BoltsMag.org

Missouri and Montana Republicans have tried to restrict citizen-led initiatives in recent years. In response, democracy advocates have put constitutional amendments on the ballot declaring popular initiatives a fundamental right. https://boltsmag.org/missouri-and-montana-measures-aim-to-protect-direct-democracy/

Opposition to Flock surveillance cameras has been growing in red states, including Florida. Several law enforcement agencies in the state have ended programs using license-plate-reader cameras, and the governor removed them from state highways. https://boltsmag.org/jefferson-county-florida-rural-sheriff-dismantles-flock-camera-network/

A crowdsourced map of Flock cameras throughout the country has flagged 44 license-plate-reader cameras in Jefferson County, a sparsely-populated rural community in Florida. That makes it one of the densest networks of this technology in the U.S. https://boltsmag.org/jefferson-county-florida-rural-sheriff-dismantles-flock-camera-network/

Studies show how the effectiveness of violence interrupter programs varies greatly depending on funding. Portland programs have helped support victims of shootings, but they’ve grappled with precarious funding and lost federal grants. https://boltsmag.org/portland-violence-interrupters/

Virginians who regained the right to vote on Friday may be able to cast a ballot as soon as Tuesday, when the state will hold its regular primaries, which will decide nominees for congressional offices. https://boltsmag.org/virginia-governor-restores-voting-rights/

Can Ohio's one remaining Democratic justice survive this year? Jennifer Brunner, a former secretary of state, is seeking a second term this fall: https://boltsmag.org/your-state-by-state-guide-to-the-2026-supreme-court-elections/#OH

The Readmission Acts were “intentionally forgotten to history,” says a civil rights scholar. “People who didn’t like what was being done in Reconstruction made sure they wouldn’t be enforced, because they wanted to establish white supremacy in the South.” https://boltsmag.org/readmission-acts-and-felony-disenfranchisement/

Newport, Kentucky, is ending its pilot program with Flock and removing the company’s surveillance cameras, LINK nky reports: https://linknky.com/news/2026/07/14/newport-to-remove-flock-cameras-end-pilot-program/

Fueled by local organizing and anger over ICE activity, voters flipped this California city to a liberal majority this spring. An immigrant rights advocate says ICE raids escalated voters' frustrations. "That is fueling people to the polls." https://boltsmag.org/california-immigrant-organizing-and-elections-in-whittier/

After the Civil War, Congress mandated that Southern states could only disenfranchise people over a handful of crimes. But the states quickly ignored those rules and manipulated the criminal legal system to prevent Black people from voting. https://boltsmag.org/readmission-acts-and-felony-disenfranchisement/

After the Civil War, Congress anticipated white lawmakers in the South would use the criminal legal system to stop Black people from voting, so they readmitted southern states under strict conditions. States have been violating those conditions since. https://boltsmag.org/readmission-acts-and-felony-disenfranchisement/

“All smart devices are surveillance devices,” says a legal expert in our new Q&A. “The catch is that the companies also have the data and can use it for commercial reasons or, with proper legal authority, give it to the police.” https://boltsmag.org/everything-everywhere-all-at-once-surveillance-your-questions-answered/

Kansans rejected a measure to remake their supreme court. Missourians refused to phase out the income tax. Voters chose Senate and governor nominees, and in Washington they narrowed the field for supreme court seats. Catch up with the night's results. https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/august-2026-elections-guide/

In the past two years, the number of traffic stops by Chicago police each month has dropped significantly. But CPD has continued to conduct hundreds of thousands of off-the-books traffic stops, in violation of Illinois law. https://boltsmag.org/chicago-police-traffic-stops-declined-but-unreported-traffic-stops-increased-under-snelling/

Many voting rights advocates feel that the Supreme Court should have never entertained the question of ending grace periods for mail ballots, as it concerns the ability of states to set their own rules for election administration. https://boltsmag.org/supreme-court-allows-grace-periods-for-mail-voting/

A voter initiative to end Idaho’s abortion ban will be on the November ballot, The Idaho Capital Sun reports: https://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/07/13/initiative-to-end-idahos-strict-abortion-ban-qualifies-for-novembers-general-election-ballot/

