Increasing Democracy

Overview

Nov 09 2008

Progressive States is committed to a society where all are equal under the law and where government and economic institutions are accountable to the public, including:

Clean and Fair Elections where states Reduce the Influence of Money in Politics through policies like lobbying reforms and public financing of elections, Grow the Electorate through election reform, Make Every Vote Count through fixing election administration procedures, enact National Popular Vote to guarantee full democracy in Presidential elections and increase turnout, Resist Vote Suppression by Right-Wing to protect the integrity of the vote, and promote Electoral Alternatives to open the process to a greater diversity of views.

Tax and Budget Reform should both provide the funds needed to fund critical social programs, even as state leaders Make Tax Systems More Progressive to promote greater economic equality, Fix Failed Tax Subsidies to improve economic development, and Reform Government Contracts and Restrict Privatization to assure that public services and assets serve both broad social goals and taxpayer interests.

Accountable Government should include Whisteblower Protection to expose government and corporate wrongdoing undermining public policy, Improving Government Data Collection to increase the effectiveness of government programs,promote Freedom of Information to keep government leaders accountable, and strenghtening Public Right to Know laws to inform workers and the public of potential violations of public policy by corporate wrongdoers.

Progressive Federalism is the establishments of a new compact for federal-state relations, including greater Federal Funding for State Innovation for shared needs among the states, a commitment to Minimize Federal Preemption only to situations where Congress clearly called for blocking state laws and only where state law clearly conflicts with federal policy, and the promotion of Equal Rights for State Employees under federal civil rights laws.

Media Reform should expand the diversity of voices involved in our public debatein place of the corporate control of much of current media.

From the Dispatch

Electoral College Killed Auto Industry Aid Bill - And Michigan House Approves NPV Bill to Kill Electoral College

Dec 15 2008

When the U.S. Senate killed the auto industry rescue bill last week, some conservative commentators saw it as payback for Michigan voting the wrong way in the November election. William D. Zeranski at the popular rightwing American Thinker site argued, "We know which way those 17 Electoral College votes will go. So, how does helping bailout the Big Three help the GOP?"

Local Michigan Republican leaders themselves began worrying that national party leaders would begin ignoring state concerns after McCain lost the Great Lakes states. As Republican pollster Steve Lombardo said after the election, "It's a matter of worry...It may be that Republicans begin to write off Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota." Of course, the writing off of all Michigan voters only makes sense politically because of the Electoral College.

Universal Voter Registration: A New Initiative to Increase Electoral Participation and Reduce Voter Suppression

Dec 01 2008

The elections of 2008 served as a critical test of the nation's election systems. With changes in voting machines and procedures, coupled with expectations of record voter turnout, election administrators held their breath and hoped their system wouldn't fail.

While the system didn't fail, voters faced serious obstacles in exercising their right to vote. Voter registration ended up being the problem that affected the largest number of voters. Even before the first votes were cast, it was apparent that our voter registration systems were woefully inadequate. While in other nations 90% or more of the eligible voter population is registered to vote, in the United States less than 75% of eligible voters are registered.

We can do better.

Privatization Update: Recent News from across the Country

Nov 25 2008

As states face mounting deficits, corporate lobbyists have been promoting the idea that privatization of public services and assets is a free lunch -- services can be delivered more cheaply than by public employees and public assets like highways can be sold or leased for a hefty return to the taxpayer. As PSN has detailed in our December 2007 report Privatizing in the Dark: The Pitfalls of Privatization & Why Budget Disclosure is Needed, the promises of privatization too often yield to a reality of lost money and degraded services, weak oversight and lost expertise, assets sold off for short-term gains but long-term loss, lost democratic accountability, and the corruption of the political process.

Report: Stop Retailers Pocketing over $1 Billion in Sales Tax Revenue

Nov 25 2008

According to a new study by Good Jobs First, state and local governments lost over $1billion in sales tax revenue last year as a result of laws that allow retailers to retain a percentage of the sales tax they collect.

Strengthening Progressive State Power Should Be Priority for D.C. Leaders

Nov 18 2008

With conservatives losing the presidency and democrats controlling Congress, we are likely to see a significant redeployment of conservative political energy into the states. There are still 33 state governments where Republicans control either a governorship or a legislative chamber, and other state political bodies are still controlled by conservative Democrats. We are already seeing rightwing forces shift to state level policy campaigns. In fact, multiple conservative commentators have begun to openly discuss that the states will be their key target in the next few years.

Changing Electorate Promises Bright Future for Progressive Politics

Nov 14 2008

In last Tuesday's election, there was a dramatic demographic and geographic shift in who supported progressives all the way down the ballot. These changes could lead to long-term electoral support for progressives if they deliver on the promises they made to voters.

How our Election Systems Held up Under a High Turnout Election

Nov 14 2008

This year election administrators, many of whom were fielding new voting equipment for the first time, faced record turnout. After the pervasive problems with the previous two presidential elections and the fears of more election problems, both real and imagined, voters across the political spectrum faced the election with deep skepticism about its fairness and integrity. Today we give a brief overview of whether the expectations for the election were born out, and what election day tells us about where to focus reforms.

Obama May Quickly Reverse Bush Attacks on State Policy Authority

Nov 14 2008

Progressive States Network has regularly detailed the mounting attacks on and preemption of state policy by the federal government in recent years. The incoming Obama administration is signalling that many of the Bush-era regulations restricting states may be reversed.

Judicial Elections Public Financing: Balancing Independent Courts and Voter Choice

Oct 27 2008

Once the sleepy backwater of electoral politics, judicial elections have recently become a battleground where right wing and corporate groups spend large sums to fill the courts with jurists who will support their interests. This is perhaps the most troubling example of money corrupting our politics, because instead of pay-to-play politics it gives us pay-to-win justice. The independence of the judiciary simply cannot be maintained in an environment where jurists are competing for votes in high-priced, bare-knuckle political brawls.

Some Bad Corporate Tax Ideas in New Jersey Governor's Economic Recovery Proposal

Oct 24 2008

Addressing the recession affecting New Jersey, as well as many other states, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine last week presented a plan for reviving the state economy. Some of the proposals - such as speeding up work on infrastructure projects and putting $500 million of state pension money in community banks to spur lending to local businesses - are smart and desperately needed.

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Increasing Democracy

Overview

From the Dispatch

Electoral College Killed Auto Industry Aid Bill - And Michigan House Approves NPV Bill to Kill Electoral College

Universal Voter Registration: A New Initiative to Increase Electoral Participation and Reduce Voter Suppression

Privatization Update: Recent News from across the Country

Report: Stop Retailers Pocketing over $1 Billion in Sales Tax Revenue

Strengthening Progressive State Power Should Be Priority for D.C. Leaders

Changing Electorate Promises Bright Future for Progressive Politics

How our Election Systems Held up Under a High Turnout Election

Obama May Quickly Reverse Bush Attacks on State Policy Authority

Judicial Elections Public Financing: Balancing Independent Courts and Voter Choice

Some Bad Corporate Tax Ideas in New Jersey Governor's Economic Recovery Proposal

Policy Resources