New York, NY. — Today a New York City-wide coalition of celebrities, community-based organizations, civil rights groups and criminal justice activists held a press conference to publicly launch its campaign, Release the Vote: Unlock the Block. Forty-two organizations have endorsed the initiative (listing attached).
Unlock the Block is mounting a major public information campaign to educate, mobilize and register thousands of people formerly incarcerated for a felony conviction, their families and their communities. See www.unlocktheblock.org.
Voter registration is intended to ensure that voters who are eligible to vote are able to do so, and that non-eligible individuals cannot cast ballots. A voter registration list enables election workers to authenticate eligible voters at the polls. Voter registration also serves to provide lists of persons (i.e., registered voters) who should receive notices informing them when elections are forthcoming, and where they should go to vote.
This brief examines the relationship between criminal justice practices that disproportionately target people of color, and disenfranchisement laws that deprive citizens convicted of felonies of their right to vote.
NEW YORK — Over the last decade, high interest rate debt among America's seniors has skyrocketed, making them the fastest growing age group headed into bankruptcy court, according to a new report, "Retiring in the Red: The Growth of Debt Among Older Americans," released today from Demos, a non-partisan, public policy group based in New York City.
NEW: SECOND EDITION. "Retiring in the Red" is part of the Borrowing to Make Ends Meet Briefing Paper Series. Reports an 89% average increase in credit card debt among America's seniors from 1992 to 2001. Key Findings:
New York, NY — Demos has published two new reports which provide compelling research, analysis, and timely information on felony disenfranchisement laws, and their impact on American democracy.
Political scientist Alec Ewald sheds new light on the fundamentally undemocratic nature of felony disenfranchisement laws. Tracing the history of these laws from ancient Europe to their racist application in the post Civil War U.S., Ewald concludes that felony disenfranchisement laws are in profound conflict with America's best ideals of fairness and traditions of democracy.
A comprehensive summary of plans in each state for implementation of the Help America Vote Act, focusing mainly on the issues which will most directly affect voters.
New York, NY — Americans faced a massive rise in credit card debt during the 1990s, according to a new study released today by Demos. "Borrowing to Make Ends Meet" found that while low-income and elderly Americans have been hit hardest by the debt boom, Americans of all stripes are suffering under the burden of high-interest credit card debt.
A concise executive summary of a report that explores how families are increasingly using credit cards to meet their basic needs. Also examines the factors driving this record-setting debt and the impact of deregulation on the cost, availability and marketing of credit cards.
Using new data, this report explores how families are increasingly using credit cards to meet their basic needs. This report also examines the factors driving this record-setting debt and the impact of deregulation on the cost, availability and marketing of credit cards.
Using new data, this report explores how families are increasingly using credit cards to meet their basic needs. This report also examines the factors driving this record-setting debt and the impact of deregulation on the cost, availability and marketing of credit cards.
New York, NY — Propositions to enact Election Day Registration (EDR) in California and Colorado were defeated yesterday, preventing citizens from gaining the ability to register and vote on Election Day. The promise of EDR is that every citizen, including significant portions of the population that have traditionally been marginalized, have the opportunity to participate in the democratic process.
The following report analyzes public opinion between 1996 and 2001. The report draws on over a dozen suveys commissioned by non-profit organizations, media outlets and foundations, as well as from two regularly conducted academic surveys. The results outlined in this report indicate that while long-standing disagreements about the causes of poverty endure, the public stands united in support of policies to make work pay and improve the standard of working families' lives.
Anyone who has ever been stopped by a state trooper for a traffic violation knows that the computer systems used to maintain motor vehicle records are very technologically advanced. Sitting in their patrol cars, state troopers can instantly access vast amounts of centralized data about motorists. A comparable commitment to maintaining and accessing voter registration records, however, does not exist in most states -- a problem that undermines the effective functioning of American democracy.
This report examines election day registration (EDR), an important reform measure that would help address some of the problems highlighted by the 2000 election. Currently, six states have election day registration - Wisconsin, Maine, Minnesota, Idaho, Wyoming and New Hampshire. As the research presented in this report shows, allowing voters to register and vote on election day helps to increase participation significantly and to ensure that all voters who arrive at the polls can vote.