Democracy

How West Virginia Elections Would Look Different if the Freedom to Vote Act Had Been Enacted

Passage of the Freedom to Vote Act would have expanded access to voter registration and the ballot box for thousands of West Virginians for the 2024 election.

How North Carolina Elections Would Look Different if the Freedom to Vote Act Had Been Enacted

Passage of the Freedom to Vote Act would have expanded access to voter registration and the ballot box for millions of North Carolinians for the 2024 election.

How Delaware Elections Would Look Different if the Freedom to Vote Act Had Been Enacted

Passage of the Freedom to Vote Act would have expanded access to voter registration and the ballot box for millions of Delawareans for the 2024 election.

How Kentucky Elections Would Look Different if the Freedom to Vote Act Had Been Enacted

Passage of the Freedom to Vote Act would have expanded access to voter registration and the ballot box for millions of Kentuckians for the 2024 election.

The Dangers of Project 2025: Global Lessons in Authoritarianism

Far-right policies such as the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 threaten American democracy by mirroring authoritarian tactics seen in Hungary, Turkey, and beyond.

How the Biden-Harris Administration Is Ensuring Voting Accessibility

Disabled voters face significant barriers to voting, which the Biden-Harris administration has taken significant action to address.

How Wisconsin Elections Would Look Different if the Freedom to Vote Act Had Been Enacted

Passage of the Freedom to Vote Act would have expanded access to voter registration and the ballot box for millions of Wisconsinites for the 2024 election.

How Florida Elections Would Look Different if the Freedom to Vote Act Had Been Enacted

Passage of the Freedom to Vote Act would have expanded access to voter registration and the ballot box for millions of Floridians for the 2024 election.

How Ohio Elections Would Look Different if the Freedom to Vote Act Had Been Enacted

Passage of the Freedom to Vote Act would have expanded access to voter registration and the ballot box for millions of Ohioans for the 2024 election.

How Texas Elections Would Look Different if the Freedom to Vote Act Had Been Enacted

Passage of the Freedom to Vote Act would have expanded access to voter registration and the ballot box for millions of Texans for the 2024 election.

Project 2025 Would Destroy the U.S. System of Checks and Balances and Create an Imperial Presidency

Far-right extremists have a plan to shatter democracy’s guardrails, giving presidents almost unlimited power to implement policies that will hurt everyday Americans and strip them of fundamental rights.

Pass the Freedom to Vote Act: How Elections Would Look Different This Year and in the Future

Key voting rights legislation that Congress has been working to pass for years would have transformed election administration and security across the country ahead of the 2024 election cycle and guaranteed all Americans easy access to the ballot box.

Frequently Asked Questions About Project 2025

Project 2025 would concentrate federal power in the presidency, direct all levers of government to dismantle democracy, and pull the rug out from under America’s middle class.

A Roadmap To Ensure All Americans Are Effectively Represented by Their Government

A commonsense and bold set of reforms can build a strong democracy for the 21st century and a government that is responsive to everyday people.

Democracies Deliver Better Economic Opportunities, Rights, and Health for Their People

7 Reasons Americans Should Care About Their Democracy

Core shared values are foundational to a strong American democracy that reflects the will of the people.

Government Is Failing Many Americans, But Rejecting Democracy Is Not the Answer

The solution to an unresponsive democracy is not replacing it with autocracy, but instead building a stronger system answerable to the people.

An American Democracy Built for the People: Why Democracy Matters and How To Make It Work for the 21st Century

Although democracy is failing to meet the needs of many Americans, it is far preferable to an autocratic system, and it can be modernized with a compelling set of reforms.

Reforming Elections for a Better Democracy: Alaska as a Case Study

This video about Alaska’s “Final Four” election system brings together Alaskan legislative leaders from across the aisle to discuss how this system works and early results indicating this reform can create a more representative democracy, decrease polarization, and help incentivize consensus building and more bipartisan governing.

Congress should block aid to Egypt

In an op-ed published in The Hill, Allison McManus argues that instead of releasing $320 million in military aid, Congress should hold Cairo accountable for its flagrant human rights violations.

