Referendums
FILE - A volunteer walks past the Olympic rings ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo on July 22, 2021. Japan's northern city of Sapporo on Monday, June 6, 2022, rejected holding a referendum to give voters a choice over bidding for the 2030 Winter Olympics. The city's assembly, controlled by Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, which is also in charge of the national government, turned down having a public vote. Its meeting was streamed online. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
Sapporo rejects holding referendum over bidding for Olympics

By Yuri Kageyama And Stephen Wade Jun. 06, 2022 03:09 AM EDT

FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019 file photo, a supporter of Britain's departure from the European Union, at right, holds a placard up in front of supporters of remaining in the EU, including Stop Brexit Man, Steve Bray, with his foghorn, outside Parliament in London. Five years ago, Britons voted in a referendum that was meant to bring certainty to the U.K.’s fraught relationship with its European neigbors. Voters’ decision on June 23, 2016 was narrow but clear: By 52 percent to 48 percent, they chose to leave the European Union. It took over four years to actually make the break. The former partners are still bickering, like many divorced couples, over money and trust. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
5 years after Brexit vote, divided UK still feels shockwaves

By Jill Lawless Jun. 23, 2021 02:32 AM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2020, file photo, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, attends a hearing of the Pennsylvania State Senate Majority Policy Committee in Gettysburg, Pa. With Pennsylvania's wide-open races for governor and U.S. Senate taking shape, Republican candidates with strong ties to Donald Trump are running and considered strong contenders for the party's nominations, a powerful sign of the former president's enduring popularity in the GOP. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
Pennsylvania Republicans eye referendums to get past vetoes

By Marc Levy Jun. 14, 2021 11:00 AM EDT

Maine city holds another election with COVID-19 protocols

Jun. 08, 2021 07:05 AM EDT
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine's largest city was scheduled to hold another local election with some coronavirus protocols in place on Tuesday. ...

Lawmakers now hold fate of regulations waived amid pandemic

By Marc Levy May. 20, 2021 03:51 PM EDT
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — With voters shifting major new responsibilities to them, Pennsylvania's state lawmakers are now tasked with deciding whether hundreds of...

A man wearing a protective mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walks past a banner for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo Tuesday, May 11, 2021. The Japanese capital confirmed more than 920 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan ruling party renews charter change drive amid pandemic

By Mari Yamaguchi May. 11, 2021 08:57 AM EDT

Scotland's First Minister and Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon poses for photographers, at Bute House in Edinburgh, Scotland. Sunday, May 9, 2021. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has invited the leaders of the U.K.’s devolved nations for crisis talks on the union after Scotland’s pro-independence party won its fourth straight parliamentary election. Sturgeon said the election results proved a second independence vote for Scotland was “the will of the country." She said any London politician who stood in the way would be “picking a fight with the democratic wishes of the Scottish people.” (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
Sturgeon: Scotland independence vote matter of when, not if

By Sylvia Hui May. 09, 2021 06:12 AM EDT

Tower Bridge in London, Saturday, May 8, 2021, against the backdrop of the skyline of the financial district. On what was dubbed Super Thursday, around 50 million voters were eligible to take part in scores of elections in the UK, some of which had been postponed a year because of the pandemic that has left the U.K. with Europe’s largest coronavirus death toll. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Scottish government sets stage for another independence vote

By Pan Pylas May. 08, 2021 06:47 AM EDT

First Minister and SNP party leader Nicola Sturgeon celebrates after retaining her seat for Glasgow Southside at the count for the Scottish Parliamentary Elections in Glasgow, Scotland, Friday May 7, 2021. On winning her seat in Glasgow, Nicola Sturgeon, said early results indicated that her party was on course to win its fourth straight election in Scotland but that the final outcome would not emerge until Saturday evening. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)
UK's Johnson hails electoral win as focus turns to Scotland

By Pan Pylas May. 07, 2021 03:23 AM EDT

People arrive to vote at a polling station in Glasgow, Scotland, Thursday May 6, 2021. Scots are heading to the polls to elect the next Scottish Government - though the coronavirus pandemic means it could be more than 48 hours before all the results are counted. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)
Super Thursday: Britons vote in a bumper crop of elections

