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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

Coal vs. Natural Gas: Both Are Bad for the Climate

As natural gas becomes more affordable, power plants are switching over from coal to save money. Since last March, power plants increased their natural gas use by 40 percent. Over the same time period, coal use fell to 57.6 million tons, down from 72.3 million ton in March 2011.
Blog
J. Mijin Cha

Could Your 401(k) Fees Buy a House?

There are more than 50 million Americans with investments in 401(k) and other defined-contribution retirement-savings plans. They’re about to be getting more information about the fees they pay. By one estimate, it could be sobering news. Retirement-plan administrators have to provide detailed
In the media
Kelly Greene

How the Senate Empowers Big Money

There is a terrible beauty in how America's constitutional system seems designed to stop big changes from ever happening -- or, more specifically, stops the majority of ordinary people from ever getting their hands on real power.
Blog
David Callahan

Retirement Plan Fees Consume 30% of Assets

Retirement plan fees consume nearly one-third (30.3%) of an investor’s potential assets, a paper contends.
In the media
Rebecca Moore

401(k) Fees May Cut 30% From Retirement Balance

American workers who don’t think twice about their employer-sponsored 401(k) plans may be surprised to learn that fees can cut their retirement savings by 30 percent over a lifetime. A household with two people earning the median income of their age group from 25 to 65 will pay an average of $154
In the media
Susanna Kim

The Conservative Approach to Environmental Protection Doesn't Work

In a series of posts at The Atlantic, Jonathan Adler has looked at how to advance environmental protection and action on climate change while still adhering to conservative principles like limited government and market-based solutions. Adler’s posts are interesting and thoughtful.
Blog
J. Mijin Cha

More Americans Rely on Credit Cards for Basics

Americans are increasingly dependent on credit cards just to put food on the table and keep the lights on, a new study shows. Although we’re doing a better job overall paying our bills on time these days, many people are relying on more easily attainable credit just to keep their heads above water.
In the media
Martha White

The 401(k) System: Great for Wall Street, Bad for Retirees

Here’s a question that you probably don’t want to answer honestly: What fees are you being charged by your 401(k) plan? Don’t feel bad if you haven’t got a clue, because that puts you in the majority. An AARP study a few years back found that 65 percent of 401(k) account-holders didn’t know they
Blog
David Callahan

More Bad News About 401(k) Fees

Question: How much money are you paying in 401(k) fees? Answer: Have you thought about buying a home lately?
In the media
Helaine Olen

401k Expenses Still a Pernicious Rip-Off

Do you know how much your 401k is costing you? I would wager not, nor have you ever asked your employer about costs or looked in fund documents to find out. Chances are, it’s far too much and it’s eating away your retirement nest egg. Upcoming Labor Department regulations mandating disclosure of
In the media
John Wasik