Gen Z Voters Could Determine the Outcome of the 2024 Elections If They Turn Out

In an op-ed published in Teen Vogue, Rebecca Mears describes how young voters ages 18 to 24 have the power to shape the course of the 2024 presidential election.

Fact Sheet: Local School Board Elections Matter

Local school boards help shape their communities, yet few people show up to their elections.

CAP Changemakers: Reforming the Courts

This conversation with Devon Ombres and Jake Faleschini highlights CAP’s role in the current movement to reform the courts in an effort to make justice more fair and transparent.

The Power of One Vote

Elections help determine the quality of the air Americans breathe, the water they drink, and everything else in between; and more often than people realize, these elections come down to just a handful of votes.

Project 2025 Is Already a Reality in Many States

Here are examples of how some states are already working to implement the extreme policies outlined in Project 2025.

CAP Comment on the FCC’s Proposed Rule for the Disclosure of AI-Generated Content in Political and Issue Ads

The Center for American Progress submitted a comment to the Federal Communications Commission explaining that the FCC’s proposed rule aligns with existing policies and practices.

Practical Steps To Build Strong Political Norms and Stop Political Violence

As American democracy faces significant challenges, people must work together to help set healthy political norms and reject a culture that allows political violence to flourish.

We can mend our national division

In an op-ed published by The Baltimore Sun, Michael Sozan, Cissy Jackson, and the Cato Institute’s Walter Olson offer guidance on how to turn down the temperature in this fraught political moment.

Project 2025 Will Undermine America’s National Security

The far-right policy proposals in Project 2025 will fundamentally undermine the national and economic security of the United States, benefiting its adversaries and making all Americans less safe.

Project 2025’s Plan To Gut Checks and Balances Harms the American People

The new authoritarian playbook would devastate Americans in many ways.

Trump v. United States: A Foundation for Authoritarian Actions an American President Can Now Commit with Impunity

The majority of the Supreme Court granted presidents an unprecedented amount of power, with far-reaching consequences for the American system of government and democracy itself.

Despite Defying His Own Lawful Subpoena, Rep. Jim Jordan Has Issued At Least 91 Subpoenas to Others

Accountability is needed for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who has created an antidemocratic, two-tiered system of justice as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Fact Sheets: The Harmful Effects of Project 2025, by State

These fact sheets provide insight into how Project 2025 would affect people in states across the country.

The Supreme Court’s Presidential Immunity Case, the Threat to Democracy, and the Path Forward

Please join the Center for American Progress for a virtual event that will address the threats the current U.S. Supreme Court and a future president could pose to the foundation of American democracy.

Combining Ethics and Term Limits Strengthens Efforts To Rein in a Supreme Court Run Amok

Supreme Court decisions undermining the rule of law and weakening constitutional checks and balances exemplify the need for term limits for justices, a binding code of ethics, and additional reforms to rein in an out-of-control judiciary.

Project 2025 Would End DHS Law Enforcement Training

The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers would be collateral damage in Project 2025’s proposed dismantling of the Department of Homeland Security.

Project 2025 Compels Local Prosecutors To Enforce Extreme Right-Wing Laws

Project 2025 seeks to impose a right-wing policy agenda by threatening federal legal action against local officials who refuse to enforce abortion bans.

What Is Project 2025?

The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is a road map for how a new, far-right presidential administration could take over the country. Maya Angelou said it best: "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."

4 Ways Unions Make Our Economy and Democracy Stronger

Unions raise wages for workers, reduce inequality, increase voter turnout, and advance middle-class interests; policymakers should make strengthening unions a top priority.

Project 2025: Exposing the Far-Right Assault on America

Please join the Center for American Progress for an event discussing the implications of Project 2025 for all Americans and the ways in which its policy proposals are already having an impact at the state level.

