Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Urban League embraces heart of ‘democracy reform’ agenda as aiding black electorate

A prominent civil rights group garnered headlines last week by detailing how Russia's 2016 election disinformation campaign was focused on highlighting racial tensions. But the National Urban League's report also forcefully argued that widespread voter suppression policies made Russia's efforts easier, and the fine print is a case for enacting almost all the most prominent proposals in the "democracy reform" movement.

The 43rd annual "State of Black America" report, which focuses on a different aspect of African-American life and public policy each year, recommends 11 policy changes to fight what it believes is a "serious threat and sustained attack" on democracy through American politicians' efforts to disenfranchise one-eighth of the electorate.


The group's president, Marc Morial, says the message "to the enemies of democracy is this: We see you. We know what you're doing, and we won't let you get away with it. We will shine a light on these evil deeds."

The report details how black voters were targeted "with surgical precision on social media" by a Russian-based organization called the Internet Research Agency, which reached millions of users across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms with messages aimed at dividing America on racial lines.

Recommendations that are high on the to-do list for many "good government" groups address both foreign and domestic challenges to voting rights and election administration, including:

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

  • Eliminating the strictest voter ID requirements.
  • Permitting automatic voter registration, online registration and same-day registration.
  • Restoring voting rights to felons after completing their sentences.
  • Requiring paper verification of ballots as a check on computer tampering.
  • Ending systems that too aggressively purge voter rolls.

Some of the more ambitious items on the Urban League's wish list are:

  • Rewriting the Voting Rights Act to revive requirements that jurisdictions with histories of racial discrimination get preclearance from Washington before changing any election rules.
  • Making it illegal to distribute false information designed to dissuade certain groups from voting.
  • Giving statehood (and thereby full-fledged seats in Congress) to Washington, D.C.
  • Persuading states to award their electoral votes to the national popular vote winner.

Read More

Business professional watching stocks go down.
Getty Images, Bartolome Ozonas

The White House Is Booming, the Boardroom Is Panicking

The Confidence Collapse

Consumer confidence is plummeting—and that was before the latest Wall Street selloffs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Drain—More Than Fight—Authoritarianism and Censorship
Getty Images, Mykyta Ivanov

Drain—More Than Fight—Authoritarianism and Censorship

The current approaches to proactively counteracting authoritarianism and censorship fall into two main categories, which we call “fighting” and “Constitution-defending.” While Constitution-defending in particular has some value, this article advocates for a third major method: draining interest in authoritarianism and censorship.

“Draining” refers to sapping interest in these extreme possibilities of authoritarianism and censorship. In practical terms, it comes from reducing an overblown sense of threat of fellow Americans across the political spectrum. When there is less to fear about each other, there is less desire for authoritarianism or censorship.

Keep ReadingShow less
"Vote" pin.
Getty Images, William Whitehurst

Most Americans’ Votes Don’t Matter in Deciding Elections

New research from the Unite America Institute confirms a stark reality: Most ballots cast in American elections don’t matter in deciding the outcome. In 2024, just 14% of eligible voters cast a meaningful vote that actually influenced the outcome of a U.S. House race. For state house races, on average across all 50 states, just 13% cast meaningful votes.

“Too many Americans have no real say in their democracy,” said Unite America Executive Director Nick Troiano. “Every voter deserves a ballot that not only counts, but that truly matters. We should demand better than ‘elections in name only.’”

Keep ReadingShow less
Hands outside of bars.
Getty Images, stevanovicigor

Double Standard: Investing in Animal Redemption While Ignoring Human Rehabilitation

America and countries abroad have mastered the art of taming wild animals—training the most vicious killers, honing killer instincts, and even domesticating animals born for the hunt. Wild animals in this country receive extensive resources to facilitate their reintegration into society.

Americans spent more than $150 billion on their pets in 2024, with an estimated spending projection of $200 million by 2030. Millions of dollars are poured into shelters, rehabilitation programs, and veterinary care, as shown by industry statistics on animal welfare spending. Television ads and commercials plead for their adoption. Stray animal hotlines operate 24/7, ensuring immediate rescue services. Pet parks, relief stations in airports, and pageant shows showcase animals as celebrities.

Keep ReadingShow less