Community ICE watchers in San Diego are taught to observe and document, not to actively interfere with immigration officers. This year, they’ve documented increasingly hostile behavior from federal agents. https://boltsmag.org/violent-ice-surges-san-diego-volunteer-patrols-union-del-barrio-california-sanctuary-policy/

The Supreme Court has dramatically narrowed the criteria for when plaintiffs can sue federal agents. The court has repeatedly rejected lawsuits against Border Patrol agents, including in the case of an officer who shot and killed a teenager in 2010. https://boltsmag.org/maine-lawsuit-state-law-testing-the-boundaries-of-suing-federal-immigration-agents/

With ICE detention now stretching on for months or years, habeas petitions from detained immigrants have spiked. “Habeas is no longer a last-resort remedy: It is the only remedy for the vast majority of immigrants,” says a legal expert. https://boltsmag.org/louisiana-immigration-detention-habeas-crisis/

“There are so many states that have felony disenfranchisement laws that are out of step with the Readmissions Acts,” says a voting rights advocate. “Once you see it, you’re kind of like, how can this be happening?” https://boltsmag.org/readmission-acts-and-felony-disenfranchisement/

🔔 Want to read more about tonight's election results? Sign up for our weekly newsletter, where we give updates on the races we're following, and share the local news stories that our team is talking about. https://boltsmag.org/newsletter/

Five states are holding their primaries today—Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, and Washington. Our guide walks you through dozens of intriguing elections you should know about. https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/august-2026-elections-guide/#August4

In the 1960s, Colorado and several other states eliminated most mental health care beds in its hospitals, shifting toward community-based care. But funding and infrastructure never caught up, and now many people with severe mental illness are held in jail. https://boltsmag.org/boulder-colorado-jail-mental-illness/

At Trump’s urging, Republican lawmakers have changed positions to restrict grace periods for mail voting. Kansas, North Dakota, Ohio, and Utah have all eliminated their grace periods since the 2024 election. https://boltsmag.org/supreme-court-allows-grace-periods-for-mail-voting/

The Portland Press Herald reports on the red flag-riddled background of the ICE officer who killed an immigrant in Maine this month: https://www.pressherald.com/2026/07/27/ice-agent-in-biddeford-shooting-had-too-many-red-flags-to-become-local-cop/

To keep up with our coverage of local elections throughout the year, sign up for our weekly newsletter. We share election updates and stories about voting rights and criminal justice, plus behind-the-scenes insights from our team. ⬇️ https://boltsmag.org/newsletter/

Ramulus Mason was sentenced to life in prison without parole for shooting a man named Ricky Wilson in North Carolina in 1995. Years later, the two discovered they were cousins, and Wilson has advocated for Mason’s release. https://boltsmag.org/north-carolina-three-strikes-ramulus-mason/

The sheriff of San Diego County says she is simply following the law by transferring detained immigrants to ICE custody. But local advocates say California’s sanctuary law is discretionary; it doesn’t force sheriffs to transfer inmates. https://boltsmag.org/violent-ice-surges-san-diego-volunteer-patrols-union-del-barrio-california-sanctuary-policy/

An advocate against solitary confinement says that dialing back reforms on isolation won’t solve violence in California prisons. “We’re not saying that there isn’t a violence problem, we’re just saying that this is not a solution to the violence problem.” https://boltsmag.org/california-dials-back-solitary-reforms/

A Missouri state Rep. advocated for a new law restoring voting rights to most people leaving prison. “If we can get people engaged and keep them out of our jails and prisons, then I think we should be doing everything we can,” she said this spring. https://boltsmag.org/gop-run-missouri-becomes-latest-state-to-roll-back-felony-disenfranchisement/

After the Civil War, white politicians in the South ignored a mandate from Congress to limit felony disenfranchisement. “They directly said they were pursuing white supremacy, and they were using voting rights to do this,” says a political science scholar. https://boltsmag.org/readmission-acts-and-felony-disenfranchisement/

Reconstruction experts and voting rights attorneys are curious to see whether a federal ruling in a Virginia case sparks a renaissance for the mostly forgotten Readmission Acts, passed by Congress between 1868 and 1870. https://boltsmag.org/readmission-acts-and-felony-disenfranchisement/

