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Francesca Hong Gains Momentum in Wisconsin Democratic Governor’s Race

Francesca Hong Gains Momentum in Wisconsin Democratic Governor’s Race

People walking down the steps of the U.S. capitol.

DNC's Proposed RCV Ban Sparks Debate Over 2028 Presidential Primaries

Lawyering in a Good Cause Can Go Bad and Threaten the Rule of Law

Lawyering in a Good Cause Can Go Bad and Threaten the Rule of Law

Children holding hands, walking down a school hallway with backpacks on.

After School, Before It’s Too Late for Texas Students

Why America Needs Its Nonprofits to Manage Disasters

Why America Needs Its Nonprofits to Manage Disasters

Podcast: Democracy reform: Propositions & ballot initiatives

Podcast: Democracy reform: Propositions & ballot initiatives
The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumAug 22, 2022
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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The promise and perils of direct democracy are at the heart of the debate over voter propositions and ballot initiatives. They have emerged as one way that citizens in more than two dozen U.S. states can vote directly on policy and bring issues they care about to their fellow voters.

This episode of “How Do We Fix It?” is inspired by the recent podcast series, "When The People Decide", from The McCourtney Institute for Democracy. The show's producer, writer and host, Jenna Spinelle, tells the stories of some remarkable people who have organized initiative campaigns across the country. Spinelle also discusses the history of ballot measures, including California's Prop 13 in 1978, and more recent efforts to expand Medicaid.

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Media & Technology

ALS Doesn't Wait. Our Health Care System Still Does.

The Anthem and the Civic Thread That Still Holds America Together
Bridging & Common Ground

The Anthem and the Civic Thread That Still Holds America Together

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Bridging & Common Ground

The Permission Slip

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As America debates Social Security and federal spending, older adults face rising costs and financial insecurity. Here's why retirement policy affects every generation.

MargJohnsonVA/Getty Images

We Will All Grow Old Someday

America is debating budgets, taxes, deficits, and spending priorities. Those discussions are necessary. But amid the political arguments, we cannot lose sight of a simple truth: every budget reflects our values.

Nearly every American hopes to grow old. Yet growing old with dignity has become increasingly difficult for many seniors living on fixed incomes. Rising housing costs, groceries, utilities, insurance premiums, and prescription drug expenses continue to strain household budgets. For many older adults, retirement is no longer a season of security but one of constant financial calculation.

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A Sudden Vacuum: Unpacking Lindsey Graham’s Legacy and Implications for the GOP’s Senate Agenda

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the FY2027 budget request in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 12, 2026 in Washington, DC.

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A Sudden Vacuum: Unpacking Lindsey Graham’s Legacy and Implications for the GOP’s Senate Agenda

On July 11, 2026, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham unexpectedly passed away at age 71. The likely cause of death was a tear in the main vessel that carries blood out of the heart, otherwise known as aortic dissection. According to a medical examiner’s preliminary report, the aortic dissection itself was due to a “brief and sudden illness” known as arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which hardened Graham’s arteries.

Graham’s death prompted widespread, bipartisan tributes from across the political spectrum. President Trump ordered all flags to be flown at half-mast in the senator’s honor, later exclaiming that “Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!” on social media. On the global stage, key international allies mourned the loss of a fierce advocate for overseas alliances, with tributes coming from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

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Rebuilding America’s Federal Data System for Trust and Accuracy

How the U.S. can rebuild and improve its federal data system by combining Census, citizen, AI, and nontraditional data for stronger public policy.

sankai/Getty Images

Rebuilding America’s Federal Data System for Trust and Accuracy

The business aphorism, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” applies to countries as well as corporations. The U.S. has relied since its founding on accurate Census, economic, and health and scientific data to set national policy. As an earlier Fulcrum article described, the Trump administration has put many data sources at risk, and advocates are working to save them. But they’re also asking: As we protect and rebuild the national data ecosystem, how do we make it better than it has been in the past?

I recently moderated a webinar on Meeting the Challenge of Measurement, co-sponsored by NAPA, CODE, and the Bridge Alliance, with four leaders in the field: Chris Jackson of the research firm SSRS, Beth Jarosz of the Association of Public Data Users, Francesca Perucci of Open Data Watch, and Dr. Stefaan Verhulst of the GovLab. I also interviewed former U.S. Comptroller Gene Ludwig, author of The Mismeasurement of America. Their insights, plus my organization’s recent work with USAFacts, provide three principles for moving forward.

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