skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, February 7, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

January jobs report: Unemployment rate falls to 4%, wages rise more than forecast; Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel; Ten Commandments in public schools debate reaches South Dakota; Virginia ranks among worst states for wage theft; Mexican long-nosed bat makes appearance in Arizona.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

About 1 in 3 Missourians Isn't Registered to Vote

play audio
Play

Tuesday, September 19, 2023   

Today is National Voter Registration Day, and Missourians have many locations where they can register to vote - from community colleges and universities, to public libraries and even online. Missouri's population has topped six million, but as of 2022, the Secretary of State's office reported just 4.3 million had registered to vote.

Paula Bowman, co-president of the League of Women Voters, said part of her group's mission is to engage voters in democracy, and it starts by helping people register.

"Well, [you] can't participate in your democracy in terms of elections unless you vote," she explained. "We want to help people avoid that hassle and get registered to vote as soon as possible when they are eligible."

U.S. Census data from 2020, show as many as one in four eligible Americans had not registered to vote. Every year, millions find themselves unable to cast a ballot because they miss a registration deadline, do not update their registration when they move, or are not sure how to register. The Secretary of State's office has a list of deadlines and more information, at 'SOS.mo.gov.'

Bowman suggested a person's civic engagement increases after they register and said the fact that they have registered to vote is a valuable matter of public record.

"Believe it or not, they start getting all kinds of campaign information," she said. "People may contact them to be a poll worker or an election worker. I will say that not all of that is welcome, but it does make them recipients, which is important."

National Voter Registration Day is marked every September, when volunteers and organizations across the country hit the streets in a single day of coordinated field, technology and media efforts. Missouri's deadline to be registered to vote is 28 days before any given election.

Disclosure: League of Women Voters contributes to our fund for reporting on Civic Engagement. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Opponents of a South Dakota bill that would require the Ten Commandments be posted in all public school classrooms say it would be an unfunded mandate. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A South Dakota House committee takes up a controversial bill today that would require all school districts in the state to display the Ten Commandment…


play sound

Virginia ranks third behind only Maryland and Delaware among the worst states for the average amount of back wages companies owe to their workers…

Environment

play sound

Some North Dakota school districts are part of a movement that has embraced electric school buses, but the federal funding shakeup carried out by the …


Florida immigrant advocacy groups are intensifying efforts to help undocumented individuals navigate encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. (David Peinado/Pexels)

Social Issues

play sound

Immigrant advocates in Florida are ramping up efforts to help families navigate President Donald Trump's new immigration orders, which have increased …

Social Issues

play sound

The rate of U.S. high school seniors seeking higher education is on the upswing, according to research from Lumina Foundation. Although Hoosier …

Gov. Kathy Hochul's free community college proposal would apply to people pursuing first-time associate degrees for jobs in high-demand fields, including nursing, teaching, technology and engineering. (Adobe Stock)

play sound

New York State is making historic higher education investments. As part of the 2026 budget proposal, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposes free community …

Social Issues

play sound

Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposed state budget includes a significant increase for public education to address Pennsylvania's school funding issues and …

Social Issues

play sound

Alabama nonprofits are coming together to tackle challenges that may threaten their survival, from declining donor support to shifting federal …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021