This story was originally published in Public News Service.

In Tennessee, almost a half-million people will not be able to vote in any upcoming election because of a past felony conviction, and a new survey found counties are not making the issue easy to remedy.

The League of Women Voters of Tennessee conducted a survey with the county officials responsible for implementing the mandated process of restoring voting rights for these individuals.

Implementing early voting in Connecticut has been one of our voting priorities for more than 10 years. Now that the referendum question, “Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to provide for early voting?” passed with 60 percent of the vote in November 2022, we turned our attention to fighting for the best process possible.

If the mayor is like the CEO of the city, then the city council is like the board of directors. It serves as the law-making body for the city. 

City council members, as the lawmakers of your city, make decisions that directly impact your day-to-day life, so a vote for them is powerful for your community.

This conversation was originally published by The Pitt News.

Civic Influencers fellow Ruby Scupp hosts a conversation with Michele Knoll, president of the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh, and Kelsey Pohlig, Weeam Boumaza and Ulyera Brooks from Pitt Women in Politics to talk about what local groups are doing to empower women.