William J. Roberts is the managing director for Democracy Policy at American Progress. In this role, he helps to manage American Progress’ Democracy and Legal Progress portfolio. His work focuses on developing reforms that remove structural barriers in order to build power for everyday people like expanding voting rights, ensuring a fairer judiciary, and establishing a more ethical and accountable government.
Prior to joining American Progress, Roberts was the legislative director and chief counsel for Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD). As the leader of Rep. Raskin’s legislative team, he developed policy and legislative strategy and oversaw Rep. Raskin’s work on the House Judiciary, Oversight, Administration, and Rules committees. He also worked on a variety of issues related to transportation, education, elections, voting rights, ethics, criminal justice, civil rights, financial services, and appropriations. He was previously the federal legislative director at Every Voice, where he worked to advance small-donor elections systems at the municipal, state, and federal levels. Additionally, he worked as a legislative assistant for former Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD).
Roberts is a proud alumnus of Howard University, where he obtained his law degree and bachelor’s degree in political science.
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