Democracy
The Democracy Program seeks to change the ways in which citizens participate in their government by fixing the systems that discourage voting, hinder competition and promote the interests of the few over the rights of the many.The challenge is great. Built-in obstacles bedevil our democracy. A patchwork of federal, state, and local laws govern campaigns and elections, creating a labyrinth of administrative barriers to voting. And money spent to elect candidates increases with each election cycle. District boundaries, drawn by incumbents who often elevate their personal and partisan power over the interests of their diverse constituents stifles the possibility of meaningful competition between can dates.
Our program collaborates with grassroots groups, advocacy organizations and reform-minded government officials to eliminate these obstacles. We strive to ensure that public policy and institutions reflect the diverse voices and interests that make for a rich, energetic democracy. The Center will advance these goals using tools of research, policy analysis and publications, media outreach and public education, legislative counseling and advocacy and legal action.
Four goals animate our work towards comprehensive reform:
- A voting system in which every vote counts, all citizens are registered, eligibility rules are expansive and turnout increases dramatically. Our voting reform work aims towards universal voter registration.
- An electoral redistricting system that protects civil rights, promotes partisan balance, and preserves real communities.
- A campaign finance system that reduces the role of big money in elections by providing voluntary public financing at the national, state and local levels.
- Fair, impartial courts that protect equal justice, individual rights and the checks and balances essential to the rule of law and promotion of standards to hold judges accountable for unbiased, reasoned and transparent decision-making.
The Brennan Center is intervening to help defend the nation’s first voluntary full public financing program for judicial elections.
Common Cause of Colorado, et al. v. Coffman
A coalition of voting rights groups sued the Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman claiming he illegally removed over 27,000 voters from the rolls. They filed a temporary restraining order to get those names reinstated and to ensure additional names cannot be removed before Election Day.
Van Hollen v. Government Accountability Board
Wisconsin AG, J.B. Van Hollen, claims the state’s Government Accountability Board(GAB) is incompliant with HAVA by not retroactively running database matches and purging voters from registration rolls.
One bit of little-celebrated news from the election is that more publicly-funded candidates were elected to office in 2008 than ever before....
Sunlight in Alaska comes in overabundance during the summer, with daylight that lasts 21 hours, and is sorely lacking during the winter, when many parts of the state get just an hour of daylight....
The Brennan Center provides a summary of state recount laws in seven battleground states.
Illustrations by Risko
Cert Granted in WV Coal Mine Case
Supreme Court to weigh in on money in the courtroom; grants cert in judicial elections case.
Buying Time—Spending Rockets Before Elections
Candidates, interest groups, and political parties combined to spend $19,861,269 on television advertisements in state Supreme Court elections nationwide this year, announced two national watchdog groups.
Universal voter registration, contingency plans needed to ensure every eligible vote can cast a vote that counts.
Letter to Alaska Director of Elections Regarding Ballot Accounting and Audit Procedures
Joint letter to Alaska Elections Director Gail Fenumiai regarding Alaska’s ballot reconciliation and audit procedures in light of increasing national scrutiny of Alaska’s low reported voter turnout in the 2008 general election.
Letter to Secretaries of State re: Premier Voting Systems
Joint letter to 31 Secretaries of State where Premier voting systems are in use regarding product defect and recommending rigorous ballot accounting procedures.
Letter to Secretaries of States re: Potential “Vote Flipping” on DREs
Joint letter sent to Secretaries of State where DREs on how to address reports of “vote flipping.”
A Ballot’s Breadth Away From Rejoining Society
Many ex-offenders want to reclaim their vote, but one month before the presidential election, confusion about eligibility still reigns.
The Impact of FEC v. WRTL II on State Regulation
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law repeatedly has been asked to explain what the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc., 127 S. Ct. 2652 (2007) (“WRTL II”), means for state regulation of electioneering communications.
Article in the Clearinghouse Review Journal of Poverty Law and Policy discusses the disproportionate impact and legal history of required payment of fees and fines before voting rights restoration.