This year, supreme court justices who have upheld restrictions on abortion and reproductive rights are up for retention or reelection in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas. Our guide has more: https://boltsmag.org/your-state-by-state-guide-to-the-2026-supreme-court-elections/

In parallel, Virginia legislators designed criminal laws to target freedmen and turned poverty and unemployment into entryways for criminal cases. Local officials had broad discretion for selective enforcement, disenfranchising Black people at high rates. https://boltsmag.org/readmission-acts-and-felony-disenfranchisement/

In a surprise for voting rights advocates who worried about the end of grace periods for mail ballots, the Supreme Court last week ruled that states can still count ballots received after polls close as long as they’re postmarked by Election Day. https://boltsmag.org/supreme-court-allows-grace-periods-for-mail-voting/

Local elections in Arizona have usually revolved around taxes and housing, but this month candidates are also having to grapple with how local law enforcement is choosing to partner with ICE. https://boltsmag.org/arizona-municipal-elections-and-partnerships-with-ice-mesa/

The fight over grace periods represents “a very slippery slope,” says a national advocate for mail voting. “The relative impact of [the Mississippi case] is less important than future implications it might have for other kinds of arguments.” https://boltsmag.org/supreme-court-allows-grace-periods-for-mail-voting/

The LAPD announced on Saturday that it will not renew its contract with Flock Safety, after an audit found that officers had investigated 161 people within a two-month period whose cars Flock cameras had mistakenly flagged as stolen. https://www.404media.co/lapd-regularly-pulled-over-innocent-people-because-license-plate-readers-flagged-their-cars-as-stolen/

Several Wisconsin cities and counties have been ending their contracts with the embattled tech company Flock Safety, and Verona Mayor Luke Diaz is heartened by the ongoing domino effect: “We can stand up to be an example for other communities.” https://boltsmag.org/wisconsin-flock-and-revolving-door-of-surveillance-companies/

“I’d really love to see the American Samoan communities be given what they deserve,” says the director of Pacific Community of Alaska. “We’re going to take the win, but the work continues.” https://boltsmag.org/charges-dropped-against-american-samoans-punished-for-voting-in-alaska/

As Bolts reported, Republicans changed the rules in late 2024 to give their party control of the board. https://boltsmag.org/north-carolina-republicans-upend-election-administration/

Republican Missouri state Representative Melanie Stinnett championed a state law to roll back felony disenfranchisement after meeting a disenfranchised man while knocking doors on the campaign trail. https://boltsmag.org/gop-run-missouri-becomes-latest-state-to-roll-back-felony-disenfranchisement/

E.M., a woman with schizoaffective disorder, was held in Boulder County Jail for almost two years after experiencing a mental health crisis. “You just can’t take people that are struggling, shove them in a box, and hope they get better,” her mother says. https://boltsmag.org/boulder-colorado-jail-mental-illness/

Immigrant organizing has shaken up local politics throughout the country during Trump’s second term. Now, activists in Arizona hope to channel local anger over ICE activity in city elections next week. https://boltsmag.org/arizona-municipal-elections-and-partnerships-with-ice-mesa/

📣 Voters are heading to the polls today in Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, and Wisconsin, plus special primaries in Alabama and South Carolina. What’s on the menu? Way too much to sum up in one post—learn more in our guide. https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/august-2026-elections-guide/#August-11

In other states, habeas cases can last weeks, but in Louisiana, they often take many months. Those delays mean some immigrants never see relief. Some get deported before a judge can rule. Others have died in ICE custody waiting for a ruling. https://boltsmag.org/louisiana-immigration-detention-habeas-crisis/

Traffic stops are among the most dangerous interactions for drivers and police officers, says a professor who served on Chicago’s civilian oversight board. Traffic stops in Chicago have declined, but more than half are going unreported. https://boltsmag.org/chicago-police-traffic-stops-declined-but-unreported-traffic-stops-increased-under-snelling/

A lawsuit in Virginia has been the first federal case to test whether felony disenfranchisement laws in southern states violate the agreements they made after the nation abolished slavery. https://boltsmag.org/readmission-acts-and-felony-disenfranchisement/

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the death of a Philadelphia lawyer who spent decades defending the rights of public housing tenants: https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/george-gould-obituary-community-legal-services-20260717.html