Portside

The Venezuelan election was nearly stolen – by the US-backed anti-Chávistas. How? That’s what Chávez wanted Maduro to find out from me: how could US operatives jerk with Venezuela’s voter rolls? It wasn’t a mere policy question: they knew Chávez wouldn't be allowed to survive through another coup. My answer: They could steal the vote the same way Bush did it in Florida – in fact, using the very same contractor. Take a look at these documents.

There is a coordinated, nationwide effort to roll back child labor laws, part of a broader campaign to concentrate even more power into the hands of employers.

Focus on Europe

If fascism—or even just an authoritarian regime—does happen here in November, it may look surprisingly familiar. The current Supreme Court is likely to go along with whatever bald-faced violation of constitutional norms Trump orders...

"You opened the door to the rise of democracy, equality, and freedom," Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu said following his re-election. "You ignited hope at the ballot box."

Politics above — politics below

Do the right thing; make your family and forebears proud.

Citizen-led ballot measures in recent years have been used in various states to expand Medicaid, preserve abortion rights and raise minimum wages. The most common topic for veto referendums over the years has been taxation.

Tomorrow, Senegal votes in an election that French-backed president Macky Sall repeatedly delayed. The fact that the election is going ahead is a victory for young and poor Senegalese, whose protests resisted elites’ democratic backsliding.