New Mexico Voting Rights Act and Election Infrastructure Bill

2023 Ideas Challenge Entry

New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver championed the New Mexico Voting Rights Act (HB4) and the Election Infrastructure Bill (SB 180) which includes a number of critical provisions to expanding ballot access while enhancing ballot integrity. 

 The Voting Rights Act includes provisions to restore voting rights for formerly incarcerated individuals; strengthen New Mexico’s automatic voter registration system; create a permanent absentee ballot list and expand the use of secure ballot drop-boxes; and most notably, a provision titled the “Native American Voting Rights Act”, the first of its kind in the entire country, which protects ballot access for Indian, Tribal, and Pueblo communities.

 SB 180 brings New Mexico’s election infrastructure, allows candidates to pursue digital petition collection options, creates more layers of protection to ensure the integrity of absentee ballots, and reflects the growing preference for absentee voting. It also creates a more substantive process by which New Mexico’s elections are audited to ensure accurate and reliable results, while also including provisions for local officials to verify and streamline those and related processes.

 

Impact

Both bills were signed into law in 2023 and Secretary of State Toulouse Oliver successfully completed the rule-making process and will phase in provisions of the bills over time. The Secretary of State’s office will use funds from the Help America Vote Act to conduct a study in partnership with the University of New Mexico’s political science department to measure policy impact, voter trends, and voter perceptions of New Mexico’s election practices.

CompassionateUSA

2023 Ideas Challenge Entry

As part of the city’s broader violence prevention strategy, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg collaborated with the Alamo Colleges District and the San Antonio Peace Center to launch CompassionateUSA. Compassionate USA is a people-centered campaign with an accompanying micro-course to promote compassion and community healing. These courses help develop foundational skills, a common language, and shared practices for all ages and communities and increase individual and community capacity and resilience on a systemic level. The city made the program freely available to every city, town, and territory across the United States.

 

Impact

With close to 300 participating communities, stories are already coming in from across the U.S. and beyond on how the program is influencing policies to reflect the ethic of reciprocity. For example, teaching hospitals requiring compassionate care training and including the curriculum in pre-K and PhD programs. The campaign portion will continue to run indefinitely as a globally accessible and educated network at no-cost.

Access to Accurate and Timely Election Information 

2023 Ideas Challenge Entry

Delaware Representative Krista Griffith’s HB 82 which was signed into law in 2023, will ensure voters have access to information concerning polling locations, times, dates, and more. This bill directs the Department of Elections to biennially mail a notice to all registered voters containing pertinent information, including their polling place, the dates and times of the general and any primary elections, registration deadlines, and polling place and early voting policies and procedures.

Prior to the legislation, voters received a card in the mail with their polling location and election districts, but the cards did not give residents the full picture of voting options, such as how to cast ballots during early voting and the criteria for absentee voting.

Impact

This legislation was a direct result of conversations with voters who expressed frustration with not knowing all methods of voting. This legislation will give voters the tools they need to make a plan to vote and will provide new tools to engage voters.

Creating a More Inclusive Redistricting Process

2023 Ideas Challenge Entry

Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Amanda Gonzalez reimagining the process for community-led redistricting, creating a more citizen focused and transparent process. There is no more fundamental right than for voters to freely choose who represents them. Gonzalez’s new county redistricting policy and practice in Jefferson County resulted in one of the most inclusive and engaging processes in the state.

The process was guided by three principles: accessibility, inclusion, and legal compliance. Rather than drawing lines in a backroom out of the public eye, the Clerk and Recorder’s office created a policy that created maps with public input, provided virtual and in-person ways for the public to have their voice heard, and ultimately drew the final version of a map in front of a public audience.

Impact

The process resulted in increased public engagement, including reaching over 17,000 people virtually and in person at public meetings at geographically diverse locations that were ADA accessible. The Clerk’s office provided the county commissioners and the public with a preliminary map to consider and revised the map to include feedback from community members. The commissioners then made final edits to the map during a public meeting.

Expanded Protections for Election Workers

2023 Ideas Challenge Entry

California Senator Josh Becker introduced SB 485 aimed at restore voters’ confidence in the electoral process by addressing the surge in aggression from voters who refuse to accept election outcomes. The bill will expand the existing felony of interfering with election officials, voters, and the voting process to protect temporary election workers. Additionally, this legislation will broaden the definition of “voting at an election” to encompass in-person voting at polling places, the office of the election official, satellite locations, and voting by mail.

 Temporary workers, who often play critical roles in election administration, deserve the same level of protection as other election officials. Ensuring their safety while carrying out their duties is crucial to maintaining the efficient functioning of elections. The bill’s broader definition of “voting at an election” is equally significant and encompasses various voting methods, including in-person voting at polling places, the office of the election official, satellite locations, and voting by mail.”

 

Impact

By providing a stronger legal framework to hold those who engage in disruptive and aggressive behavior accountable, victims have more recourse, and individuals who commit such offenses will face appropriate consequences. The bill’s effectiveness will be tracked through the number of reported incidents using data from the Secretary of State’s Election Voter Complaint Portal. Becker is hopeful that the bill will ultimately decrease any violence or aggression directed toward election workers.

