democrats say with fewer than 70 days before the election, new rules for Ohioans could impact how they cast their ballots. While the debate continues, voters will need to navigate these changes to ensure their voices are heard on Election Day.


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Utahns aren't immune from partisan politics and the divisions it can lead to, but a new report shines a light on the issues voters in the Beehive State agree are critical to address across party lines. The Utah Foundation's latest report found that if policymakers are able to better address issues such as K-12 education, water stewardship, decreasing government overreach and improving access to affordable housing, they could please a larger swath of voters.

Shawn Teigen president, Utah Foundation, said one of the most surprising findings is that the Utah median voter, regardless of party, was found to be more liberal than their national counterparts.

"If we asked you, 'What party do you belong to?,' you might say, 'I'm a Republican' even if I am really not a Republican, so that might be the reason for a little bit of that flow to the left," Teigen said.

Teigen added that could be indicative of the state's closed Republican caucus and primary system, meaning one can only participate if you're a registered Republican. Democrats, on the other hand, have an open caucus and primary. The report focuses on the self-identification of voters, which Teigen says is useful data when discussions are less about who will win an election, but instead more about preferences, policies and priorities.

Ginger Chinn executive vice president of the Salt Lake Chamber, said she was not surprised to see that housing affordability is the number one priority for Utahns, but was taken aback that many feel ignored by policymakers.

"I feel like politicians really want to know what voters have to say, and so that to me, that they feel like they're not being heard, is a little bit fascinating, I don't know if it is that most people are engaging differently with politicians," she explained.

Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Salt Lake City, said that when he's accused of not listening, he explains to voters that his policy decisions are based on the needs of an entire district, not just a vocal few.

"There are issues that I'll have hundreds of people contact me about, but a lot of issues, it is one or two people. Being a politician can be frustrating, and I do find that sometimes people do conflate listening with agreeing," he said.

The report found issues such as the Great Salt Lake, immigration, transgender rights and abortion were found to be prioritized very dissimilarly across political parties.

As the general election nears, a study from the think tank ThinkTennessee found the Volunteer State trails most neighboring states on voter registration and turnout rates.

In November 2022, Tennessee ranked 42nd in voter registration and 51st in turnout.

Dawn Schluckebier, advocacy and government relations director for ThinkTennessee, said the study identifies opportunities to increase civic engagement in urban and rural communities using voter registration data from the Secretary of State and average voter turnout rates from each county's last three presidential election cycles.

"Eighty percent of Tennessee's counties have a registration rate of 80% or higher," Schluckebier reported. "The nationwide voter registration rate in 2022 was at 84.42%. So just under half of Tennessee counties, about 49.5%, have a rate at that level or higher, using this data."

Schluckebier pointed out the counties with the lowest rates and registration are mostly rural, particularly In West and Upper East Tennessee. As of 2023, there were an estimated 156,000 unregistered residents in Davidson, Shelby, Knox and Hamilton counties.

Tennesseans must register to vote by Oct. 7 to participate in the Nov. 5 election. Schluckebier noted the state offers several options for citizens to register, such as opportunities at college campuses and voter drives at local events, festivals and high schools.

"We also have online voter registration in Tennessee," Schluckebier emphasized. "Even just messaging in those communities that if you have a Tennessee driver's license and access to the internet, whether at home or on your phone, wherever you are, you can get registered without even having to go anywhere."

Schluckebier acknowledged high registration rates do not necessarily result in high voter turnout rates. Rural Polk, Clay and Sevier counties have a voter registration rate of more than 88% but fewer than 60% of registered voters have cast recent ballots.

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


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