In Wisconsin, Young People Are Thinking Beyond the Ballot Box

As Swing Voters in a Swing State, Their Votes Count. But Their Political Action Goes Deeper Than Election Day

In Wisconsin, more than 12 elections in the last 24 years have been won by less than 30,000 votes—a statistic that has become a talking point among politicians. In 2020, President Joe Biden won the state by a little over 20,500 votes.

That election after election here is determined by such razor-thin margins underscores the potential influence of young voters. The University of Wisconsin campus at Madison alone has nearly 50,000 students. In the 2022 midterm elections, nearly half of Wisconsinites under age 25 cast a ballot. Months later, in spring …

Two Pennsylvanias, One Drive, No Connections? | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Two Pennsylvanias, One Drive, No Connections?

My Commute Into Pittsburgh Traverses the Political Divide That Defines My State

My wife and I live in a rural farming area in Western Pennsylvania. We moved here five years ago because we’re country people, and it’s only 20 minutes from where …

A hand holding a pack of stickers. The stickers read "I'm a Georgia voter" on top of a peach.

In Georgia I Trust

A Cobb County Poll Worker Is Confident Voting Is Safe, Secure, and Fair—Despite What Election Deniers Might Say

For a dozen or so elections since 2020, I have worked as a poll worker in Cobb County, Georgia. It has been an eye-opening experience that has made me more …

What It’s Like to Experience the U.S. Election From Prison

We Can’t Vote on Politicians’ Promises or Policies—Even Though They Will Shape Nearly Every Aspect of Our Realities

In a small conference room nestled inside a secure red-brick building, I met with 11 fellow staff members of the Nash News, a prison newspaper in North Carolina. It was …

Mexico’s Noisy, Colorful, Unserious Election

We’re About to Elect Our First Woman President, But Most of Us Know Real Change Isn’t Coming

The biggest elections in Mexican history will take place on June 2. Citizens will vote to fill more than 20,000 offices: electing a new president and governors from eight of …

Young South Africans Are Sick of the Status Quo

This Election Season, No One Is Fighting for Our Future—Mandela’s Party Included

This year we celebrate the milestone of 30 years as a democratic state and the seventh general election in which all South Africans regardless of race are allowed to vote.

Our …