Residents Who Attempted to Register to Vote or Update their Registration Information at the Division of Motor Vehicles Since the Summer of 2015 Will be Able to Vote in this November’s General Election
Background
Over the past 15 years, states have made deep cuts to their funding for higher education, causing tuition to rise rapidly, and household incomes have failed to keep up. As a result, student debt has skyrocketed, quintupling from just $240 billion in 2003 to more than $1.3 trillion today. The burdens of this debt-based higher education system are being disproportionately borne by those with the highest hurdles to obtain higher educations: students of color and low-income students.
NEW YORK, NY- Last Friday, advocates from Demos, a civil rights and public policy organization, sent a letter to the Tennessee Secretary of State, advising him that the state’s policy of purging voters for their failure to vote violates federal law.
Citing clear evidence that Florida residents have been denied the opportunity to register to vote or update their registrations, we sent a pre-litigation notice letter today.
A federal court ordered Ohio Secretary of State John Husted to allow the many thousands of infrequent voters the state has purged from the voter rolls over the last several years to vote in this year’s Presidential Election.
Washington D.C. – Today Demos, a New York City based think tank and leading supporter of debt-free college, released new polling data that shows overwhelming support for making college more affordable. The poll also demonstrates that support for more affordable higher education is particularly strong among the working class.
The poll, which was conducted by Hart Research Associates, included interviews of 1,103 voters from September 21 to 25, 2016. The key findings include:
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit struck down Ohio’s controversial purge of infrequent voters from its voter rolls. The decision reversed a lower court ruling.
This report was produced in collaboration with Brian Schaffner, Professor of Political Science at University of Massachusetts Amherst and Jesse Rhodes, Associate Professor of Political Science at University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Introduction
Medical debt is a leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States. This report analyzes the impact of medical debt on household finances and provides policy solutions.
Every day, many U.S. families must make the impossible choice of falling into debt to pay for critical medical care or foregoing necessary treatment. In 2014, 64 million people were struggling with medical debt and it is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States.
I have just finished reading—re-reading, actually—A Vision for Black Lives, the national policy platform released recently by the Movement for Black Lives, the Black Lives Matter Network, BYP100 and over 50 other grassroots organizations. This document is a must-read for anyone who considers themselves a public servant, policy maker, civic or community leader. It’s hot off the press, and it is an extraordinary gift.
Yesterday, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) introduced The Degrees Not Debt Act. This legislation would create a state-federal partnership program with the Department of Education, states, and public colleges or universities in order to ensure college affordability becomes a reality for all Americans.