Restoring Social Trust in Democracy
Democracy is under attack at home and abroad. We must take swift action to ensure it is accessible to all, accountable, and can serve as a force of good.
What We're Working On
What We're Doing
Increasing representation and access to our democracy
All Americans must have trust in elections and election results. All Americans also must have unimpeded access to the ballot box. That is why national voting standards are so important, along with laws that would protect against interference with valid election results.
Combating the spread of harmful dis- and misinformation
Disinformation, whether about COVID-19 or elections, undermines Americans’ safety and threatens our democracy. We seek to define the government’s role in combating it, give recommendations to online platforms to stem its spread, and support robust local media that can counter its worst effects.
Building a new framework to regulate online services
Americans’ lives are increasingly reliant on online services and affected by their economic, consumer, and civic harms. A robust regulatory framework, paired with new privacy protections and reinvigorated antitrust action, is needed to address the threats these services pose.
Countering violent political extremism
Countering insurgent threats is critical to maintaining our democracy. As part of this work, we have crafted a national blueprint with the McCain Institute to end white supremacist violence. Our plan draws on expertise across CAP and from more than 150 conversations with a diverse range of stakeholders.
By the numbers
59
Gerrymandering shifted an average of 59 seats in the U.S. House from 2012 to 2016.
Source: CAP, “Voter-Determined Districts” (2019).
1 in 10
42 senators, representing only about 1/10 of the U.S. population, can filibuster popular bills.
Source: CAP, “The Impact of the Filibuster on Federal Policymaking” (2019).
30%
The U.S. population has grown by about 30% since the federal bench’s last meaningful expansion.
Source: CAP, “It Is Past Time for Congress To Expand the Lower Courts” (2021).
81%
81% of voters believe tech companies have too much power and influence over politics and government.
Source: CAP Action, “Voters Support Enacting Stronger Consumer Protections Online” (2021).
What You Can Do
Recent work
Electoral Count Act Reform Is Now Within Reach
Supreme Court May Adopt Extreme MAGA Election Theory That Threatens Democracy
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Electoral Count Act Reform Is Now Within Reach
With the latest version of the Electoral Count Reform Act, the Senate just a took a critical step toward preventing another insurrection.
Supreme Court May Adopt Extreme MAGA Election Theory That Threatens Democracy
In its upcoming term, the Supreme Court will decide Moore v. Harper, a case involving the extreme “independent state legislature” theory that endangers free and fair elections.
What To Expect When the January 6 Hearings Resume
Here’s everything you need to know before the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol resumes its hearings September 28.
New Global Progress Survey Highlights the Major Challenges of Global Inflation
The rising cost of living is hitting citizens everywhere.
Understanding the Biden Administration’s Technology Policy Platform
With a recent White House meeting, the Biden administration has laid out a vision for U.S. technology policy.
Focus Assistance to Tunisia—Don’t Suspend It
Gordon Gray argues that the United States should continue assistance programs that will further its core interests—security and democracy—rather than cutting off assistance to Tunisia following President Kais Saied’s anti-democratic power grab this past summer.
Guns Are Fueling the Rise in Domestic Extremist Violence Across the Country
The rise in domestic extremism across the country is being fueled by easy access to guns and dangerous right-wing propaganda.
The ADA at 32: Understanding the Rights of Disabled Asylum-Seekers
Experts discuss the Americans with Disabilities Act while highlighting the important intersection between immigration and disability rights.
Crossing the Border: How Disability Civil Rights Protections Can Include Disabled Asylum-Seekers
Civil rights protections designed to protect disabled people from discrimination, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, are powerful tools for ensuring that disabled asylum-seekers have access to the protection and services they need in the U.S. immigration system.
The FBI’s Mar-a-Lago Papers Search
Former President Trump didn’t just abscond with classified material he wasn’t allowed to have; he may have gravely harmed U.S. national security at the same time.
How State Attorneys General Can Protect Abortion Rights
As some states seek to criminalize abortion within their borders, attorneys general can take many actions to ensure access to abortion care in at least some states.
Important takeaways from Kansas’ vote for a constitutional right to abortion
Elyssa Spitzer reacts to Kansas' recent vote to retain its state constitution’s protection of a right to abortion. She discusses why, despite this important victory for women’s health and equality, abortion rights should not be left to the ballot but instead be recognized in the federal constitution as a fundamental right.