PLI Bulletin

Three Lessons, Early Voting, Ballot Initiatives and More

Posted on November 4, 2020

Vote by Mail Act: In 2020, CA, CO, HI, NV, NJ, OR, UT, VT, WA and the District of Columbia very successfully employed vote by mail. The Vote by Mail Act requires that all registered voters be mailed a ballot and that they can vote by returning that ballot by mail, by voting at an early voting center, or by voting at a polling place on Election Day.

Three lessons from election season: To get right to the point, progressives need to do a much better job framing an economic message, they need to make America more democratic by clearing away all barriers to voting, and they need to attack the kind of structural racism that empowers the extreme right. For more, see the latest IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.

James Carville on Where Things Stand: For those of you who miss the very colorful and insightful analysis of political consultant James Carville, listen to The Ringer Podcast.

State ballot initiatives tracker: There were 56 major ballot initiatives this fall, covering issues from paid family leave and cash bail to drug decriminalization and slavery (really). See the latest results courtesy of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center.

Total early vote by state: Over 101 million people voted early this year, including more than 65 million by mail and nearly 36 million in-person. State-by-state breakdowns are available from the U.S. Elections Project.

Two-hundred model bills online: The Public Leadership Institute’s library of model bills covers wide-ranging topics from civil rights, public safety and the environment to health, education and reproductive rights.