A publication that covers the nuts and bolts of political change: Boltsmag.orghttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.orghttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml7vvdq7gb2zThe breadth of Flock’s surveillance network amplifies the risk of breaches of sensitive data. Officers have repeatedly been caught using the network to stalk romantic partners and Flock cameras have been used to spy on No Kings Day protesters. https://boltsmag.org/verona-wisconsin-ends-contract-flock-ai-surveillance-cameras/07 May 2026 00:00 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7vvdq7gb2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml7pc4kn3y2jLOOKOUT reports on a woman who miscarried in an Arizona immigration detention center after ICE claimed she was lying about being pregnant: https://www.lookoutnews.org/ice-said-she-wasnt-pregnant-then-she-miscarried/06 May 2026 22:02 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7pc4kn3y2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml7k5mm42x2sIllinois legislators created certificates of innocence to address the problems exonerated people face after coming home. They come with expungement and the right to collect state compensation, but Cook County prosecutors block most people seeking them. https://boltsmag.org/chicago-cook-county-certificates-of-innocence/06 May 2026 20:30 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7k5mm42x2shttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml7fhgjyhs2pWe asked you to send us questions about last week’s Supreme Court ruling, which gutted the Voting Rights Act. Now, two civil rights and redistricting experts answer many of those questions, and explain the ramifications of this landmark decision. https://boltsmag.org/scotus-callais-voting-rights-act-ask-bolts/06 May 2026 19:06 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7fhgjyhs2phttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml77y7hqrq2jMichigan’s supreme court last week issued a ruling that bans civil arrests, including by ICE, at courthouses: https://michiganadvance.com/2026/04/30/michigan-supreme-court-approves-rule-banning-civil-arrests-including-by-ice-at-legal-proceedings/06 May 2026 17:28 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml77y7hqrq2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml732xldjz2zA candidate running to join Georgia's supreme court this month says all levels of government should be defending voter access: “In order for us to have a fair democracy, we have to be able to hear the electorate.” https://boltsmag.org/georgia-supreme-court-elections-may-2026/06 May 2026 16:00 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml732xldjz2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml6xwojun42pAs New York City officials seek to strengthen immigrant protections, they’re learning from other cities about how to respond to mass ICE deployments. One point of focus: public parking lots, which ICE used to stage operations in Minneapolis and Chicago. https://boltsmag.org/new-york-leaders-prepare-for-ice-hochul-mamdani/06 May 2026 15:04 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml6xwojun42phttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml6v7tq32b2jDemocrat Chedrick Greene easily prevailed yesterday in a special election for the Michigan state Senate. His victory in a swing district means that Democrats will retain their slim majority in the chamber. https://michiganadvance.com/2026/05/05/greene-wins-michigan-senate-special-election-democrats-retain-control-of-chamber/06 May 2026 14:15 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml6v7tq32b2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml6qyz727g2cIn this week’s newsletter: The Supreme Court’s ruling on the VRA intensifies Georgia’s supreme court elections. Chicago’s top prosecutor is blocking exonerated people seeking certificates of innocence. Plus, key local elections in May are already underway. https://mailchi.mp/boltsmag/newsletter050526?e=0c23b2e0ee06 May 2026 13:00 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml6qyz727g2chttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml5nkekq6n2pIndiana voters tonight have ousted at least five GOP senators who'd opposed a new gerrymander; several remain in danger. In an Ohio county, voters upheld a ban on solar and wind power projects. Catch up with the day's results in our cheat sheet. https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/may-2026-elections-guide/06 May 2026 02:25 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml5nkekq6n2phttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml5fllofia24Justice John Lopez IV wrote the Arizona supreme court ruling in 2024 that upheld the state’s 19th-century abortion ban. He is up for retention this fall. https://boltsmag.org/your-state-by-state-guide-to-the-2026-supreme-court-elections/#AZ06 May 2026 00:03 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml5fllofia24https://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml56wrsaya2tPolls will close soon in races that are taking place in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Tennessee. Bolts is watching U.S. House races, Trump's effort to punish state senators who rebuffed him in Indiana, a special election for Michigan's Senate, and more. https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/may-2026-elections-guide/05 