News
Michael Douglas joins Jennifer Lawrence in movies about democracy’s problems
How did American democracy get so broken and how can it be fixed?
One of the premier organizations focused on making governance across the United States work better, RepresentUs, sees educating the public on the state of dysfunction as a crucial first step — and using star power as the best way to draw eyeballs to a sometimes confusing and overwhelming topic.
So in time for Monday's international Anti-Corruption Day, as declared by the United Nations for the past 14 years, the group is out with a 10-minute video featuring Academy Award-winning actor Michael Douglas breaking down the biggest challenges for democracy reformers and explaining how everyday citizens can drive solutions.
Most Texas election websites are not secure, report finds
Four out of five counties in Texas have election websites that are not properly secured against hackers, the state's League of Women Voters says.
And the central flaw is alarmingly simple for anyone to detect, involving just a single letter. Of the 254 counties charged with administering elections in the nation's second biggest state, 201 have websites that have "http" at the start of their URL web addresses rather than the more secure "https," the League said in a recent report.
13 tapped for prizes to boost local democracy reform campaigns
Thirteen local good-government groups across the country have been awarded a combined $250,000 to advance their causes.
The money is going to the inaugural winners of the Accelerator Awards, chosen from 115 applications around the country. The prizes are the creation of Unite America in partnership with RepresentUs. The two are among the most prominent non-partisan groups advocating for fixes to the problems of dysfunctional democracy.
The money was awarded to both fledgling and established organizations to advance their work in three areas: ending partisan gerrymandering, giving voters more power in elections and getting more citizens involved in elections.
Debate
Don't give up on democracy, fellow young voters
While it can feel like your vote is a waste in a system where only a handful of elections actually make an impact, University of Berkeley student Amanda Shafer urges her contemporaries not to turn to political apathy.
Community
Making Capitalism Work for All
The American Sustainable Business Council is hosting a conference in Washington Dec. 10-11 to talk about how businesses can course correct capitalism and regain Americans' confidence.
Mailbag Monday
Have a question about democracy reform? Shoot it over to us at mailbag@thefulcrum.us. Then look out for the answers on Mondays in our newsletter.