Author Archives
I run Political Charge to give people the knowledge and inspiration to take charge of their political activism. You can also follow me on Twitter at @dhstokyo.
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Gov Walker Refuses to Call Special Elections; Gets Sued
A bedrock principle of our democracy is that we as citizens get representation in the government. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has refused to call special elections for two legislative seats that are vacant (due to those two legislators going to… Read More ›
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Early Voting in Texas Tells An Interesting Story
Today, Dallas News posted this attention-grabbing headline: Texas Democrats’ early voting totals should ‘shock every conservative to their core,’ Abbott email says We recently wrote about why Texas’ voter turnout is so low and what can be done about it…. Read More ›
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BlueWave Interview: Pat Gunn on canvassing for a special election
This week our BlueWave Interview is with Pat Gunn in Washington. Pat worked to help Manka Dhingra win a Senate seat in the Washington legislature last year, a win that flipped the control of that Senate and turned the entire… Read More ›
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Special (& Primary!) Elections in March 2018
There are 2 state primaries and 6 special elections scheduled in March 2018. For the special elections, click on the district number (courtesy of Ballotpedia) to get the information you need such as: a map outlining the district, why the… Read More ›
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Pennsylvania Replaces Gerrymandered Map
Last year, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court ruled that the way their congressional districts were drawn in 2011 were an illegal partisan gerrymander and ordered that new maps be drawn in time for the 2018 midterm elections. After a lot of legal… Read More ›
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How Disinformation Affects Elections
Yesterday, Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russians and 3 organizations for interfering with the U.S. political system by using “information warfare” to sow discord in numerous ways. The Atlantic has a good explanation of what the indictment means here, and… Read More ›
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5 Reasons to Attend Town Halls
Congress has numerous breaks so elected officials can get back to their districts and spend time with their constituents. During these recesses, they schedule various public events, including town halls. (Well, they are supposed to. Some are better than others… Read More ›
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An Eye on Redistricting: How the NDRC is Approaching Midterms
Early in 2017, Former Attorney General Eric Holder created the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC). The aim of the NDRC was to erase the gains the Republicans had made in state and congressional seats through gerrymandering. A few days ago,… Read More ›
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BlueWave Interview: Pam Rickel on being a precinct chair in Texas
This week our BlueWave Interview is with Pam Rickel in Texas. Want to know how fired up Democrats in Texas are? Pam, for one, has taken “getting involved” to a whole new level! Here is our interview. TS: Let’s… Read More ›
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Midterm Election News Roundup
There was quite a lot of midterm election related news these last few days. Here’s a recap of some of the bigger stories plus a note about what it all means. Democrats expand the midterm battlefield: To take control of… Read More ›
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Results: 2/6 Missouri Special Elections
Missouri held four special elections for vacant seats tonight. The Democrats flipped one of the seats and saw a huge shift in their direction in all of the districts. Here are the details: Missouri House District 97 – FLIPS to… Read More ›
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Let’s Talk About Gerrymandering
Gerrymandering is the practice of manipulating the boundaries of an electoral district so as to favor one party. It has been in the news a lot recently due to some high-profile court cases and you’ve no doubt seen some maps… Read More ›
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Ridding Your State of Crosscheck
The Interstate Crosscheck System, known as Crosscheck, is a program some states have been using to “clean up” their rolls of registered voters. The problem is, Crosscheck has proven to be wildly inaccurate and so voters who should still be… Read More ›
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BlueWave Interview: Laurel Davila on neighborhood organizing
This week our #BlueWaveInterview is with Laurel Davila in Southern California. You can find her on Twitter at @laureldavilacpa. Since the last election, Laurel has become a local powerhouse and we had a great conversation about grassroots organizing and… Read More ›
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How Does Your State Handle Felon Disenfranchisement?
With the news out of Florida that a federal judge has ruled the felon disenfranchisement system in Florida unconstitutional, you may be wondering how your state handles restoring voting rights to this segment of the population, and if there is… Read More ›
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Governors Races in 2018
The 2018 midterm elections this November are critically important for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is that there are 36 gubernatorial races at stake. Take a moment today to get ready for yours. Whoever wins this fall… Read More ›
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The Kansas Tax Scam
The tax bill that was recently passed through Congress and signed by President Trump has many of the same elements as the 2012 tax cut experiment in Kansas. Instead of supercharging economic growth in the state, their tax experiment led… Read More ›
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Special Elections in February 2018
These are the 15 special elections scheduled in February 2018. Click on the district number (courtesy of Ballotpedia) to get the information you need such as: a map outlining the district, why the seat is having a special election, who… Read More ›
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What ID Do You Need to Vote?
You’ve no doubt heard a lot about Voter ID. Every state has its own requirements for their voters. Take a moment today to make sure you have what you need to vote. Then, consider helping other folks get their ID… Read More ›
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Getting Started in Political Activism
If you want to get involved with the political process, here are some resources to get you started. Although there are a lot of ways to be an activist, at the start, I encourage you to 1) be in contact… Read More ›