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@boltsmag.org
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A publication that covers the nuts and bolts of political change: Boltsmag.org

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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 1h
Florida’s Republican governor recently ordered the removal of Flock cameras from state highways. Angie Nixon, the Democrats’ U.S. Senate nominee in the state, also opposes the technology.
boltsmag.org
A Rural Florida County Quietly Built a Flock Camera Network. Now It's Dismantling It. - Bolts
The local sheriff ended his county’s Flock partnership, just hours after Governor Ron DeSantis ditched the technology. They’re part of a growing group of GOP leaders turning against Flock.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 2h
A prosecutor candidate in Washington says she decided to run after federal agents shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti; a sheriff candidate in New York says he wants to “kick ICE out.” All over, local candidates say immigration matters to their bids.
boltsmag.org
The 25 Sheriff and Prosecutor Races Set to Shape Criminal Justice and ICE Collaboration - Bolts
Voters face stark choices for offices with vast powers on policing and punishment. Bolts walks you through key contests to watch across a dozen states.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 4h
LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto’s tenure has been marked by scandal, including rising lawsuit payouts for excessive police force and civil rights violations. She lost her reelection primary in June and voters will choose her replacement in November.
boltsmag.org
The Most Overlooked But Wide-Reaching Office on the Los Angeles Ballot - Bolts
Voters face a stark choice between two candidates in the race for city attorney, an office with a large mandate from policing homelessness to enforcing consumer and tenant protections.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 18h
as election season sets in, a reminder: if you've come to rely on our reporting (& our election guides and breakdowns of local elections) we love your support! we have no paywall, but you can set-up a subscription (or a one-time gift) at whatever amount. boltsmag.org/donate
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 16h
An American Samoan family in Alaska facing felony voting charges unanimously rejected any plea deals. They maintained that they never intentionally broke the law, and wanted to avoid creating a precedent that could harm other U.S. nationals.
boltsmag.org
After a Yearslong Nightmare, Relief for American Samoans Punished for Voting - Bolts
Alaska officials for years accused American Samoans caught in a unique legal limbo of illegally voting, but finally dropped those charges this month.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 19h
Bolts stories are free to read but producing them costs time and money. If you value our reporting on voting rights, local politics, or criminal justice, consider becoming a monthly donor or making a one-time contribution:
boltsmag.org
Support Bolts
We are a nonprofit publication that covers the nuts and bolts of political change, from the local up, and we need reader support to build our journalism.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 20h
The office of Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark, a Democrat, announced last week that it would prosecute 13 people who participated in a sit-in protesting an ICE surveillance center in July.
sevendaysvt.com
AG's Office Brings Charges Against Williston ICE Facility Protesters | Seven Days
Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George had declined to prosecute the protesters.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 22h
In June, Hydee Feldstein Soto became the first Los Angeles city attorney to lose a primary reelection race in nearly 100 years. Angelenos this fall will choose her replacement from two candidates with greatly different visions for the office:
boltsmag.org
The Most Overlooked But Wide-Reaching Office on the Los Angeles Ballot - Bolts
Voters face a stark choice between two candidates in the race for city attorney, an office with a large mandate from policing homelessness to enforcing consumer and tenant protections.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 23h
Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins has long been known for his eagerness to assist ICE in immigration enforcement. This fall, he’s running for reelection against a candidate who promises to shun collaboration with the federal agency.
boltsmag.org
 “We're Afraid on a Daily Basis”: How a Maryland Sheriff Targeted Immigrants Long Before ICE Raids Spiked - Bolts
Frederick County’s sheriff turned his office into a force multiplier for ICE before such collaboration became commonplace. As he again faces voters this year, the harm to immigrant communities is impossible to ignore.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 29/09/2026
Louisiana’s most populous county, East Baton Rouge Parish, hasn’t had a contested DA race since 2008. This fall, the longtime DA faces a prominent defense attorney with a history of denouncing local practices.