By Pan Pylas May. 06, 2021 06:59 AM EDT

First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP Nicola Sturgeon, visits Pocra Quay during campaigning for the Scottish Parliamentary election, in Aberdeen, Scotland, Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Scotland holds an election Thursday that could hasten the breakup of the United Kingdom. The pro-independence Scottish National Party is leading in the polls and a big victory will give it the the moral right and the political momentum to hold a referendum on whether Scotland should end its three-century union with England. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has downplayed independence in her campaign, stressing her credentials as a safe pair of hands to lead Scotland’s recovery from the pandemic. (Russell Cheyne/PA via AP)
COVID-19 overshadows independence in key Scottish election

By Jill Lawless And Renee Graham May. 05, 2021 07:49 AM EDT

Virus will disrupt Maine vote again; mass shot site closing

By Patrick Whittle May. 04, 2021 01:45 AM EDT
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine's largest city is preparing for another election that will be disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Portland...

Lamont order will allow absentee voting in spring elections

Apr. 06, 2021 06:46 PM EDT
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Gov. Ned Lamont signed an executive order Tuesday that will allow people to use the continuing COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to vote by...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a hearing evidence stage for his trial over alleged corruption crimes, at the Jerusalem district court, in Salah El-Din, East Jerusalem, Monday, April 5, 2021. Netanyahu was back in court for his corruption trial on Monday as the country's political parties were set to weigh in on whether he should form the next government after a closely divided election or step down to focus on his legal woes. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)
Israeli PM back in court as parties weigh in on his fate

By Ilan Ben Zion Apr. 05, 2021 02:24 AM EDT

A person casts his vote as election officials run an election mobile polling station dressed in protective clothing, for sick people to cast their vote, in Sofia, Bulgaria, Sunday, April 4, 2021. Bulgarians are heading to the polls on Sunday to cast ballots for a new parliament after months of anti-government protests and amid a surge of coronavirus infections.(AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)
Exit polls point to first place for Bulgarian leader's party

By Veselin Toshkov Apr. 04, 2021 12:06 AM EDT

Israeli politician Benny Gantz gestures as he speaks during a conference in Jerusalem, March 7, 2021. Israel is holding its fourth election in two years after two deadlocked votes and a government that collapsed after less than a year. It is widely seen as a one-issue referendum — with the electorate almost evenly divided — on whether longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can remain in power. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
EXPLAINER: Israelis vote in fourth election in 2 years

By Ilan Ben Zion Mar. 23, 2021 02:13 AM EDT

An Israeli Arab woman votes for Israel's parliamentary election at a polling station in Maghar, Israel, Tuesday, March. 23, 2021. Israel is holding its fourth election in less than two years. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
No clear winner in Israeli election, signaling more deadlock

By Josef Federman Mar. 23, 2021 01:02 AM EDT

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, waves to supporters as he tours the Mahane Yehuda market while campaigning a day before national elections, in Jerusalem, Monday, March 22, 2021. The March 23 vote is Israel’s fourth parliamentary election in two years. (AP Photo/Oren Ben Hakoon)
Israeli election seen as referendum on divisive Netanyahu

By Josef Federman Mar. 22, 2021 02:05 AM EDT

Editorial Roundup: Missouri

By The Associated Press Mar. 16, 2021 10:00 AM EDT
Joplin Globe. March 12, 2021. Editorial: Celebrate Sunshine Week by committing to open government Today kicks off the...

FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015 file photo, Kurds living in Switzerland stage a protest on the Kirchenfeld bridge after clashes with Turkish nationalists in downtown Bern, Switzerland. At a time when seemingly everyone in Europe is wearing masks to battle COVID-19, the Swiss go to the polls Sunday, March 7, 2021 to vote on a long-laid proposal to ban face-coverings like niqabs and burqas worn by some Muslim women or by protesters in ski masks or bandannas. (Peter Klaunzer/Keystone via AP, File)
Swiss mull 'burqa ban' in vote centering on security, rights

By Jamey Keaten Mar. 05, 2021 09:00 AM EST