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Articles by

Barbara Rodriguez

Interim Health and Caregiving Reporter

I’m Barbara Rodriguez, The 19th’s interim health and caregiving reporter. I’ve covered politics for several years, first as a statehouse reporter for The Associated Press and then as a politics reporter for The Des Moines Register. In 2019, I was assigned to cover the presidential campaigns of then-California Sen. Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg, then mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Immediately after the 2020 Iowa caucuses, I jumped into the health care beat, where a global virus was beginning to appear in Iowa and beyond.

I joined The 19th a few months later in 2020 to cover statehouses, a role that allowed me to write about the women and queer people making policy outside of the halls of Congress. In 2022, I switched to writing about voting, with an eye still on state-level politics. My background as a generalist reporter allows me to jump into reporting on anything as needed in our newsroom.

I’m interested in writing about the barriers that people face in accessing the ballot, and what it says about true representative democracy. I’m always on the lookout for people-centered stories to highlight policy debates.

My work is free to consume and free to republish because of contributions from readers like you. A donation of $19 goes a long way toward sustaining our nonprofit newsroom.

Latest from Barbara Rodriguez

'Where is Nancy?': How threats against women in power are tied to threats against democracy

The attack on Paul Pelosi in his home by an assailant who reportedly was looking for the House speaker highlights the danger of the outrage and vitriol that often particularly targets women in positions of power.

Barbara Rodriguez, Jennifer Gerson · October 31, 2022
'They see that it's really in our hands now': Young women work to get out the vote in the wake of Dobbs

They’re at times registering to vote at higher rates than young men and older voters, and some are organizing get-out-the-vote efforts on their college campuses.

Barbara Rodriguez · October 21, 2022
Voter ID laws stand between transgender people, women and the ballot box

The full impact of voter ID laws on trans people and others remains difficult to measure. But voting rights advocates say potential voters across the country face an uneven patchwork of policies — and obstacles.

Barbara Rodriguez · October 14, 2022
States are stepping up prosecutions for voter fraud. But who gets the harshest punishment?

In a number of high-profile cases, women of color have been sentenced to time in prison — including Crystal Mason of Texas.

Barbara Rodriguez · October 6, 2022
With midterms looming, Georgia officials are grappling with challenges from election deniers

A law in Georgia that lets people and groups submit an unlimited number of challenges to voters’ eligibility is causing ‘headaches’ for election workers as they try to prepare for ballots to be cast in the state’s crucial races.

Barbara Rodriguez · September 22, 2022
Stacey Abrams: It is ‘wrong’ to compare her refusal to concede with Trump’s stolen election rhetoric

Republicans have continued to call Abrams’ actions in 2018 the original “Big Lie.” As Abrams runs for Georgia governor again, she wants to be clear she’s here to defend democracy.

Barbara Rodriguez, Errin Haines · September 19, 2022
Preserving democracy and economy are top issues motivating Americans to vote, 19th News/SurveyMonkey poll finds

The economy is bigger for Republicans and democracy bigger for Democrats as a motivating factor in this year’s midterm elections.

Errin Haines, Barbara Rodriguez, Jasmine Mithani · September 15, 2022
In Michigan, rallies, a court ruling and voters newly fired up over abortion

With less than two months before the midterm elections, there are signs that the new legal landscape on abortion has shifted voters’ priorities. Michigan is a crucial test of how much.

Barbara Rodriguez · September 9, 2022
Michigan court rules in favor of putting abortion rights petition on November ballot

Abortion advocates had requested action from the Michigan Supreme Court after an elections board deadlocked on the issue.

Barbara Rodriguez · September 8, 2022
Will an abortion petition be on the ballot in Michigan in November? It’s up to a court.

A ballot measure that would put a right to an abortion in the Michigan Constitution is in front of the state Supreme Court after a four-member board deadlocked on a challenge that described formatting and spacing errors.

Barbara Rodriguez · September 7, 2022

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Articles by

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