boltsmag.org
The 25 Sheriff and Prosecutor Races Set to Shape Criminal Justice and ICE Collaboration - Bolts
Voters face stark choices for offices with vast powers on policing and punishment. Bolts walks you through key contests to watch across a dozen states.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 29/09/2026
Prism reports on New York’s prison system failing to provide disability accommodations:
prismreports.org
Disabled people in New York prisons aren’t receiving accommodations they’re entitled to
The New York prison system routinely fails to meet its federal obligation to provide disability accommodations that its own staff approves
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 29/09/2026
“I’m proud that I have more complaints than any other officer or sheriff in the state,” Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank said at a public hearing in June.
boltsmag.org
In Washington, a County Mulls Ending Sheriff Elections—and Ousting Its Right-Wing Sheriff - Bolts
The ballot measure in Pierce County follows controversies surrounding Sheriff Keith Swank, at a time Washington is grappling with poor oversight over law enforcement.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 29/09/2026
A legal expert says judges often don’t treat direct democracy as a right, and allow plenty of space for legislators to pass reforms restricting it. Declaring popular initiatives a right, “gets rid of that wishy-wash approach,” he says.
boltsmag.org
To Protect Direct Democracy, Two States Mull a New Approach: Name It As a Right - Bolts
Ballot measures in Missouri and Montana would strengthen citizen-led initiatives. Democracy advocates in each state are going on the offense after facing years of attack.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 28/09/2026
A judge ordered Texas to install air conditioning in all state prisons, The Texas Tribune reports:
texastribune.org
Texas ordered to air condition all prisons by the end of 2029
High temperatures violate the Constitution’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment, the judge ruled. Texas will appeal.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 28/09/2026
Confusion over American Samoans’ voting rights is common in Alaska. “I thought people of American Samoa were U.S. citizens,” a state trooper told an American Samoan man charged with voting illegally. Those charges were just dropped.
boltsmag.org
After a Yearslong Nightmare, Relief for American Samoans Punished for Voting - Bolts
Alaska officials for years accused American Samoans caught in a unique legal limbo of illegally voting, but finally dropped those charges this month.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 28/09/2026
Sheriff and DA races this fall revolve around heated issues such as police misconduct, ICE collaboration, and efforts to investigate elections. But which elections should you watch? We identify 25 races that are worth your attention:
boltsmag.org
The 25 Sheriff and Prosecutor Races Set to Shape Criminal Justice and ICE Collaboration - Bolts
Voters face stark choices for offices with vast powers on policing and punishment. Bolts walks you through key contests to watch across a dozen states.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 28/09/2026
NEW in Bolts: In Los Angeles, voters face a stark choice between two candidates in the race for city attorney, an office with a large mandate from policing homelessness to enforcing consumer and tenant protections.
boltsmag.org
The Most Overlooked But Wide-Reaching Office on the Los Angeles Ballot - Bolts
Voters face a stark choice between two candidates in the race for city attorney, an office with a large mandate from policing homelessness to enforcing consumer and tenant protections.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The mayoral race has all the headlines, but one of the starkest choices for Angelenos is further downballot: the race for city attorney. From enforcing tenants' rights to policing homelessness, this office matters matters on all sorts of things. Learn more in our new Bolts reporting!
boltsmag.org
The Most Overlooked But Wide-Reaching Office on the Los Angeles Ballot - Bolts
In June, when Hydee Feldstein Soto became the first Los Angeles city attorney to lose a primary reelection race in nearly 100 years, her ouster put the spotlight on an... Read More
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 28/09/2026
“The fear and the justified state of terror and hysteria that folks have been put in nationally under this administration is what folks have been living under in Frederick for years,” says an advocate with the ACLU of Maryland.
boltsmag.org
 “We're Afraid on a Daily Basis”: How a Maryland Sheriff Targeted Immigrants Long Before ICE Raids Spiked - Bolts
Frederick County’s sheriff turned his office into a force multiplier for ICE before such collaboration became commonplace. As he again faces voters this year, the harm to immigrant communities is impossible to ignore.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 28/09/2026
Anita Earls, who is running for reelection on the North Carolina Supreme Court, says she encounters voters on the campaign trail who question whether democracy in North Carolina is “going to work the way we believe it should in America.”
