La representante republicana de Arizona, Debbie Lesko, anunció recientemente que no buscará la reelección el próximo año. En un comunicado, Lesko dijo que viajar al Capitolio ha sido difícil y que "D.C. está destrozado". Ella dice que "es difícil hacer algo". La Profesora de Ciencias Políticas de la Universidad de Temple, Robin Kolodny, dice que son tiempos difíciles no sólo para los políticos sino también para los partidos políticos. Explica además que no le gusta ver que ninguna de las partes sea lo que llama "demasiado disfuncional".

"Entonces resta importancia al mensaje de las elecciones generales y cuál será el liderazgo, pero esta es una herida autoinfligida en este momento," insistió Kolodny.

Mientras los republicanos de la Cámara de Representantes continúan luchando por elegir un nuevo presidente, una nueva encuesta muestra que los estadounidenses culpan cada vez más a los republicanos sobre los demócratas por la disfunción en el Capitolio. Dos tercios de las casi 1.700 personas encuestadas dicen que los republicanos conservadores merecen parte de la culpa por el actual estancamiento en Washington.

John Green, profesor de la Universidad de Akron, menciona que las elecciones de 2020 generaron muchas innovaciones organizativas y tecnológicas en la forma en que se llevan a cabo las elecciones. Sospecha que, de cara a 2024, ciertos aspectos de cómo se ejecutan y financian las campañas volverán a las prácticas anteriores a la pandemia, pero no todos. Dice que las campañas y la recaudación de fondos en línea ya eran una tendencia en expansión, que creció dramáticamente debido a la emergencia de salud pública.

"No creo que vaya a volver a ser como era antes, en parte porque son herramientas útiles, pero la gente tuvo una especie de experimento forzado sobre cómo usarlas y descubrieron que muchas de estas técnicas funcionan muy bien," analizó también Green.

Los expertos añaden que está claro que los políticos de ambos partidos están aprovechando en gran medida los espacios en línea no sólo para hacer campaña sino también para recaudar fondos para las próximas elecciones.

Apoyo para esta historia fue proporcionado por la Carnegie Corporation of New York


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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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