voting

Why A Vote on Establishing an Independent Sikh State in Punjab Is Coming to California

A Novel Referendum Tests Whether Democracy Can Quell Violence—and Go Global

Why A Vote on Establishing an Independent Sikh State in Punjab Is Coming to S.F. | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

On January 28, Californians will finally get to cast ballots in a historic vote on whether to create a new independent country.

Why is this the first you’re hearing of this election? Because the only Californians who can vote in the election are Sikhs. The proposed independent country would be in Punjab, a state in northern India.

But that’s no reason to overlook what might be the most important election in the Golden State next year.

Indeed, the Khalistan referendum, as this ballot measure is known, is worthy of your attention for two …

by Joe Mathews |

Read More

Jimmy Carter’s Pragmatic Path to Power

An Idealist in and After Office, He Became a Governor and a President By Appealing to Racial and Class Prejudice

by James C. Cobb |

Former president Jimmy Carter, who will be 99 this Sunday, October 1, was only 46 when he first popped up on the national political radar. After declaring in his 1971 …

A Tale of Two Venezuelan Diasporas

After a Forced Exodus, We’re All Rebuilding Our Lives. Geography, Time, and Class Only Seem to Deepen Our Divides

by José González Vargas |

American media covers only two types of the 7 million-plus immigrants who have left Venezuela in the past decade.

The first consists of the refugees and asylum seekers who walked across …

Not Your Average L.A. Mayor Voter Guide

From South L.A. to the Valley, Angelenos Will Have to Vote Their Values

by Talib Jabbar |

As the primary election for Los Angeles’ next mayor nears and narrows, Zócalo, together with Creating Our Next L.A., convened a panel to answer the question on every Angeleno’s mind: …

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of California’s Direct Democracy

Keep the Mail-In Ballots. Lose the Money and Special Interests. Give the People More Information

by Jackie Mansky |

While majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents in California agree that the state’s system of direct democracy is a good thing, they also agree that it needs some fixing, especially …

How Domestic Migration Keeps Changing American Politics | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

How Domestic Migration Keeps Changing American Politics

The Democratic Flip of Georgia Points to a Future of Greater Conflict Within Southern States 

by James C. Cobb |

Population migration out of the South proved to be a major force for national political realignment in the 20th century. But as the recent Democratic breakthrough in Georgia seems to …


By continuing to use our website, you agree to our privacy and cookie policy.

✕

Get More Zócalo

No paywall. No ads. No partisan hacks. Ideas journalism with a head and a heart.

You may opt out or contact us anytime.

×