boltsmag.org
They’ve Long Clashed on Voting Rights. Now They’re Facing Off for a Supreme Court Seat. - Bolts
North Carolina Justice Anita Earls, a former voting rights lawyer, and Sarah Stevens, a longtime legislator, have been on opposite sides of election issues for over a decade.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 28/09/2026
At a county commission meeting in Jefferson County earlier this month, one resident praised the sheriff’s decision to remove Flock cameras, calling the technology “tremendously invasive.” “Why do I need to be in that database?” he asked.
boltsmag.org
A Rural Florida County Quietly Built a Flock Camera Network. Now It's Dismantling It. - Bolts
The local sheriff ended his county’s Flock partnership, just hours after Governor Ron DeSantis ditched the technology. They’re part of a growing group of GOP leaders turning against Flock.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 27/09/2026
The new GOP nominee for secretary of state in Wyoming disagrees with President Trump’s attacks on state voting systems and election officials. “To insinuate that they would do this job for nefarious reasons is really disingenuous.”
boltsmag.org
Wyoming Voters Oust GOP Faction that Wants to Crack Down on Elections  - Bolts
In a break with the Trump era, the winner of the secretary of state primary strongly defends election systems, and the far-right Freedom Caucus lost a lot of ground in the legislature.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 27/09/2026
INDY Week reports on North Carolina judges choosing to flag defendants for ICE:
indyweek.com
Durham Judicial Officials Are Unnecessarily Putting People on ICE's Radar for Low-Level Crimes
Durham judicial officials flagged people for citizenship checks when they didn’t need to, landing some in ICE custody, INDY found.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
50,000 South Dakotans have health care coverage because voters expanded Medicaid in 2022. The initiative passed with 56% of the vote. So this year the GOP has put 2 measures on ballot: —one to roll back Medicaid expansion —another to require future initiatives like this get 60 percent.
boltsmag.org
"Disrespectful for Voters": The Dakotas Weigh Raising the Bar for Direct Democracy - Bolts
Frustrated that voters are bypassing the legislatures they control, the GOP is pushing two ballot measures this fall in North Dakota and South Dakota to require a supermajority to amend the state cons...
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 27/09/2026
The 2024 killing of Sonya Massey by a sheriff’s deputy in Illinois sparked nationwide protest and calls for reform. In November, voters will elect the local sheriff who’ll be in charge of actually implementing changes.
boltsmag.org
The 25 Sheriff and Prosecutor Races Set to Shape Criminal Justice and ICE Collaboration - Bolts
Voters face stark choices for offices with vast powers on policing and punishment. Bolts walks you through key contests to watch across a dozen states.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 27/09/2026
Did you know that Bolts has a weekly newsletter? ✉️ Sign up for updates on local elections and a list of our latest deep-diving stories about criminal justice and voting rights, plus the local news stories that our team is talking about.
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Join our newsletter - Bolts
If you have any trouble signing up here, try our Google form instead.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 27/09/2026
Courts have held that police do not need a warrant to obtain your search history, an expert on surveillance explains: “Police can essentially rummage through your most revealing Google search queries and find incriminating evidence against you.”
boltsmag.org
“Everything, Everywhere, All at Once Surveillance”: Your Questions Answered - Bolts
A legal expert on digital surveillance answers questions from Bolts readers about how police track your personal data, and what public officials could be doing to restrict it.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Some of the voters with the ability to weigh in on the Senate race, unlike in other states!
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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 27/09/2026
Midterms are around the corner, and the way local law enforcement collaborates with ICE is on the ballot. New guide by @boltsmag.org outlines the races across the U.S. that could reshape Trump's deportation agenda👇
boltsmag.org
The 25 Sheriff and Prosecutor Races Set to Shape Criminal Justice and ICE Collaboration
Voters face stark choices for offices with vast powers on policing and punishment. Bolts walks you through key contests to watch across a dozen states.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 27/09/2026
In the two decades since Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins was first elected, the county’s political tilt has shifted. George W. Bush carried it by 20 percentage points in 2004, but in 2024, Kamala Harris won it by nine points.
