Publications

Work by Demos and its partners suggests that millions of low-income Americans can be brought into the political process through proper implementation of an often-neglected provision of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) that requires states to provide voter registration services to applicants and recipients of public assistance benefits. And the time is ripe to ensure that voter registration is provided at public assistance offices: Many public assistance programs are experiencing significant growth, with participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ("SNAP", formerly Food Stamps), one of the largest programs, now at an all-time high, having increased dramatically over the past year.

As the full effect of the economic downturn is felt throughout the country and increasing numbers of individuals turn to public assistance, the NVRA has never been more important for ensuring that low-income citizens have a voice in the democratic process.

Wealthy nations, led by the United States, should move to reduce or eliminate all tariffs on imports from developing countries as one way to help offset the extraordinary costs these countries face in confronting climate change. If U.S. tariff policy continues on the current trajectory, the U.S. is likely to collect about $90 billion in import duties on products from developing countries, excluding China, by 2020.1 The combined total collected by the European Union, Japan, and other wealthy countries may exceed that amount. These projected duties constitute a vast pool of funds that can and should be tapped to help mobilize a decisive global response to climate change.

Recent federal action, including the passage of the Credit Card Bill of Rights of 2009 and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, provided needed regulation and oversight of the credit card industry. However, past debt continues to haunt families even as they add on new debt. The findings below, from the 2008 Credit Card Debt Household Survey of Low-and Middle-Income Households, demonstrates that the means used by consumers of color to pay down debt further chips away at their economic viability.

The benefits of EDR are clear, and Demos' research has shown that implementation is relatively simple and cost-effective. The consensus among officials in EDR states is that Election Day Registration actually makes the election process easier to administer, as it reduces or eliminates the need for provisional ballots and mitigates pre-deadline surges in registrations.

Based on interviews with town, city or county clerks and full-time election administrators, Demos has put together a "how-to guide" on EDR implementation and administration for election officials and policymakers in states and localities where it is being considered.

The court finds that the New York public college and university system violates the National Voter Registration Act by failing to offer voter registration opportunities at those offices serving disabled students at the state's public universities and colleges, which the statute requires.

Before the Committee today is HB 496, the No Representation Without Population Act, which would correct within the state of Maryland a long-standing flaw in the decennial Census that counts incarcerated people as residents of the wrong location.

In several recent policy reports, Demos has examined the rapid increase in the size and complexity of American financial firms, and the way in which these trends relate to the factors (skewed incentives, excessive risk-taking, conflicts of interest, and opaque accounting, among them) that lay at the heart of the financial meltdown. In the U.S. today, six financial firms - Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo - have combined assets equal to 60 percent of GDP. That is three times the holdings of these and their antecedent institutions fifteen years ago. The SAFE Banking Act--as part of strong, comprehensive financial reform - is a critical measure that will restore balance to our economy.