Democracy & the News

Question 1

What did the ballot measure on abortion that passed in Ohio do?

“Prohibits abortion once fetal cardiac activity can be detected — as early as six weeks into pregnancy — with no exceptions for rape or incest.”
“Establish the right to ‘make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions’ on matters including abortion, contraception and fertility treatment.”
“Change the state constitution to require a 60% threshold to pass constitutional amendments, as opposed to a simple majority.”

Question 2

What issues may come before the newly-elected Democratic Chief Justice Dan McCaffery and his six colleagues on the Supreme Court in Pennsylvania?

The effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election; restrictions on the sale and possession of guns; a plan to make power plant owners pay for greenhouse gas emissions.
Legislation to ban the use of all fossil fuels in the state by 2025; a challenge to the constitutionality of the state's income tax system; the legality of a state-wide government healthcare system.
A bill to establish Pennsylvania as a sanctuary state for undocumented immigrants; a bill challenging the legality of statewide mandatory vaccination policies; a bill to eliminate mandatory minimum prison sentences.

Question 3

Who endorsed Republican Tate Reeves’s reelection as Mississippi governor?

Question 4

What do groups like Moms for Liberty and Ohio Value Voters want public schools to stop teaching?

Critical race theory, comprehensive sex education, diversity and inclusion, sex education, and gender identity.
Biblical History, Creationism, Christian ethics, and the Bill of Rights.
European immigration, traditional marriage, and gay conversion therapy.

Question 5

According to Ruby Belle Booth, Elections Coordinator for Tisch College’s Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement:

Young people are more likely to vote when they are informed about current issues.
Highly educated successful young professionals are less likely to vote because they are not as dependent on government services.
The majority of college students do not believe they are qualified to vote until after they graduate.

Election Shake-Up: Abortion, Banned Books, & Courts