boltsmag.org
 “We're Afraid on a Daily Basis”: How a Maryland Sheriff Targeted Immigrants Long Before ICE Raids Spiked - Bolts
Frederick County’s sheriff turned his office into a force multiplier for ICE before such collaboration became commonplace. As he again faces voters this year, the harm to immigrant communities is impossible to ignore.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 27/09/2026
Weakening direct democracy has become a feature of the Republican playbook to limit opposition in many states they control, including Arkansas, Florida, and Oklahoma. An effort to do so in Missouri last month was overwhelmingly rejected by voters.
boltsmag.org
Missourians Reject Measure That Threatened to Kill Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives - Bolts
Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly sided against a measure to restrict direct democracy, as Missouri officials are trying to block even more citizen-led reforms from the November ballot.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 27/09/2026
Many candidates running for sheriff and prosecutor this fall say they decided to run to push back against President Trump’s mass deportations agenda. Our guide highlights the key elections with fault lines around immigration enforcement.
boltsmag.org
The 25 Sheriff and Prosecutor Races Set to Shape Criminal Justice and ICE Collaboration - Bolts
Voters face stark choices for offices with vast powers on policing and punishment. Bolts walks you through key contests to watch across a dozen states.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 26/09/2026
In North Carolina’s supreme court race, a Democratic justice who voted against ballot access restrictions is defending her seat against a Republican who pushed for them in the legislature.
boltsmag.org
They’ve Long Clashed on Voting Rights. Now They’re Facing Off for a Supreme Court Seat. - Bolts
North Carolina Justice Anita Earls, a former voting rights lawyer, and Sarah Stevens, a longtime legislator, have been on opposite sides of election issues for over a decade.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 26/09/2026
“As long as I am sheriff of Frederick County, we are going to work with ICE,” Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said in 2015. “We are going to take the criminal aliens—as many as we can—out of Frederick County.”
boltsmag.org
 “We're Afraid on a Daily Basis”: How a Maryland Sheriff Targeted Immigrants Long Before ICE Raids Spiked - Bolts
Frederick County’s sheriff turned his office into a force multiplier for ICE before such collaboration became commonplace. As he again faces voters this year, the harm to immigrant communities is impossible to ignore.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 26/09/2026
“These are stand-up people, and to see them treated like criminals was just really disgusting,” says the leader of an organization advocating for territorial Americans. “It’s nice to see their good name and reputation getting cleared.”
boltsmag.org
After a Yearslong Nightmare, Relief for American Samoans Punished for Voting - Bolts
Alaska officials for years accused American Samoans caught in a unique legal limbo of illegally voting, but finally dropped those charges this month.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 26/09/2026
Alex Villanueva, the former Los Angeles County sheriff whose tenure was marred by abuse investigations, is mounting a comeback this year. It’s one of the key sheriff races to watch this fall.
boltsmag.org
The 25 Sheriff and Prosecutor Races Set to Shape Criminal Justice and ICE Collaboration - Bolts
Voters face stark choices for offices with vast powers on policing and punishment. Bolts walks you through key contests to watch across a dozen states.
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Amy Qin @amyqin.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
this excellent roundup is just the latest example of consistently stellar public service journalism @boltsmag.org has been doing - be informed and read Bolts Mag
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 26/09/2026
“Technology is advancing at a pace that can be difficult for our legal and judicial systems to keep up with,” said Jefferson County Sheriff Mac McNeill. In August, he said he would remove Flock cameras from county roads.
boltsmag.org
A Rural Florida County Quietly Built a Flock Camera Network. Now It's Dismantling It. - Bolts
The local sheriff ended his county’s Flock partnership, just hours after Governor Ron DeSantis ditched the technology. They’re part of a growing group of GOP leaders turning against Flock.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 26/09/2026
Sentinel Colorado reports on the city of Aurora repealing dozens of ordinances that provided harsh punishments for low-level crimes:
sentinelcolorado.com
Aurora repeals tough-on-crime jail laws to comply with state Supreme Court ruling - Sentinel Colorado
The city modified numerous minimum jail sentences for petty and misdemeanor crimes to align with state law.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 26/09/2026
Missouri conservatives threatened to impeach justices on the Missouri Supreme Court this month after the court blocked a Republican gerrymander and allowed a veto referendum to move forward.
