In the News

Newsroom › In the News
Suit Claims Massachusetts Fails To Provide Mandated Voter Registration Help

Public interest groups have sued three Massachusetts officials in Boston federal court, claiming the state has failed to help public assistance recipients register to vote, in violation of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. The law, better known as the Motor Voter Act, requires states to offer voter registration opportunities at all offices that provide public assistance.
May 17, 2012 |
Democracy & Elections 
Voting Rights & Voter Registration 
All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Work

President Barack Obama and other members of the administration may be giving warm advice to freshly minted graduates at commencements across the country, but the reality is the job market is now much colder.
May 16, 2012 |
Economy & Opportunity 
Georgia Settles Voter Registration Suit

ATLANTA -- Georgia officials announced Thursday that they have settled a lawsuit charging that welfare applicants weren’t given access to voter-registration materials as required by federal law.

But Secretary of State Brian Kemp isn’t happy about it. His office issued a statement headlined “Secretary of State Kemp condemns U.S. Department of Justice-Acorn coordination behind ludicrous voter-registration lawsuit.”
April 27, 2012 |
Democracy & Elections 
Voting Rights & Voter Registration 
Don't Let Debt Weigh Down Your Retirement

Not so long ago debt "was a four-letter word when spoken in the same breath as "retirement." Before waltzing into their golden years, older Americans paid off their loans, then celebrated by burning the mortgage.
April 25, 2012
The 'Myth' of Voter Fraud
A democracy hinges on fair elections, which is why voter fraud could pose a serious threat to the American political system. But election law expert Tova Wang says instances of polling place fraud are extremely rare. Wang, a fellow at progressive think tanks Demos and the Century Foundation, is the author of a forthcoming book called The Politics of Voter Suppression: Defending and Expanding Americans' Right to Vote. She recently spoke with U.S. News about election fraud and why she thinks voter ID laws are discriminatory.
April 25, 2012
Blaming Students for Rising Debt

Tuition at public four-year colleges and universities rose 112.5 percent between 1990-1991 and 2010-2011. Here's a big part of the explanation:
April 19, 2012 |
Economy & Opportunity 
Higher Education 
Declining Investment in Higher Ed Hurts Students

In the past three decades, college costs have risen significantly faster than inflation and are now at roughly 25 percent of the average household's income. This isn't true just for private schools.
April 18, 2012 |
Economy & Opportunity 
Higher Education 
Why Students Can't Keep Up With Rising College Costs

Most Americans earn their bachelor's degrees at public universities, and it's easy to see why.
April 12, 2012 |
Economy & Opportunity 
Higher Education 
State Support for Higher Education Has Fallen

Adjusted for inflation, state support for each full-time public-college student declined by 26.1 percent from 1990 to 2010, forcing students and their families to shoulder more of the cost of higher education at a time when family incomes were largely stagnant, according to a report released on Monday by the think tank Demos.
April 12, 2012 |
Economy & Opportunity 
Higher Education 
College Guide: The Real Problem

States are spending less money on public colleges than they did in the past. According to an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, adjusted for inflation, state support for public colleges and universities has fallen by about 26 percent per full-time student in the last 20 years.
April 12, 2012 |
Economy & Opportunity 
Higher Education