Throughout October and November, Report for America corps members have reported on issues ranging from concerns of election violence, the threat of misinformation, and the local and regional issues concerning voters. On Election Day, they were there, too, providing a local take and a local lens on the election process.
Here’s how America approached voting leading up to and throughout the midterm elections, through a compilation of our corps members’ photos and stories.
1. Mainers are poised to elect their first two Somali-American state legislators
It didn't take long after polls closed on Tuesday for Mana Abdi to make history as the first Somali-American elected to the Maine Legislature.
While the results are not yet final, South Portland mayor Deqa Dhalac also appears to be winning her race by a two-to-one margin with nearly all the votes counted. Dhalac says she wants her victory, and her political career, to inspire younger immigrants and youth of color to run for office. "So that these young people can say, 'The House is mine too, the Senate is mine too, the city council is mine too.'
Ari Snider | Maine Public Radio
2. New Hampshire offers unique solution to election skepticism
With election skeptics on the ballot across the country, New Hampshire is providing a unique solution to negative election rhetoric. To address voter concerns about election security, a new, bipartisan commission on voter confidence has traversed the state since May to hold listening sessions for public opinion on election security. Michaela Towfighi | Concord Monitor
3. Alabama approves new state constitution
Alabama's new constitution removes racist language in three sections, pertaining to involuntary servitude as punishment, an allowance for segregated schools, and an allotment of poll tax money. The constitution also organizes its nearly 1,000 amendments into categories, like branches of government or economic development. Local amendments will be organized by county. Sarah Swetlik | AL.com
4. Zaynab Mohamed makes history as youngest woman, and one of the first Black women, elected to Minnesota Senate
Zaynab Mohamed is one of three Black women who made history Tuesday when they were elected to the Minnesota Senate. No Black women have served in the state Senate in 164 years of statehood. Zaynab, a 25-year-old Minneapolis resident and former policy aide, received 86 percent of the vote with 97 percent of precincts reporting. Hibah Ansari | Sahan Journal
5. Michigan voters embrace abortion rights amendment
"In an historic victory, Proposal 3’s successful passage makes Michigan the first state in the country to defeat a statewide abortion ban," an advocacy group said in a statement. Support for Proposal 3 comes after Michigan voters rejected two abortion-related ballot measures in previous decades. Opponents have blasted the proposal as extreme, and the next Michigan Supreme Court will likely decide some legal questions over how the amendment is implemented. Clara Hendrickson/ Detroit Free Press
About Report for America
Report for America is a national service program that places talented emerging journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered topics and communities across the United States and its territories. By creating a new, sustainable model for journalism, Report for America provides people with the information they need to improve their communities, hold powerful institutions accountable, and restore trust in the media. Report for America is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up.