Florida restores voting rights to more than 1 million former felons
Amendment 4 automatically reinstates voting rights for people with felony convictions upon completion of their sentences, including prison, parole and probation.
Democracy & voting
This archive covers advances in democratic participation, voting rights, election integrity, and civic engagement around the world. Stories here highlight real progress — new policies, court victories, and community-driven efforts that expand access to the ballot and strengthen representative government.
In ‘rainbow wave,’ LGBT candidates are elected in record numbers in U.S.
More openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people were elected Tuesday night than in any previous U.S. election. The results are still rolling in, but at least 153 have won so far.
New Mexico Democrat Debra Haaland and Kansas Democrat Sharice Davids become the first Native American women elected to U.S. Congress
Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland made history on Tuesday by becoming the first Native American women elected to Congress.
Record number of LGBT candidates running for governor in the United States
2018 is the first time in American history that more than one open LGBT person has won a gubernatorial nomination in any given year.
Ohio voters approve gerrymandering reform for U.S. House seats
Ohio voters approved a gerrymandering reform proposal Tuesday that would change how the state draws congressional district lines following the next US Census.
Sierra Leone just held the world’s first blockchain-powered election
Agora’s work in Sierra Leone marked an important milestone on the path to a more transparent and fair democracy built on blockchain technology.
Pennsylvania court throws out state’s congressional map, ruling that gerrymandering violates constitution
In the Democratic-controlled court’s decision, the majority said the boundaries “clearly, plainly and palpably” violate the state’s constitution and blocked the boundaries from remaining in effect for the 2018 elections with just weeks until dozens of people file paperwork to run for Congress.
North Carolina Congressional map ruled unconstitutionally gerrymandered
The ruling was the first time that a federal court had blocked a congressional map because of a partisan gerrymander, and it instantly endangered Republican seats in the coming elections.
Nepal abolishes its monarchy and becomes a federal republic
Nepal’s federal republic was born on May 28, 2008, when a newly elected Constituent Assembly voted 560 to 4 to end 240 years of Shah dynasty rule. King Gyanendra was given 15 days to leave the royal palace, which reopened as a public museum. One of Asia’s longest monarchies closed not by revolution alone, but by ballot.
Bhutan holds its first democratic elections, beginning a peaceful transition to constitutional monarchy
Bhutan’s democratic elections began in 2007, when the kingdom held a mock vote with four fictional parties named after colors — Druk Blue, Green, Red, and Yellow — to teach citizens how to cast a ballot. The real vote followed that December, capping a rare transition driven by the monarchy itself rather than public demand.