Congress has to take federal action now, this week while they are in emergency session, to ensure the integrity of our elections. Read more >
Michael's Latest Posts
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States Need to Update Emergency Election Plans, Scientists Need to Step Up
March 11, 2020 3:34 PM EDT
Even if the U.S. is successful at managing Coronavirus infection rates and lethality, it has the capacity to wreak havoc on the November election. Introducing all this uncertainty into an already close election is sure to amplify claims of voter suppression and voter fraud. If the election is contested and the results inconclusive, the political epidemic could be just as dangerous as the biological one. Read more >
You Can Fix #UnhealthyDemocracy in 2020
January 15, 2020 1:31 PM EDT
If you want to restore evidence-based policymaking in government and promote science for the public good, it is going to take more than voting this year. The electoral process itself is under attack in many states, and nearly a decade of partisan gerrymandering and erosion of voting rights has crippled the public’s ability to hold elected policymakers accountable. Read more >
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A Healthy Resolution: Reclaim Your Democracy in 2020
January 9, 2020 10:08 AM EDT
As we enter the 2020 election cycle, a handful of states are emerging as test cases for the future of democracy in America. One canary in the coalmine is Georgia, where in 2018 now-Governor Brian Kemp defeated Stacey Abrams by the narrowest of margins (50.2% to 49.8%) under questionable circumstances. Another is Arizona, where a wave of Latinx voter mobilization in 2018 has prompted the state legislature to make changes to early voting rules that could impact the eligibility of over 200,000 voters. In Wisconsin and Ohio, voting rights are being similarly threatened, something that’s likely to continue, given their crucial role in the 2020 presidential election.
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Natural Resources Committee Embraces Collaborative Governance
December 23, 2019 9:30 AM EDT
At a time when the internet and social media seem to be tearing our politics apart, where violent ideology and moral outrage enflame partisan divisions, the democratic promise of information technology is making an appearance in the House Natural Resources Committee. Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva and Representative A. Donald McEachin have opened the public participation phase of their Environmental Justice for All Act.