An exploration of the importance of social trust in U.S. society and troubling ways in which rising economic inequality since the 1970s has helped to decrease trust between Americans.
Executive Summary
Americans face twin crises of social solidarity. The first is a crisis of declining trust. The second is one of increasing inequality. This working paper explores how these two problems are part of the same syndrome.
As policymakers, election officials, and the public consider whether New York should change the way in which voters are allowed to register to participate in elections, and bring New York State election law into compliance with the Help America Vote Act, the following report provides an analysis of the potential impact of election day registration (EDR) in New York.
EDR in New York has the potential to increase voter participation for New Yorkers by as much as:
As policymakers, election officials, and the public consider whether New York should change the way in which voters are allowed to register to participate in elections, and bring New York State election law into compliance with the Help America Vote Act, we provide an analysis of the potential impact of election day registration (EDR) in New York. The current system of registration is one in which citizens must register 25 days before election day in order to be eligible to vote.1 Under EDR this advance registration barrier would be eliminated as citizens could register on election day.
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: 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:
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.
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.
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.
In this groundbreaking report, Columbia University professor Mark Gordon grapples with one of the most important questions facing American democracy: What exactly is globalization and how is it affecting the ability of Americans to govern themselves through traditional civic processes? By focusing on the States and federalism, Professor Gordon looks at the area where our democratic processes are now most in flux as a result of globalization.