Since the 2000 election, a historic effort has been underway in the United States to strengthen voting systems across all 50 states and to address obstacles to broader electoral participation. At both the federal and state levels, however, efforts to advance a reform agenda have been frequently complicated by heated debates over the integrity of voting systems — and by allegations of widespread election fraud, and its cohort, voter fraud.
New York — The United States Census practice of counting prisoners in their districts of incarceration rather than their home districts for the purpose of establishing electoral and Congressional representation is a violation of international treaty. This month, the non-partisan public policy and advocacy centers Demos and the Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) submitted their analysis to the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva.
With the governor Chet Culver's pen stroke, Iowa became the eighth state in the nation to extend the franchise to otherwise eligible citizens who had not yet registered to vote at the close of voter registration deadlines. This report recounts the successful implementation of Election Day Registration in Iowa.
Developed in collaboration with the Institute on Assets and Social Policy at Brandeis University, By a Thread: The New Experience of America's Middle Class looks at the financial security of the middle class using the innovative Middle Class Security Index, rating household stability across five core economic factors: assets, educational achievement, housing costs, budget and healthcare. The Index provides a comprehensive portrait of how well middle-class families are faring in each of these areas, with spotlight on the strengths and vulnerabilities of today's middle class.
New York, NY — Fewer than one in three middle-class families in America is financially secure, and the remaining majority are either borderline or at high risk of falling out of the middle class altogether, according to a new study published this week by Demos and the Institute for Assets and Social Policy (IASP) at Brandeis University.
A Fallible 'Fail-Safe' provides a snapshot of provisional balloting problems experienced by voters across the nation in November 2006, as reported by Election Protection volunteers. While provisional ballots may comprise only a fraction of the national vote, as this report shows, they determined the outcome of various electoral races in 2006.
New York — Provisional ballots were a significant source of voter frustration and administrative problems at polling places during the 2006 election, according to a new report, A Fallible 'Fail-safe': An Analysis of Provisional Balloting Problems in the 2006 Election. The new study, published this week by the non-partisan public policy center Demos, underscores significant concern over provisional ballot implementation, a topic that has been the subject of recent hearings in the United States House of Representatives.
Demos president Miles Rapoport testifies before the U.S. House Administration Sub-Committee on Elections regarding Election Day Registration and provisional voting.
Americans carry over $800 Billion in credit card debt. Using most recent data from the Federal Reserve Board's Survey of Consumer Finances, Borrowing to Make Ends Meet exposes this and other disturbing trends in American families’ debts and financial assets. The report breaks down debt and asset data by age, race and income demographics, and shows how financial fragility makes the most vulnerable groups of Americans even more so.
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New York, NY — American families are using credit cards to bridge the gaps created by stagnant wages and higher costs of living and balances have grown dramatically since 1989, according to a new report published today by Demos. Borrowing to Make Ends Meet: the Rapid Growth of Credit Card Debt in America documents the disturbing trends in sky-rocketing credit card debt, and also provides detailed data based on age, race and income demographics.
U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties notified of suppressive tactics implicit in state noncompliance with NVRA Section 7.
New York, NY — This week the Supreme Court agreed to hear Crawford v. Marion County Election Board and Indiana Democratic Party v. Rokita, a controversial lawsuit about the constitutionality of voter ID laws enacted since the disputed 2000 election. Though the debate has been defined by partisanship, Demos experts Brenda Wright and Lori Minnite can provide clear analysis of election law, the incidence of voter fraud, and the effectiveness of voter ID.
NEW YORK — Leaders from the arts, politics and academia gathered in Mexico City this month to discuss pressing global concerns at the fifth annual Interdependence Day Celebration. The three-day forum convenes annually to correspond with the 9/11 anniversary, focusing on "creating positive interdependence" through trans-national work to find political, social and business solutions to crime, war, financial crises, environmental hazards and public health concerns.
Senior Policy Analyst Scott Novakowski testifies before the U.S. Election Assistance Commission regarding the public assistance requirements of the National Voter Registration Act.
Democracy Program Senior Policy Analyst Scott Novakowski delivers testimony before the Election Assistance Commission on its role in NVRA implementation, September 6, 2007.
Missouri — Today, Demos and Project Vote, representing the community group ACORN, sent a letter of intent to sue the Missouri Department of Social Services if the state doesn't comply with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) to provide voter registration opportunities in public assistance offices.
It has been nearly two decades since the credit card industry was deregulated with the promise of bringing greater competition and lower prices to consumers. Under the shield of deregulation, credit card companies have shifted the cost of credit to individuals least able to afford it. As this report shows, low-income individuals, African Americans, Latinos and single females bear the brunt of the cost of credit card deregulation through excessive fees and high interest rates.