virginia

December 9, 2016 - This week the U.S. Supreme Court took up cases involving potentially racially gerrymandered voting districts in North Carolina and Virginia. The rulings are expected to define for the first time what constitutes excessive reliance on race when drawing district lines. 

December 1, 2016 - This week the Southern Poverty Law Center issued two reports documenting how Trump's election has led to a spike in hate incidents, with over 200 taking place in the South alone.

November 18, 2016 - Voting changes in states no longer subject to federal preclearance under the Voting Rights Act impacted this year's election, though it's still unclear whether they affected its outcome.

November 17, 2016 - While the high-profile battle against the Dakota Access Pipeline continues, fights are also underway around the South to block new gas pipelines. Protests are planned in North Carolina this week against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, while opponents of the Mountain Valley Pipeline just had a big court win in West Virginia.

November 11, 2016 - Adopted to appease slaveholding states, the U.S. Electoral College has discouraged expansion of the franchise and resulted in five presidents who most voters opposed — but an alternative approach is gaining momentum in the states.

November 11, 2016 - With their capture of the Kentucky House, Republicans now enjoy majorities in every state legislative chamber in the South.

November 10, 2016 - Voters in Virginia also rejected an anti-union amendment to the state constitution, though a similar amendment passed overwhelmingly in Alabama. Meanwhile, Georgia voters rejected a controversial ballot measure that would have allowed the state to take over troubled public schools.