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Restoring Social Trust in Democracy

Democracy is under attack at home and abroad. We must act to ensure it is accessible to all, accountable, and can serve as a force of good.

A voting rights activist dresses as "Ms. Liberty," August 2021. (Getty/Alex Wong)
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).

Voter-Determined Districts

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).

A thunderstorm passes over the U.S. Capitol building, July 2019. (A thunderstorm passes over the U.S. Capitol building)
The Impact of the Filibuster on Federal Policymaking

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).

A a statue of blind justice is seen outside the Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, September 2016. (Getty/AFP/Brendan Smialowski)
It Is Past Time for Congress To Expand the Lower Courts

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).

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Regional Recalibration After the Iran Strikes Article

Regional Recalibration After the Iran Strikes

President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran has upended a careful balance regional actors have long sought to strike between the United States, Israel, and Iran.

H.A. Hellyer

Trump’s Short-Sighted Africa Strategy Article

Trump’s Short-Sighted Africa Strategy

The Trump administration views the African continent as “peripheral” to U.S. interests—a gross strategic miscalculation that will set back America’s security, competitiveness, and influence in the years to come.

Melissa Zelikoff

An Update on Military Actions in Iran Past Event
President Donald Trump tours the assembly line at the Ford River Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Michigan.

An Update on Military Actions in Iran

CAP experts are ready to fill you in on the details and repercussions of military actions in Iran.

Online via Zoom

Are the Iran strikes a good idea? In the News

Are the Iran strikes a good idea?

In a symposium for NOTUS, Damian Murphy argued that the U.S. strikes on Iran were wrong and unlawful, adding that American voters don't support regime change wars.

NOTUS

Damian Murphy

What Both Anthropic and the Pentagon Get Wrong In the News

What Both Anthropic and the Pentagon Get Wrong

In an op-ed for The New York Times, Frank Kendall writes about the standoff between Anthropic and the Department of Defense, arguing that Congress must pass strong regulations on artificial intelligence to ensure a level playing field and balanced interests.

The New York Times

Frank Kendall

The SAVE America Act Explained: How the New ‘Show Your Papers’ Voting Bill Is Even More Extreme Than the SAVE Act Report
U.S. Capitol at night with various lights

The SAVE America Act Explained: How the New ‘Show Your Papers’ Voting Bill Is Even More Extreme Than the SAVE Act

At President Donald Trump’s urging, Congress is intent on passing an even more extreme version of the SAVE Act. But no matter what the far right calls these “show your papers” bills, its push to require Americans to show a passport or birth certificate to vote threatens to silence millions.

Gréta Bedekovics

How Trump’s Unilateral Foreign Policy Has Eroded American Power Article
An American flag flies near the dome of the U.S. Capitol.

How Trump’s Unilateral Foreign Policy Has Eroded American Power

In his State of the Union address, President Trump will attempt to project strength. But while his administration’s unilateral foreign policy—from military strikes on Iran to reckless tariffs—expands the bounds of executive power, it has only weakened the United States on the world stage.

Allison McManus, Dawn Le

Reining in DHS and Restoring Accountability Past Event

Reining in DHS and Restoring Accountability

Join a virtual discussion with the authors of five commonsense reforms to rein in DHS.

How middle powers can build a truly inclusive post-Trump order In the News

How middle powers can build a truly inclusive post-Trump order

H.A. Hellyer comments on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's remarks in Davos and how the world's middle powers can band together to create a more inclusive global order after Trump.

Prospect

H.A. Hellyer

Marco Rubio’s Deal: Trading Venezuelan Democracy for Oil Article
Marco Rubio facing cameras across table

Marco Rubio’s Deal: Trading Venezuelan Democracy for Oil

Despite claiming to be a champion of freedom in the Western Hemisphere, Secretary of State Rubio’s Venezuela strategy has traded a democratic transition for oil access for the United States, sidelining the opposition and preserving the authoritarian regime.

Frances Colón

The Trump Administration’s ICE and CBP Have Become a Threat to Americans: Congress Must Ensure That DHS Follows the Law and Adopts Commonsense Reforms Article
ICE agents detain woman on ground

The Trump Administration’s ICE and CBP Have Become a Threat to Americans: Congress Must Ensure That DHS Follows the Law and Adopts Commonsense Reforms

The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security is out of control, endangering the well-being and lives of Americans. DHS must follow the law and fulfill its role to enhance—not compromise—the security of Americans and the homeland.

Dan Herman, Allie Preston, Gréta Bedekovics, 5 More Ben Olinsky, Ben Greenho, Rosa Barrientos-Ferrer, Silva Mathema, Debu Gandhi

The TikTok Deal Leaves Many Questions Unanswered Article

The TikTok Deal Leaves Many Questions Unanswered

The TikTok deal encapsulates every abusive practice of the Trump administration—secrecy, unprecedented claims of executive power, and noncompliance with the law.

Adam Conner

Illiberal International: The Transatlantic Right’s Challenge to Democracy In the News

Illiberal International: The Transatlantic Right’s Challenge to Democracy

In a chapter published in the European Center for Populism Studies’ report “Populism and the Future of Transatlantic Relations: Challenges and Policy Options,” Robert Benson investigates the transatlantic dimensions of far-right political mobilization, tracing the networks linking populist and authoritarian actors across Europe and the United States.

European Center for Populism Studies

Robert Benson

Iran and the Limits of American Power In the News

Iran and the Limits of American Power

Andrew Miller writes in Foreign Affairs about what a U.S. military strike in Iran would and would not achieve.

Foreign Affairs

Andrew Miller

Making Sense of Iranian Protests and U.S. Response Past Event

Making Sense of Iranian Protests and U.S. Response

Please join the Center for American Progress for a discussion that will explore the significance of the protests and assess the implications of potential U.S. responses.

Online via Zoom

This is how we solve America’s housing crisis Newsletter

This is how we solve America’s housing crisis

Join Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and others to learn what an ambitious housing agenda should look like

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