Demos: A Network for Ideas and Action

For many immigrants, language can be an insurmountable barrier to participating in our democracy. When our Directory of Democracy, Phi Nguyen, helped her mom vote for the first time in 2016, it took a community of advocates to ensure her voice was heard. https://demos.nyc/4dYFZTu

Voting is the cornerstone of democracy. Unfortunately for thousands of voters, particularly voters of color, significant gaps in federal language access laws have left many without an active voice in our democracy. In our latest report, we outline a series of steps state and local policymakers should enact to ensure that all voters, especially Limited English Proficient (LEP) voters, have a say in electing who represents them. demos.org/language-access

52 years ago, the Clean Water Act was signed into law to protect America’s waterways and public health. However, decades of disinvestment, privatization, and neglect have made clean, accessible, and affordable water—a basic life necessity—a pipe dream for many. But we can fight back. As our 2022 case study on Pittsburgh’s Our Water Campaign demonstrates, through organizing, we can win against the corporatization of public goods and keep clean water accessible to all: https://demos.nyc/3A6LYYy

Each day spent living in poverty is another day spent living without one’s basic necessities. On #EndPovertyDay we remind our elected leaders that we can change this. Let’s build an economy where everyone has enough to thrive, not just get by. To ensure economic security for all, Dēmos is working to: 🔸See that all workers earn thriving wages 🔸Rebalance workplace power so workers get an equitable share of the value they create 🔸Make sure that everyone has access to the goods/services needed to live comfortably Learn more about our work at poweragenda.org.

Amazon is making a major push for #AmazonPrimeDays. What they don’t tell you is this means more pressure on their warehouse workers, who are already overworked, underpaid, and often subject to unsafe working conditions. The For Us, Not Amazon coalition (FUNA) coalition’s case study uncovers the devastating impacts of Amazon’s unbridled expansion, particularly its toll on Black, brown, and low-income communities. Read it here: https://demos.nyc/amazon

📢New Report: 2.3 million voters “missing” in the state of Tennessee, largely due to discriminatory state voting laws and systemic underinvestment in voting. Our new report with Organize Tennessee has identified 2.3 million Tenneseans as “missing voters” or voters who have not voted in the past three federal elections with Black, Asian and Latino overrepresented in the state’s missing voter population. Long wait times at the polls, lack of same day and automatic voter registration, strict voter ID laws and other voting restrictions were found to hurt turnout and voter registration, disproportionately thwarting Black and brown voter power in the Volunteer State. Check out our full report, including  state-level recommendations to address the glaring racial disparities in Tennessean voter registration and turnout  ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/eRskEt8E 

Tennessee is among the worst states for voter registration and turnout, especially for voters of color. What's to blame? Systemic underinvestment in the state’s voting infrastructure and discriminatory voter suppression laws. Get the full picture here: https://lnkd.in/eh9d5ajE

New Supreme Court term, same demands: ✔️Binding code of ethics ✔️Term limits ✔️Court expansion ICYMI – Check out our case for Supreme Court reform: https://lnkd.in/e6XuQtz8

Voter purges are an often overlooked voter suppression tactic deployed by bad-faith actors to strip power away from Black and brown communities. Read about our work to protect the right to vote in the Ohio Capital Journal. https://demos.nyc/3TX0lW6

On average, Latinas working full time, year-round typically make 57 cents for every dollar white men make. They perform the same jobs, have the same skill sets and they deserve #PayEquity. #LatinaEqualPay