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From cutting-edge policy research to illuminating analysis, we bring a racial equity lens to the most pressing issues facing our country. For our latest blog posts and media updates, visit our Media page.

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Language Access & Local Voting Rights: A Case Study of Arabic Language Assistance in Michigan Communities

This case study examines how two Michigan cities, Dearborn and Hamtramck, responded to gaps in federal language-access protections and expanded access to Arabic-language voting assistance at the local level.

Research
Angelo Ancheta
Winning Universal Child Care in New Mexico - List

Winning Universal Child Care in New Mexico

In 2025, New Mexico became the first state in the country to implement universal child care—a historic milestone that shows what is possible when movements build power over the long term.

Policy Briefs
Nick Wertsch
The U.S. Supreme Court building against a blue sky, overlaid with a map of Louisiana and a chain of "I Voted" sticker footprints being cut by scissors on either side

Voting Rights and Representation in the Aftermath of Louisiana v. Callais

This brief examines what the Supreme Court's Callais decision means for communities of color, what has already changed in its wake, and what reforms — from state voting rights acts to proportional representation — can meet this moment.

Policy Briefs
Angelo Ancheta

LB125 Provide for Voter Registration on Election Day: Testimony of Miles Rapoport

Demos President Miles Rapoport delivers testimony, highlighting Iowa's turnout for the 2008 General Election was the highest in state history largely as a result of EDR recently enacted in the state, EDR states have little to no instance of fraud related to EDR and election officials in EDR states
Testimony and Public Comment
Miles Rapoport

An Act Concerning Election Day Registration: Testimony of Miles Rapoport

Demos President Miles Rapoport delivers testimony before the Connecticut Joint Legislative Committee on Government Administration and Elections urging support for a bill introduced by Representative Andy Fleischmann to enact Election Day Voter Registration (EDR) in Connecticut.
Testimony and Public Comment
Miles Rapoport

Election Day Registration: A Ground-Level View

Background Maine, Minnesota and Wisconsin adopted the practice of Election Day Registration (known as EDR) in the early 1970s. After a two-decade lull in reform activity, Wyoming, New Hampshire and Idaho passed EDR laws in the early ‘90s.
Research

Living Longer on Less The New Economic (In)Security of Seniors

Economic security for seniors was built on the three-legged stool of retirement (Social Security, pensions, and savings) at the core of the social contract that rewards a lifetime of productivity. Seniors’ economic security, however, is being challenged by two simultaneously occurring trends: a
Research
Jennifer Wheary
Thomas M. Shapiro
Tatjana Meschede

Financial Regulation After the Fall

Why, in the absence of heroic government measures, the financial crisis will lead to a serious general depression.

Policy Briefs

From Middle to Shaky Ground: The Economic Decline of America's Middle Class, 2000-2006

A middle-class standard of living requires that families have adequate financial security to meet current obligations, invest in the future, and access opportunities. The Middle Class Security Index, created by Demos and the Institute on Assets and Social Policy at Brandeis University, focuses on
Policy Briefs
Tamara Draut
Jennifer Wheary

The New Squeeze: How a Perfect Storm of Bad Mortgages and Credit Card Debt Could Paralyze the Recovery

The household economy — especially small business, homeowners and student borrowers — will continue to suffer during a sever tightening of lending credit and capital, in spite of the federal rescue plan, this new report shows. The New Squeeze underscores how the continuing fallout from sub-prime
Policy Briefs
Jose Garcia

Election Day Voter Registration In Hawaii

Authors R. Michael Alvarez (California Institute of Technology) and Jonathan Nagler (New York University) have analyzed the likely impact on voter turnout should Hawaii adopt Election Day Registration (EDR).
Policy Briefs
Jonathan Nagler

An Agenda for Strengthening Our Nation's Democracy

In July 2008, 49 advocates, scholars, and thinkers met in Washington, D.C. and came to agreement on the outlines of a broad agenda for democracy reform. In the weeks that followed, the participants broke into workgroups and developed the recommendations outlined in this document. Our ideas rest on a
Research

Toward an Equal Electorate: Five States' Gains Under the National Voter Registration Act

Toward an Equal Electorate draws upon available data to show that low-income voter registration in public assistance agencies have increased anywhere from 22 percent to over 2,600 percent compared to previous years. In the five states examined — North Carolina, Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and
Policy Briefs
Scott Novakowski