Demos and our partners are committed to working with Florida's Secretary to create a robust set of rules that fully protect the right of Spanish-speaking Floridians to have their voices heard in the democratic process.
Washington—As the nation celebrates the 234th Independence Day this July Fourth, thousands of immigrants will take the citizenship oath at naturalization ceremonies around the country. Yet, the promise of full participation in our democracy continues to elude many of our newest fellow citizens, up to millions around the country, according to a new report by the nonpartisan public policy center Demos.
“This settlement acknowledges that naturalized Americans have full and equal voting rights — they cannot be singled out and purged from the rolls due to their status.”
"In today’s decision, the court recognized that Spanish-speaking voters are not second-class citizens and should not have to wait for their voting rights to be fully protected."
Washington — SenatorAl Franken (D-MN) has introduced a financial-reform amendment that finally addresses the root problem of the credit rating agencies—their built-in conflict of interest. The "Restore Integrity to Credit Ratings" amendment, co-sponsored by Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Bill Nelson (D-FL), substantially embraces a remedy set forth in a recent Demos policy paper on this subject.
"On today’s anniversary, we encourage voters from all walks of life who have faced barriers to voting to visit WeVoteWeCount.org to share their story."
By enacting SB 7066, the Florida legislature has created two classes of returning citizens: those who can afford to reclaim their voting rights, and those who cannot.
Turnout Increases of 4.3 Percent Likely Under Current Proposed Legislation
Annapolis, MD — In the historic 2008 presidential election, Maryland ranked 12th among states in voter participation by eligible residents. Voter participation in Maryland could significantly increase if the state passes Same Day Registration (SDR) into law, according to a new report published today by Demos and released in collaboration with ACLU of Maryland.
Lawsuit filed to block the Board of Elections of Rensselaer County, New York from illegally disclosing residents’ protected personal information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when they register to vote.
The County’s plans will intimidate and deter eligible citizens from registering to vote, abridging their fundamental right to vote and resulting in serious underrepresentation in the electoral process.
As Congress Takes Up Sweeping Financial Reform, Report Urges Fundamental Change of Ratings Agency Model
Washington, DC — With the House of Representatives and a key Senate committee poised to vote on sweeping financial industry reforms, a new report by Demos finds that the proposed remedies fail to fully address the problems that led the credit rating agencies to become key enablers of the housing bubble and Wall Street meltdown.
K. Sabeel Rahman and Hollie Russon Gilman's new book, Civic Power, calls for a broader approach to democratic reform, offering a critical framework and concrete suggestions to support those reforms that meaningfully redistribute power to citizens.