We welcome our readers to this first issue of the Washington Spectator’s new monthly format. It’s still the portable Spectator, but there’s more space for the longer reporting pieces readers have requested—you’ll see the dividend when you read Lou Dubose’s cover story on how the Voting Rights Act has helped preserve democracy, and Jim Goldston’s harrowing account of the toll the war on terror has taken on our Constitution. We appreciate a well-turned editorial, and we want to encourage our readers to weigh in, hence a new page of opinion and correspondence.

Each issue will include a new feature essay that pinpoints the challenges ahead and offers solutions, an expanded book review because books remain the artifact of culture with the most impact, and a new feature on the End Page that captures an essential truth about who we are as a nation. We’ve also improved the readability of the sidebars that complement our stories.

It’s all a work in progress, and we hope you’ll let us know how we’re doing.

See what our readers are saying here, and weigh in by commenting on any of our articles, posting on our Facebook page or sending a message to our Twitter account.