Work To Break the Cycle

2023 Ideas Challenge Entry

Shelby County, TN Mayor Lee Harris’s “Work to Break the Cycle” is a job website featuring updated Shelby County Government positions for individuals with arrest or conviction records. It complements the 2020 Ban the Box Ordinance, which removed questions about criminal history from job applications. This initiative has facilitated numerous opportunities for previously incarcerated individuals to join the county government workforce, with over 100 employment offers extended. By offering tailored jobs, Harris aims to reduce recidivism rates, as employment cuts reoffending chances by 20%. This dedicated job site enhances application confidence, promotes local economic engagement, and reduces incarceration expenses, aligning with the goal of reintegrating justice-impacted individuals into the community.

Impact:

Harris believes each hire is a marker of success. Since launching in May 2023, the program has resulted in employment offers to over 100 individuals so far, with plans to partner with the local Chamber of Commerce to provide more job opportunities. These jobs not only change their situation, but it has a ripple impact for their families and the Shelby County Community as a whole.

Georgia Educational Opportunity Act

2023 Ideas Challenge Entry

Georgia Representative Phil Olaleye introduced HB 668 which aims to update the state’s 30-year-old Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding formula. The bill introduces an “opportunity weight” to allocate additional resources for students in poverty. Georgia is only one of six states that does not allocate specific state funds to help educate students living in poverty. This ensures schools can meet diverse educational needs, from rural transportation to mental health support and urban meal programs. The bill strives to eliminate disparities and enhance education statewide.

 

Impact

The Georgia Educational Opportunity Act would provide a much needed update to the state’s funding formula and provide additional funding to serve economically disadvantaged students. This would ensure that all students entering a public school in Georgia would receive the resources needed for success, regardless of their zip code and economic situation. For example, schools in rural Georgia might use the funds to transport students to dual enrollment programs or provide Wi-Fi hotspots. Suburban schools might use the funds to enhance mental health counseling and increase after-school tutoring. While urban districts might use the funds to pay for school meal programs and provide critical wraparound services.

Home Act/Rent Stabilization

2023 Ideas Challenge Entry

Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando authored the Housing Opportunity, Mobility, and Equity (HOME) Act that would protect tenants through rent stabilization, provide predictable housing costs, and help them stay in their homes over time, just like homeowners. The County Council approved renter regulations that balance the need to protect tenants with providing landlords with economic tools to maintain and build housing. Montgomery County is the first county in Maryland to establish permanent rent stabilization at a maximum cap of 6%.

The compromise bill that passed, Rent Stabilization, prevents rent gouging, reduces displacement, and creates cost predictability for tenants and landlords by:

 – Setting an annual rental increase allowance of CPI-U plus three percent, capped at a maximum of six percent;

 – Establish guidelines for fees and fee increases for regulated rental units;

 – Establishing provisions for the landlord to increase the rent above the cap and apply a surcharge for renovations; and

 – Defining a process for landlords to bank unused rental increase allowances.

Impact:

The bill is already having an impact, sending a clear message that the county cares for renters and believes they should have sustainable housing with predictable costs. 

As the bill goes into effect, the county will monitor its implementation to ensure that it balances the need to protect tenants with providing landlords with economic tools to maintain and build housing. A protection or right is also only as good as it is known by the public, particularly those most impacted, and the next steps will include raising awareness among tenants and landlords about their rights and responsibilities.

The Maryland Fair Chance in Housing Act 2024

2023 Ideas Challenge Entry

Maryland Delegate Adrian Boafo introduced a “Ban the Box” policy for rental applications to prohibit discrimination against those with a criminal history from applying. Criminal history inquiries will be limited to the past three years, enabling individuals with older criminal histories to have a fair chance at securing housing, with an exception for individuals on the sex offender registry. Additionally, this bill requires housing providers to provide a physical disclosure stating the reasons for denying an applicant, fostering a more open and accountable housing system. Further, this bill mandates that all housing providers restrict their application fees to cover only the actual cost of the screening process.

Impact

Housing continues to be one of the most significant barriers for those transitioning out of prison. This bill will help send a message by helping returning citizens access essential housing.

Free School Meals for Eligible Kids

2023 Ideas Challenge Entry

Little Rock State Senator Clarke Tucker’s bill to offer free school meals for low-income students was signed into law. The USDA provides income eligibility guidelines for public school students throughout the United States to qualify for either free or reduced-price school meals. Tucker’s Act 656 eliminates the cost of all school meals for students who come from families that qualify for reduced-priced meals. This will have a huge impact on families who rely on school meals for their kids to eat and who need their dollars to stretch a little further.

The law creates a tiered system of funding. The Arkansas Department of Education will utilize any available federal funds to pay for these meals, and then the state will cover any remaining costs (including dedicated funding from medical marijuana tax revenue).

Impact:

Students who qualify for reduced-priced meals come from families with limited means and are still required to make some payment to receive their school meals. The price of those families’ school meals, even when reduced, can add up and even create debt. As part of the legislation, the state auditing entity will audit the Arkansas Department of Education Child Nutrition Unit and provide a report to the Senate and House Committees on Education every year to monitor the program, ensure that every eligible child in Arkansas is receiving these meals, and help the legislature budget appropriately.

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