Author

Matt Vasilogambros/Stateline

Matt Vasilogambros/Stateline

Matt Vasilogambros covers voting rights, gun laws and Western climate policy for Stateline. He lives in San Diego, California.

Courts, state officials hesitate to keep Trump off 2024 ballots

By: - November 20, 2023

Some scholars say a little-known, Civil War-era provision in the U.S. Constitution should prohibit former President Donald Trump from appearing on state ballots in next year’s presidential election. But it seems increasingly unlikely that he will be disqualified. Courts in Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey and elsewhere are considering whether Trump engaged in insurrection on Jan. […]

Feds’ cash stream supports Colorado River conservation — but the money will dry up

By: - October 3, 2023

Despite a megadrought, states in the West have been able to avoid drastic cuts to their allocations of Colorado River water this year not only because of surprising storms but also thanks to generous financial incentives from all levels of government that have encouraged people to conserve. The temporary Colorado River water-sharing agreement that Arizona, […]

As ranked choice voting gains momentum, parties in power push back

By: - August 21, 2023

Over the past decade, ranked choice voting has become increasingly popular. From conservative Utah to liberal New York City, 13 million American voters in 51 jurisdictions — including all of Alaska and Maine — now use the system, under which voters rank candidates based on preference, leading to an instant runoff in a crowded race. […]

Colorado River agreement punts on drastic cuts and difficult negotiations

By: - May 30, 2023

State and federal officials are celebrating an agreement reached this week by Arizona, California and Nevada to reduce their use of Colorado River water by millions of gallons over the next three years. But it’s a temporary reprieve. Bolstered by a winter with heavy rain and snow throughout a region that has suffered two decades […]