After 7 years at @stateline.org, this is my last day. It’s bittersweet to leave a place that provides well-reported state and local policy stories free for any publication. Here are my favorites of the 240+ stories I’ve written for Stateline, many on voting rights: stateline.org/2024/06/24/r...

New York state’s highest court struck down a New York City statute that would have allowed 800,000 noncitizens to vote in mayoral, city council and school board elections. from @mattvas.bsky.social: stateline.org/2025/03/25/n...

Important @stateline.org article on the expanding movement for state Voting Rights Acts -- among new states that may adopt them this year are Maryland and Colorado. stateline.org/2025/03/21/t...

An alternative view (from me) @mattvas.bsky.social

Arizona is one of seven states where Democratic lawmakers are pushing for a state-level Voting Rights Act, via @mattvas.bsky.social stateline.org/2025/03/21/t...

Petitions filed across the states with red flag laws jumped by 59% in 2023 over the previous year, according to new data from Everytown for Gun Safety. @everytown.bsky.social via stateline.org @amandavhernan.bsky.social @mattvas.bsky.social stateline.org/2025/03/11/r...

Testing constitutional limits, Republicans in at least 15 states have introduced legislation this year that would require the Ten Commandments be displayed in public school classrooms. @mattvas.bsky.social reports: stateline.org/2025/02/27/e...

Federal programs that assist state and local election officials have been gutted via @mattvas.bsky.social/@stateline.org

President & CEO Pam Smith on CISA and election security cuts: “It is a retreat and it’s a really ill-advised one. It’s a little bit like saying the bank has a slow day on Tuesday, we’re going to let our security guards go home.” stateline.org/2025/02/20/e... @stateline.org @mattvas.bsky.social

“The Trump administration has made it quite clear that they intend to use the military to assist with immigration enforcement. States who are opposed to that would be wise to take what measures they can to protect themselves and their states.” stateline.org/2025/02/05/b...

Inspired by President Donald Trump’s call to round up immigrants who are in the country illegally, red-state governors might start sending their National Guardsmen into blue states without their permission. @mattvas.bsky.social reports: stateline.org/2025/02/05/b...

In times of crisis, states have few tools to fight misinformation

From AI images of the famous Hollywood sign surrounded by fire, to rumors that firefighters are using women’s handbags full of water to douse the flames, LA wildfire misinformation has been rampant. What can states do about social media falsehoods? stateline.org/2025/01/23/i...

Social media companies have fought efforts from the few states that have sought to regulate online speech in recent years, while courts have been skeptical of the legality of those limits. @mattvas.bsky.social reports: stateline.org/2025/01/23/i...

I really wanna have some background calls with experts who have their ears to the ground on local #healthcare challenges, as well as researchers looking at healthcare costs, access to medicine, and social determinants of health, and equity. Who should I talk to? #medicine #businessofhealthcare

New Jersey joined at least five other states — California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington — that have passed legislation within the past two years that aims to preserve access to reading materials that deal with racial and sexual themes. My latest: stateline.org/2025/01/07/l...

California is one of six states that have enacted laws to fight against book bans. via @stateline.org @mattvas.bsky.social www.newsfromthestates.com/article/libr...

New Jersey joined at last five other states that have passed legislation that aim to slow the surging tide of censoring reading materials that deal with racial and sexual themes, including those about the LGBTQ community. @mattvas.bsky.social reports: stateline.org/2025/01/07/l...

Some scenes from this summer’s visit to the Carter presidential library

This morning, @missouriindependent.com published a months-long investigation by Clara Bates into the case of Kurtis Watkins, who has served a decade in prison for a crime he swears he didn’t commit. #moleg #mogov (1/6)

Via @mattvas.bsky.social and @stateline.org: Lower courts are still figuring out the limits of a historical test the U.S. Supreme Court created for gun regulations in 2022 and have not yet come to a broad agreement on key gun-related laws.

More than two years after the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally altered its interpretation of the Second Amendment, federal courts throughout the country continue to strike down key state gun restrictions. @mattvas.bsky.social reports: stateline.org/2024/12/13/j...

Heck yeah, follow our work at Stateline

Election denialism has staying power even after Trump’s win stateline.org/2024/11/27/e... by @mattvas.bsky.social

Hi there👋🏽 Looking to get #news from all 50 states in one place? Stateline Daily is your cheat sheet for the day's most important state and local #policy stories from across the country. It's all curated (by me!) and delivered to your inbox each morning. Subscribe today! stateline.org/subscribe/

"Republicans’ disinformation campaigns have caused Americans’ confidence in elections to plummet and exposed local election officials to threats and harassment, and some observers worry about a return of the GOP’s destructive rhetoric the next time they lose."

Stateline's @mattvas.bsky.social has been following election threats and misinformation and conspiracy theories for years. Read his latest: Election denialism has staying power even after Trump’s win stateline.org/2024/11/27/e...

election denialism ain't dead stateline.org/2024/11/27/e...

Check out state and local policy reporting from me and my colleagues

If you're new here and looking for state government reporters/reporting/news, start with @statesnewsroom.com, the nation's largest nonprofit state-focused news organization. No pop-ups. no paywalls.

Despite a win in DC and a few other cities, voters in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Missouri rejected ranked choice voting this year. After years of momentum, what’s next for RCV? My latest: stateline.org/2024/11/14/r...

Voters in several states, including Missouri, last week delivered a stinging rebuke to ranked-choice voting, clouding the future of an idea that had seen strong momentum in recent years. #moleg #mogov via @mattvas.bsky.social

Hello, we're a nonprofit news outlet that is part of @statesnewsroom.com. We are focused on how state policy decisions made in Atlanta affect communities all across Georgia. Follow along here to see our work, and you can also sign up to receive our newsletter: georgiarecorder.com/subscribe/.

My latest for Stateline. Abortion rights won on the ballot across the nation last week but that’s unlikely to be the end of the story. Lawmakers in states like Missouri are already planning challenges. Here’s a quick look at where things stand:

In the post-election world, we need news more than ever. At @stateline.org and @statesnewsroom.com we are Fair, Fearless and Free (to read). But not free to produce. Please support our work. www.stateline.org/donate/ Thanks!

Last week, I looked at the impact the election denier movement has had on our country and the people who operate elections, and where we go from here stateline.org/2024/11/08/a...

After 4 years of Donald Trump's false claims of fraud that exposed elections officials to threats, harassment and relentelss lies & disinformation, the 2024 election mostly went smoothly, reports @mattvas.bsky.social of @statesnewsroom.com 's #StatelineNews.