boltsmag.org
To Protect Direct Democracy, Two States Mull a New Approach: Name It As a Right - Bolts
Ballot measures in Missouri and Montana would strengthen citizen-led initiatives. Democracy advocates in each state are going on the offense after facing years of attack.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 26/09/2026
There are no less than 2,400 contests for sheriff and prosecutor this year, offering voters plenty of stark choices on the criminal legal system. Our new guide walks you through the 25 you should know about:
boltsmag.org
The 25 Sheriff and Prosecutor Races Set to Shape Criminal Justice and ICE Collaboration - Bolts
Voters face stark choices for offices with vast powers on policing and punishment. Bolts walks you through key contests to watch across a dozen states.
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bluestrad.bsky.social @bluestrad.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
It’s so important to pay attention to local elections like these.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 25/09/2026
Two recent appointments to the Kansas supreme court by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly have opened the door to a majority that is more amenable to voting rights litigants, which could have major consequences for the state GOP’s agenda.
boltsmag.org
A Ballot Measure’s Defeat, and New Judicial Appointments, Foil Kansas Conservatives - Bolts
Kansans refuse to shake up their state supreme court, which has protected abortion rights and where a majority more amenable to voting rights cases may be emerging.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 25/09/2026
“I’ve been getting ready to vote,” says Djvan Carter, who is incarcerated in Maine, where prisoners never lose the right to vote. “But the facility itself, the administration, they don’t help us or guide us. It’s all on us.”
boltsmag.org
Maine Prisoners Organize to Protect Their Rare Right to Vote - Bolts
Maine is one of the only places in the country where prisoners keep their right to vote. But logistical barriers to voting still contribute to their larger exclusion from the political process.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 25/09/2026
People of color are disproportionately affected by California’s restrictions on reunification services for formerly incarcerated parents. 11.4 percent of Black children in the state have an incarcerated parent, compared to 1.8 percent of white children.
boltsmag.org
California Could Give Formerly Incarcerated Parents a Chance to Get Their Kids Back - Bolts
People who lost parental rights helped pass a bill to reform California
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 25/09/2026
The California attorney general’s office on Monday dropped felony vandalism charges against five Stanford students who participated in pro-Palestine demonstrations on campus in 2024.
theguardian.com
Charges dropped against Stanford students over pro-Palestine protest
Students faced prison terms and thousands of dollars in restitution over campus protest against Israel’s war on Gaza
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 25/09/2026
NEW in Bolts: Voters face stark choices for offices with vast powers on policing and punishment. We walk you through key contests to watch across a dozen states.
boltsmag.org
The 25 Sheriff and Prosecutor Races Set to Shape Criminal Justice and ICE Collaboration - Bolts
Voters face stark choices for offices with vast powers on policing and punishment. Bolts walks you through key contests to watch across a dozen states.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 25/09/2026
Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins has long been known for his crusade against immigrants. “We cannot continue to absorb this population or we will end up in collapse like a third world county,” he said during his 2006 campaign for office.
boltsmag.org
 “We're Afraid on a Daily Basis”: How a Maryland Sheriff Targeted Immigrants Long Before ICE Raids Spiked - Bolts
Frederick County’s sheriff turned his office into a force multiplier for ICE before such collaboration became commonplace. As he again faces voters this year, the harm to immigrant communities is impossible to ignore.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 25/09/2026
In this week’s newsletter: -A Maryland sheriff seeking reelection has long targeted immigrants -Missouri and Montana mull ballot measures to protect direct democracy -California’s attorney general drops felony charges against student protesters And more:
mailchi.mp
This Maryland sheriff has targeted immigrants for decades
Plus, two states mull strengthening direct democracy
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 25/09/2026
Los Angeles County officials postponed a vote on identifying gangs within the sheriff’s department, LA Public Press reports:
lapublicpress.org
LA County supervisors delay vote to identify deputy gangs in sheriff's department
A new proposal is the latest effort to address LA's notorious deputy gang problem.
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