Attorney General Eric Holder may have brought attention to the problems of prison sentencing, but it’s been state legislatures—including staunchly conservatives ones—that have taken the lead in finding solutions.
Abby Rapoport
Abby Rapoport is a freelance journalist and former staff writer at The American Prospect. She was previously a political reporter for the Texas Observer. Follow @ rarapoport
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Get to Know Section 3 of the Voting Rights Act
There’s a lot we still don’t know about the most important remaining legal provision we have to help fight voter discrimination. Like, will it actually work?
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Houston Rockets Pre-K to Top of the Priority List
In Texas’s Harris County, a major early childhood education initiative offers a test case for the rest of the country.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Just How Bad Will the Florida Voter Purge Be?
Maintaining clean voter rolls is a necessary part of administering elections. But witch hunts for noncitizens? Not so much.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Welcome Back, Class of 2012
Today’s Ringside Seat: We missed you, Newt Gingrich.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Wendy Davis’s Catch-22
The Texas Democrat can run for governor and help revive her party, but she can’t win—or can she?
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Moral Mondays and the South’s New Liberal Gospel
North Carolina progressives suffered devastating setbacks during this year’s right-wing legislature. But they’re ready to fight back.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Republicans vs. Democracy in North Carolina
GOP lawmakers are trying to turn the South’s most progressive election laws into the nation’s most restrictive. But will they win the battle and lose the war?
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Welcome to the Future of Voting Rights
Activists are back in court arguing that Pennsylvania’s voter ID law still violates the state constitution. Expect to see similar arguments around the country.
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
Take Me Out with the Crowd
Can numbers-happy fantasy sports replace team play as a metaphor for the American way of living?