Democratic Accountability

The Roosevelt Institute believes that restoring our democracy goes hand in hand with reforming our economy. Currently, the wealthy and well-connected are able to buy influence over the policymaking process—stacking the deck against the rest of us. As a result, corruption in government stands in the way of addressing nearly every issue on the progressive

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A Quick History Lesson on Voter Disenfranchisement

“Being unable to vote is like being on the fringe of society [as] a citizen that doesn’t have an active participation in it. You are just there, observing. You have no opportunity to affect change.” – Ken Shutle The ability to participate in our political system, and in particular the power to cast a vote,

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The New York Votes Act Would Expand Democratic Access

In his opinion curtailing key aspects of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder (2013), Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the act was no longer needed because “the country has changed” with regard to discrimination in voting. However, in the wake of the first presidential election since 1965 to be

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Democratic Access

With the conclusion of the first national election following the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, and another sweeping election characterized by widespread electoral discrimination especially among our most vulnerable populations, it is clear that issues of democracy are at the forefront of national political consciousness. In the short term, we believe there is immense potential

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Why Mayor de Blasio’s Broadband Push Needs to Go Further—and Faster

On July 16, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new initiative to bring free broadband service to 16,000 New Yorkers living in five public housing developments in the boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. In partnership with President Obama’s ConnectHome initiative, the de Blasio administration has committed an investment of up to $10 million

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Money in Politics is a Local Problem, Too

Large donors dominate our politics even at the local level, but communities have the power to overcome them. Last summer, I interned for mayoral candidate Gary Holder-Winfield in New Haven, CT. New Haven is not a small town. While it’s 130,660 residents pale in comparison to New York’s 8,405,837, it is a major city in

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Farewell, Campaign Finance Restrictions, and Hello, Mega-Donors

Yesterday’s decision on McCutcheon v. FEC will radically change the power of individual donors, the amount of money in politics, and how we look at campaign finance reform. While he made a few conciliatory gestures to the left-leaning justices in the first page of his decision, the core of Chief Justice John Roberts’s decision on

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Internet for the Public Interest Needs Protection

Unless the Federal Communications Commission takes a stand, American consumers stand to lose their open access to the Internet, while providers will rake in even greater profits. Despite our faith in the American dream, mounting costs for high-speed Internet threaten the remnants of equal opportunity we rely on. A widening gap separates Americans who can

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