Focus on State Legislatures, Not Just Congress
We know that the fight is in our own backyards. State legislatures are the soil from which our polity grows, and must be secured against corrosive ideals.

Read in-depth op-eds on voting rights and democracy from our contributors, guest authors and Democracy Docket's founder, Marc Elias. Use the drop-down menu to organize by topic.
We know that the fight is in our own backyards. State legislatures are the soil from which our polity grows, and must be secured against corrosive ideals.
When I was appointed Harris County Clerk in 2020, my focus wasn’t politics. It was problem-solving.
The youngest, most diverse generation in American history turned out in record numbers for the 2020 presidential election, proving young Americans’ power to shape our country’s future from statehouses to the White House.
Used as a tool to silence communities and strip them of their power, felony disenfranchisement has no place in our democracy.
As November inches closer, the midterm elections will be the center of attention, and it’s important to remember that young people have power.
With the ongoing attacks on the integrity of our elections and on democracy itself, there is simply too much at stake to remain on the sidelines. That’s why I’m in this fight.
Young people ages 18-29 turned out to vote at historic rates in 2018 and 2020, and their participation could be decisive in the upcoming midterms. But that participation is not a given.
Massachusetts has long prided itself on creating blueprints for change, but so far, our Commonwealth has not been the leader it can – and should – be on voting rights and access.
In 2021, there were 146 bills aimed at restricting or abolishing the ballot measure process. These restrictive measures take a variety of forms, but they all have the same function: to undermine the will of the people and diminish their decision-making power.
The solution to our current crisis of democracy: proportional representation and a multiparty system. It’s proven to ensure that all votes count equally, all voters are better represented and anti-democratic forces are sidelined.