Project 2025: The Plan To Seize Power by Gutting America’s System of Checks and Balances

Project 2025—and the budget plans it has spawned—would erode Americans’ personal freedoms and harm the middle class, starting by consolidating power in the presidency just as authoritarian governments have done in other countries around the world.

The Supreme Court Has Fully Embraced an Antidemocratic, Right-Wing Agenda

The Supreme Court has taken off its mask this term by creating unconstitutional de facto immunity for future presidents who act illegally and by gutting the ability of public agencies and Congress to protect Americans from abuse by right-wing special interests.

Project 2025 Would Eliminate Head Start, Severely Restricting Access to Child Care in Rural America

If enacted, the elimination of Head Start would undermine economic growth and exacerbate inequalities among families with young children.

The Major SCOTUS Cases: Threats to the Rule of Law Posed by the Supreme Court’s 2023 Term

The Supreme Court’s decisions in the coming days are likely to wrest away basic personal freedoms and stop public agencies from keeping Americans safe at the behest of billionaires and corporations.

Democracy at a Crossroads: A Q&A About Free and Fair Elections With EAC Chairman Benjamin Hovland

As America’s election system continues to face formidable challenges, Chairman Benjamin Hovland of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission again shares his views with CAP about ways to respond.

Taking Further Agency Action on AI

This joint report from Governing for Impact and the Center for American Progress maps select agencies’ existing statutory authority to protect consumers, workers, and families from potential artificial intelligence harms.

EU Elections: What the Results Mean and Why They Matter

While pro-European and democratic forces hold the majority in the EU parliament elections, far-right gains portend trouble ahead.

The Far Right’s Invitation for Foreign Interference in U.S. Elections

U.S. elections belong in the hands of the American people alone, but the far right is trying to roll back foreign interference protections and allow adversaries to tip the scales in elections.

New Jersey voters have fewer protections than New Yorkers. It’s time to fix that.

Rebecca Mears argues in the New Jersey Monitor why the state of New Jersey should pass its own voting rights act.

Amid 2024 Global Elections, Mexico’s Is Most Important for the United States

While the defense of democracy in the United States remains the existential task at hand for Americans, we must also help our southern neighbor stand up for democracy to ensure the vibrancy, peace, and prosperity of North America.

Point: The Legitimacy of the Supreme Court Hangs in the Balance

Ben Olinsky writes in "DC Journal" about why ethics reform is necessary at the Supreme Court.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Is Spearheading a Judicial Power Grab

The rogue 5th Circuit Court has helped undermine the separation of powers, established precedent, and principled legal reasoning to accomplish right-wing policy goals; the Supreme Court continuing to follow suit would strip power away from elected representatives and American voters.

American politicians forget: disruption and disorder are the point of protests

In The Guardian, CAP CEO Patrick Gaspard writes about the ongoing campus protests.

Principles for Universities Responding to Campus Protests Over Gaza

In their response to student protests over the war in Gaza, colleges and universities must prioritize free speech, while ensuring that the safety of all students is protected.

How the Racist History of the Filibuster Lives on Today

By blocking the passage of the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the filibuster continues its long history as an institutional tool used to oppress Black and brown Americans.

Citizens United Overreach: New CAP Report Reveals Legal Risk in For-Profit Corporate Boards’ Political Spending

Join CAP for a virtual discussion on Citizens United overreach.

Citizens United Gave Corporations, But Not Their Boards, the Authority To Spend in Candidate Elections

Since 2010, corporate boards and management have been handing over the constitutional rights of individual U.S.-citizen shareholders to large shareholders and foreign nationals; shareholders can put a stop to this, and lawmakers, regulators, and courts can help them.

The Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement and the Continued Fight for Rights

A conversation with Sen. Doug Jones and civil rights attorney Fred Gray

The Protection of Voting Rights Requires State Action

As legislation on voting rights awaits action in Congress—and states continue to pass restrictive, discriminatory voting policies and the courts strip federal voter protections—states must step up and protect the right to vote.

Sen. Mark Warner Discusses the Potential Impacts of the Murthy v. Missouri Case

The policy implications are wide-ranging.