Why a return to a debt-free system of public universities and colleges would help revive the promise of affordable higher education regardless of one’s family income.
Higher education has long been our nation’s primary lever of upward mobility. As a result, throughout our nation’s history, we have committed to ensuring that all individuals, regardless of cost, would be able to attend college. But that commitment has faltered in the last generation as states reduced funding for higher education and family incomes stagnated. Today, college costs are rising beyond the reach of many Granite Staters.
Like every generation before us, Americans are coming together to preserve a democracy of the people, by the people, and for the people. American democracy is premised on the consent of the governed, and on the idea that we all deserve a say in the government decisions that affect our families. We stand united supporting commonsense protections that recognize the people as the ultimate check on the corrosive influence of money in politics, which is eroding the very foundation of self-government.
This is a joint effort by the following organizations:
In today’s economy, a college education is essential for getting a good job and entering the middle class. Yet, despite this reality, college costs are rising beyond the reach of many
Wisconsinites, and student loan debt has become a clear and present danger to both the Wisconsin and American economies.
Discrimination has no place in New York. At our best, we’re a city where people of all races, ethnicities, creeds, and backgrounds have an opportunity to work hard and make their mark. But today in New York, many qualified job seekers are turned away from employment because of their personal credit history.
In 2010 and 2011, Maryland and New York took bold steps to correct the problem known as prison gerrymandering, a problem resulting from the United States Census Bureau’s practice of counting incarcerated individuals as residents of their prison cells rather than their home communities.
Signed into law on May 22, 2009, the Credit CARD Act has benefited millions of households in ways that directly affect their monthly budgets. Demos’ 2012 National Survey on Credit Card Debt of Low- and Middle-Income Households finds that the Credit CARD Act empowers Americans to take control of their finances by increasing the transparency of credit card statements and dramatically reducing unfair and excessive fees and
penalties.1 New estimates show that the CARD Act has saved U.S. consumers $50.4 billion, or $12.6 billion a year, in fees alone.
In 2013, student debt surpassed $1.2 trillion,1 highlighting a disturbing new reality: for an increasing share of students, higher education comes at the cost of long term debt. In 1989, 41 percent of graduating college seniors left school with student loan debt, which averaged $26,600. By 2012, two-thirds of graduating seniors had assumed such debt.2 Higher education was once the gateway to the middle class.
Far too many Hawaiians are excluded from voting—our most important democratic process—due to arbitrary voter registration deadlines. As a result, voter turnout in the state is lower than the national average. There is a simple solution to ensure all eligible voters in Hawaii can participate in our elections. Same-Day Registration (SDR) (also known as Late Registration in the current Hawaii legislative proposal) allows eligible voters to register to vote and cast their ballots on the same day, at the same time.
16 policies and practices that would make registration more accessible and seamless, lead to more effective and efficient election administration, and strengthen protections for voters’ rights.
The NVRA was intended to make voter registration widely available at agencies serving the public, and is an important tool for modernizing voter registration.
Ensuring compliance with NVRA requirements increases voter registration rates, particularly among low-income populations.
Expanding the number of designated NVRA agencies can further expand the reach of voter registration opportunities.
Congress enacted the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) in 1993 with the goal of making voter registration more convenient and accessible.
States should modernize registration procedures by allowing eligible voters to register to vote and update their registrations online.
Online registration saves states and localities money.
Registration rates among young voters increase with online registration.
These days, bank transfers, credit card transactions, and even medical record storage all happen online. These transactions are not only complicated but also highly sensitive, yet technology has managed to evolve to ensure the transactions are safe and secure, as well as convenient.
A person’s voter registration should remain valid when he or she moves within the state.
Centralized statewide voter registration databases are essential to provide portable registration.
Permanent and Portable registration helps narrow participation gaps among young people, people of color and lower-income Americans.
Twelve percent of Americans change their residence every year.1 Between 2011 and 2012, 22 million voting-age Americans moved either within the same county or to a different county within thei
Eligible 16 and 17 year olds should be pre-registered to vote and automatically added to voting rolls when they turn 18.
Targeted outreach to young eligible voters leads to substantial increases in voter registration.
Encouraging civic engagement at a young age leads to increased participation over a lifetime.
In the 2008 election, young people voted at the second-highest rate of all time.1 Voter turnout among 18-24 year olds grew by double digits from 2000 to 2008.
Third party voter registration drives are a critical component to ensuring eligible voters are registered.
States should permit third party registration drives without restrictive limitations.
Boards of elections should provide materials on voter registration to registration drives.
The National Voter Registration Act substantially increased the number of places where eligible voters could register. Now, voter registration is available at motor vehicle offices, public assistance agencies, and various other sites.
Early voting allows eligible voters more time to review issues and cast their ballot.
Early voting can increase voter participation.
States should expand early in-person voting locations and adopt no-excuse permanent absentee voting.
In a representative democracy like ours, the more people that vote, the stronger our democracy becomes. Given this truth, our voting procedures should provide the flexibility to accommodate every eligible person who wants to cast a ballot.
States should provide uniform poll worker training before Election Day to ensure Election Day runs smoothly.
Polls workers should receive a uniform wage across the state.
Poll worker recruitment should target public employees and high school and college students.
The formula for a well-run polling place is not complicated. At the heart of it, a sufficient number of properly trained poll workers is necessary to smoothly run an election process.