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Image of a hand lowering a voter registration sheet into an orange box with stacks of voter registration papers on both sides

Threats to Ballot Access: New Report Examines Risks of Wrongful Voter Removals Across the Country

Dēmos examines ballot access issues, voter suppression in AZ, GA, OH, CA, IN, WI, MI, NC, TX, LA 

Press release/statement
August 10, 2023

We are changing the conversation around our democracy and economy by telling influential new stories about our country and its people. Get our latest blog and media updates here. For more in-depth explorations and analyses, visit our Resources page.

Featured
Ground level view of the Wall Street Stock Exchange

Unfinished Business: Revisiting Dodd-Frank and the Path to Economic Progress

On the anniversary of the Dodd-Frank Act, we reflect on recent banking failures and the inequities inherent in our current financial system. 

Blog
Daniella Zessoules
Black mother and daughter looking at the city river

A Supreme Court Power Grab: Attacking Federal Agencies to Advance an Extremist Agenda

Why the Court's decision to limit the EPA's power to regulate water access is yet another case of eroding the power of the other branches of government at the expense of Black and brown people.

Blog
Ashley Tjhung
supreme court

Supreme Court's Rejection of Affirmative Action Widens the Divide: Dēmos Calls for Renewed Efforts to Combat Systemic Racism

“The 14th Amendment is supposed to be a shield against racism, and now it’s being used as a sword.” 

Press release/statement
Taifa Smith Butler

The Perfectly Legal $4.6 Million Corporate Campaign Donation to Obama

A big reason that Citizens United was such a blow to equal democracy is that it enabled corporations to pump money into elections in new and anonymous ways. Even before that Supreme Court decision, though, campaign finance law already included a major loophole that allows for gigantic -- and
Blog
David Callahan

Nearly 80 Percent Of Successful 2012 Candidates Were Publicly Financed, Report Finds

More than 77 percent of successful candidates in 2012 and all current statewide office holders were publicly financed, a report released Monday found.
In the media
Hartford Courant

Poverty Stalks The Suburbs

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- There's nothing Deidre Duffy would rather do than host a backyard barbecue for a few friends. "I don't want anything fancy," Duffy, 53, said in an interview next to her black Weber grill. "Give me some charcoal and I'm going to shoot those flames about six feet high, and when
In the media
Arthur Delaney

Government and Volunteerism

A longstanding gripe of conservatives is that big government has muscled aside civil society, taking on jobs -- like providing a safety net -- that are better left to charity.
Blog
David Callahan

Demos Mourns Loss of Democracy Advocate Bob Edgar

We were deeply saddened to learn today of the sudden passing of our friend and ally in the fight for a more inclusive democracy Bob Edgar, President of Common Cause. Our hearts go out to his family and friends as well as the board and staff at Common Cause.
Press release/statement

Fair Elections Matter: Women’s Two-Fold Stake in Public Financing of Campaigns

It’s not just happenstance: Women have a two-fold stake in campaign finance reform, particularly public financing of state campaigns for public office. Why? First, tamping down the influence that money can buy is a big step towards delivering positive change for women’s priorities.
Blog
Linda Tarr-Whelan

Is Growth the Best Measure of a Good Economy?

In the better-late-than-never category, there's now a more subtle debate among economists about whether it's debt that tamps down economic growth or whether it's the slow growth that pushes up the debt. That's an important question, but it actually hides what may be an even more crucial one. Is
In the media
Scott Bittle
Jean Johnson

Reform Does Work, New York

As New York policymakers, led by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, consider a comprehensive package of campaign finance reform, they should look at Connecticut to see just how much a strong small-donor public financing program can improve the legislative process and relieve lawmakers of the burdens of high-donor
In the media
Miles Rapoport
Denise Merrill

Report Details Positive Effects of Public Campaign Financing in Connecticut

As some New York state lawmakers consider publicly financed campaigns to thwart public corruption in state politics, a liberal-leaning public policy think tank has released a report showing how a voluntary public financing system in Connecticut has contributed to a more "representative and
In the media
Tanique Williams

The Retirement Gamble We're All Making

Martin Smith, an Emmy-winning correspondent for PBS’ Frontline, is worried about his retirement — and yours.
In the media
Richard Eisenberg