May 2026 22:04 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml56wrsaya2thttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml4zqidogr2sRoxbury, New Jersey, is one of many towns across the U.S. that has recently clashed with the federal government over plans for new ICE detention centers. Roxbury residents argue that a nearby planned ICE facility threatens the surrounding environment. https://boltsmag.org/ice-warehouse-detention-facility-roxbury-new-jersey/05 May 2026 20:31 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4zqidogr2shttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml4upl7uh42c“Expanding community oversight of policing has been an uphill battle for decades,” says state Senator Angela McKnight, who represents Jersey City. She has sponsored a bill that would strengthen investigatory powers for civilian oversight boards. https://boltsmag.org/new-jersey-civilian-police-oversight-and-subpoena-power/05 May 2026 19:01 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4upl7uh42chttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml4pl2b4da2pIt's Election Day in Indiana and Ohio, which are holding all their primaries, but also in Michigan and Tennessee for critical local races and special elections. Explore our guide to know what is at stake today: https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/may-2026-elections-guide/05 May 2026 17:29 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4pl2b4da2phttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml4kmy5m7y2oNEW in Bolts: Two redistricting experts answer your questions on the latest Supreme Court ruling that guts the VRA—did it kill Section 2, what can states do, and how may Congress respond? https://boltsmag.org/scotus-callais-voting-rights-act-ask-bolts/05 May 2026 16:00 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4kmy5m7y2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml4fj6nqav2pThe unusually heated Georgia Supreme Court elections this month grew even more consequential last Wednesday, when the U.S. Supreme Court dramatically weakened the Voting Rights Act. https://boltsmag.org/georgia-supreme-court-elections-may-2026/05 May 2026 14:29 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4fj6nqav2phttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml4aydikz22tMail ballots currently lean overwhelmingly Democratic and the party is likely to be disproportionately affected if thousands of votes are tossed out because of bans on grace periods for mail ballots in Ohio and elsewhere. https://boltsmag.org/ohio-ends-grace-periods-for-mail-ballots/05 May 2026 13:08 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4aydikz22thttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml2uxhoxg22zThis year, all of Oregon’s 15 DA races are uncontested. “When you don’t have elections, most people are not getting representation from someone who’s aligned with their values,” says the former prosecutor of Deschutes County, Oregon. https://boltsmag.org/oregon-uncontested-da-elections/05 May 2026 00:00 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2uxhoxg22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml2oaq2ldb2jWill Donald Trump and his allies be able to punish Indiana's Republican state senators who rebuffed his demands that they redraw the state's congressional map late last month? Voters will decide tomorrow—they're part of the key elections we're watching. https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/may-2026-elections-guide/04 May 2026 22:00 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2oaq2ldb2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml2j477vd624People who agree to a Fourth Amendment waiver give up protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, allowing police to search a person or their home at any time over years-long periods. https://boltsmag.org/virginia-fourth-amendment-waivers-spanberger-vetoes-ban/04 May 2026 20:28 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2j477vd624https://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml2elf333l2eIowa courts charge people $73 to $83 per hour for court-appointed lawyers. The law specifically allows for such charges when a defendant is found guilty or is acquitted, but not for dismissed cases—something prosecutors want to change. https://boltsmag.org/iowa-court-fees-dismissals/04 May 2026 19:07 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2elf333l2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml27incutp24Georgia’s supreme court reinstated a six-week ban on abortion in 2024 in a 6-1 decision. Two of the justices in the majority in that case are running to stay in the court later this month. https://boltsmag.org/georgia-supreme-court-elections-may-2026/04 May 2026 17:36 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml27incutp24https://bsky.app/profile/boltsmag.org/post/3ml22qnhuwb2tIn May, voters will decide five supreme court races, resolve U.S. Senate primaries across the South, settle sheriff's races rocked by debates over ICE, and plenty more. Enter Bolts’ guide to the 100 elections to watch in May ⬇️ https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/may-2026-elections-guide/04 May 2026 16:11 +0000at://did:plc:sr3cp7q3p7zrnb6r276syycf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml22qnhuwb2t