Demos submitted this testimony from Demos President Miles Rapoport to the House Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, highlighting the denial of voter registration opportunities for low-income voters and veterans, and underscoring the continued systemic problems with the voter registration in the U.S.
New York, NY — This week Demos, a national, non-partisan public policy research and advocacy center, is pleased to announce two significant staffing changes:
Tamara Draut has been named Vice President for Policy and Programs, joining Demos President Miles Rapoport in the executive leadership of the organization. Previously, she served for nearly eight years as Director of the Economic Opportunity Program at Demos, where she oversaw research, policy and advocacy efforts on issues related to economic security and mobility in America's households.
Young adults between ages 19 and 29 make up the largest portion of uninsured in the United States, totaling about 13.2 million in 2007. That's right--young adults make up more than one-fourth of uninsured Americans.
This important cover story from the Detroit Metro Times sheds light on the predicament faced by so many young adults.
New York, NY — Demos, a national, non-partisan public policy research and advocacy center, is pleased to announce the addition of two new members to its fellows program.
Allegra Chapman, Counsel in the Democracy Program, delivers testimony on the benefits of Election Day Registration before the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee of the Maryland General Assembly.
The Contract for College would unify the existing three strands of federal financial aid — grants, loans and work-study — into a coherent, guaranteed financial aid package for students.
Initiative Aims to Strengthen Social Insurance, Promote Broadly Shared Prosperity, Set the Record Straight on Federal Spending
New York — Demos and The Century Foundation today launched an initiative to strengthen social insurance programs and develop a roadmap for a fair and responsible federal budget. The project gets underway as the White House prepares for its February 23 "Fiscal Responsibility Summit."
Allegra Chapman, Counsel in the Democracy Program, delivers testimony on the benefits of Election Day Registration before the House Ways and Means Committee of the Maryland General Assembly.
Report authors R. Michael Alvarez and Jonathan Nagler have analyzed the likely impact on voter turnout should New Mexico adopt Same Day Registration (SDR). Under the system proposed in New Mexico, eligible voters who miss the current 28-day deadline for registering by mail may be able to register to vote during the state's early voting period. The availability of Same Day Registration procedures should give voters who have not previously registered the opportunity to vote.
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. Economic security of seniors, however, is being challenged by two simultaneously occurring trends: a weakening of the three legs of retirement security income and dramatically increasing expenses, such as for healthcare and housing.
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 weakening of the three legs of retirement security income and dramatically increasing expenses, such as for healthcare and housing.
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 support its efficacy as pro-voter legislation that opens access to the polls and limits the need for provisional ballots, before the Nebraska Senate Committee on Government, Military and Veterans Affairs.
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.
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.
3 out of 4 senior households lack the economic security needed to sustain them through their lives, according to new study
New York, NY — Older Americans have experienced huge, negative financial shifts that now make it more difficult to enter retirement with sustainable economic security, a new study finds. Seventy-eight percent of all senior households are financially vulnerable when it comes to their ability to meet essential expenses and cover projected costs over their lifetimes.
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 weakening of the three legs of retirement security income and dramatically increasing expenses, such as for healthcare and housing.
Each year, many talented students from low-income areas and families either choose not to attend college at all or drop out under the pressure to keep a job.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, brainchild of the Microsoft mogul, is out to change that. The organization recently unveiled an initiative to double the number of degrees earned by low-income students by the time they reach age 26.
As President Obama takes office, and the nation reflects on the historic moment and its significance, Demos Senior Fellows John Schwarz and Lew Daly remind us that America is more than just “common blood, or race, or ethnic background or religion.” America is about freedom, they argue, and its up to government to help establish the conditions for economic independence that have become central to the ideals of American freedom.
New York, NY — The 2008 presidential campaign ended with a sharp moral debate about "spreading the wealth" in the United States. With national concern about a barrage of bad economic news--from the financial meltdown on Wall Street to the near-bankruptcy of the American auto-industry — which, coupled with bailouts and controversial tax plans proposed by the new Administration, have moved the issue of wealth distribution to the forefront of public debate.
