Black Storytelling and Policymaking in Appalachia
Black storytelling is a necessary precondition for sound, equitable policymaking in Appalachia.
Year in Review
The Ohio River Valley Institute (ORVI) launched one year ago, in August 2020, as an independent, nonprofit think tank designed to equip the region’s residents and decision-makers with the policy research and practical tools they need to advance long-term solutions to some of Appalachia’s most significant challenges. The Institute produces data-driven research and proposes policies […]
Election 2020: Will Pending Litigation Impact Results in Pennsylvania?
The 2020 election has taken place against the backdrop of a pandemic, a racial justice movement, and record-setting political spending–projected to total nearly $14 billion, a figure greater than the GDP of Armenia. For a culture that is used to immediate gratification, the days spent waiting for election results required more patience and discipline than […]
ORVI Elections Analysis
2020 election results and analysis for Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky
ORVI Insider #6: Trump Won’t Like the Results of an Economic Impact Study on Fracking
A Message from Our Executive Director Back at my desk in Pennsylvania, I have the strong sensation of being in the eye of a storm; the past few months of frenzied political campaigning and voter education have crescendoed, Election Day has arrived, and the gaze of the nation is upon us as we all await […]
Pennsylvania Prevails on Absentee Voting Access
Pennsylvanians will now have more time for their ballots to make it to election clerks’ hands and be allowed to offer drop boxes, after separate rulings from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Thursday.
Pennsylvania’s Tight Deadlines Threaten Thousands of Absentee Votes
For years, Pennsylvania’s election officials have been raising the alarm: The state’s absentee ballot deadlines are too tight—there just aren’t enough days between deadlines to request and return mail-in ballots to turn them around. Too many votes cast properly go needlessly uncounted. And if they don’t solve this now, the problem will only get worse.
Pennsylvania’s Fight Over Election Drop Boxes
Pennsylvania is a high-stakes case study demonstrating the vital link between mail service and the right to vote. This year in Pennsylvania and states across the US, drop boxes become more critical than ever.