📰 Noteworthy stories for today #8
Anti-vaxxers, Mackenzie Scott & her billions and Voter wait times
The Dive: Original Gif
With the news that some states in America have decided to block extensions to mail-in votes (meaning they won’t be counted if received late via the mail - an issue argued by some in congress as a concern that the US Postal Service will struggle to cope during the pandemic with mail-in votes) we look at a study that aimed to measure voter wait times at the ballot box.
There have been numerous attempts to collect data about this subject but it has proved difficult to accurately measure. A study by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and MIT looked to research the experience of voters in 2018 from 3119 polling places across the country. It’s research showed there was a clear correlation between precincts that had higher percentages of non-White voters in the population (unfortunately accurate race breakdowns of voters are difficult to gauge, so in this instance non-White becomes a catch-all category for the many ethnicities that identify as something other than White).
In the chart above we can see that precincts with non-White populations between 0—40% will experience a wait time on average below 10 minutes but as that percentage increases as does the wait time - by a wide margin. The main reason offered for these results is that there are just more resources allocated to predominantly White precincts.
With growing number of BIPOC already disenfranchised with politics, problems like voter wait times only further exacerbate an issue that is already littered with obstacles for these communities - including now, the possibility their votes may not be counted through no fault of their own.
Convincing Anti-Vaxxers
A growing number of people identify as Anti-Vax (even if they don’t like that title), the reasons vary but on the whole it comes down to a lack of trust in Health services. And it’s not totally without reason, America has become a world leader in Opioid addiction encouraged by reckless pharmaceutical companies pushing dangerous but profitable drugs needlessly. The Atlantic looks at ways that are being considered to counteract the misinformation around vaccinations and ensure populations are protected against preventable diseases. Illustration by Shutterstock/The Atlantic.
Mackenzie Scott & her billions
Last year the very public divorce of Mackenzie Scott and Jeff Bezos was settled and thrust Ms Scott into the limelight for, as simplified in the media, becoming one of the world’s richest women overnight. Since then Scott has been quietly donating millions of dollars to causes she believes in but more than that - donating without strings attached and donating to on-the-ground charities instead of large disconnected organisations. This is article on Marker looks at the mysterious and fascinating Mackenzie Scott. Illustration by Nicole Rifkin.
Women Don’t Owe You Pretty
A book recommendation from Ezrea this week. Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Given is written as a guide to acknowledge your own internalised behaviour and understand, as well as make peace with, your attitudes towards women, yourself and past relationships. Written candidly and drawing from her own experiences as a White woman she checks her own privilege and writes about learning to recognise how she herself may have contributed to a system that consciously and unconsciously oppresses women. A gorgeous hardback book that she even designed herself as well as writing it.
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