From the White House to the county courthouse, we have you covered on rural politics and policy. Look no further for election analysis and rural voter data, reporting on how policymakers and federal programs are aiming to serve rural communities, or simply the many roles rural people and places play in democracy and civic life.
Women Running for Office in Rural Missouri Look to Shift Mindsets and Beat the Odds
Stepping forward as a candidate brings a lot of challenges, but according to these women, the rigors of campaign life are worth it for the chance to create change in their communities.
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Commentary: Supreme Court Rulings on Religion Will Hurt Rural Kids Who Have Few Options
Twenty years ago, I was pressured into prayer services at a rural public school. Now the Supreme Court has ruled that religious coercion in state-sponsored schools is just fine.
Antitrust Advocates Grade USDA Efforts as Passing, but Just Barely
The same report says the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission are doing a better job fighting the power of large corporations to control the agricultural sector.
Commentary: Blue America, Red America Is Not Always What You Think
Some urban pundits are so certain about who rural Americans are that they don’t even look at us.
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Racial and Ethnic Diversity of Rural Population Grows by Nearly 20%
The size of the rural White population declined in the last decade while non-White population increased. The combination created a substantial increase in the share of the rural population that is Hispanic, Black, Indigenous, or some other race.
Commentary – The Biggest Question on the Local Ballot: Who Cares?
When no one else she encouraged to run for county office stepped up, Teri Carter took her own advice and ran. Her campaign taught her more than she wanted to learn about the state of American democracy.
Bipartisan Senate Bills Seek to Diminish Corporate Squeeze on Meat Pricing
Do corporations exercise too much power in setting the price at which they buy and sell meat? Two bills would give the federal government more investigative tools and transparency in pricing.
After ‘Maus,’ Taking on Book Bans and Building an Inclusive Nation in Tennessee and Beyond
For McMinn County neighbors seeking to build shared purpose and advance lasting change, the decisions of a few school board members need not represent the community at large.
Commentary: What Growing Up in Rural Germany Taught Me about Guns
In the Bavarian village where I was raised, guns are a part of life. Mass shootings are not.
Rural Iowans Rebuke Republican School Voucher Bill
Iowa constituents who delivered election victories to the Republicans played a part in stopping a school voucher bill that could strip rural Iowa schools of funding.