Good Government And Democracy Reform
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
CATEGORY: Voting Rights, Voting Access, and Election Administration
Experts Alarmed as Trump Launches Broad-Front Attack on US Voting Rights
| Sam Levine | The Guardian | June 16, 2026
This article reports on a wave of federal actions and lawsuits affecting voting rules, mail ballots, voter data, and election administration. It is useful for democracy-reform coverage because it shows why voting-access protections, state election independence, and civil-rights enforcement remain central good-government issues.
FBI Raid of Ohio Voting Rights Group Stokes Fear of Pre-Midterm Crackdown
| Sam Levine | The Guardian | June 12, 2026
The FBI raid on the Ohio Organizing Collaborative raised alarms among voting-rights advocates, who warned that aggressive federal investigations could intimidate voter-registration groups before the 2026 midterms. The story is useful for democracy-reform coverage because it shows why civil-society organizing, voter registration, and legal protections for civic groups remain central to free and fair elections.
A Conservative California County Is Trying to Kill Mail-In Voting
| Sam Levine | The Guardian | June 10, 2026
Shasta County voters approved a measure that would sharply restrict mail voting, require photo ID, and mandate hand-counting, setting up a likely clash with California law. The story is useful for democracy-reform coverage because state protections may prevent one county from dismantling voting access used by most local voters.
Delaware House Testimony in Support of the Delaware Voting Rights Act
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | June 10, 2026
Campaign Legal Center supported a Delaware Voting Rights Act as part of the growing state-level movement to protect voters from discrimination and vote dilution. The proposed reform would give voters stronger legal tools to challenge unfair local election systems and protect equal participation when federal safeguards are weakened.
Delaware House Testimony in Support of the Delaware Voting Rights Act
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | June 10, 2026
Campaign Legal Center describes support for a Delaware Voting Rights Act as part of the wider movement for state-level voting protections. The reform would give voters stronger tools to challenge discriminatory election rules, unfair local systems, and barriers that dilute community voting power.
Advocating for Fair Maps for Utahns
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | June 9, 2026
This case challenges Utah lawmakers’ treatment of voter-approved anti-gerrymandering reforms and seeks to defend fair maps for Utah voters. It is a democracy-reform story because it focuses on whether politicians can override direct-democracy reforms that were designed to stop partisan map manipulation.
Campaign Legal Center Alleges Straw Donor Secretly Funded Pop-Up Super PAC Targeting Kentucky
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | June 9, 2026
Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint alleging that a hidden donor secretly financed a super PAC involved in Kentucky politics. The case highlights the importance of campaign-finance disclosure, because voters need to know who is paying for political messages in order to judge them honestly.
Advocating for Fair Maps for Utahns
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | June 9, 2026
This case challenges Utah’s congressional map after voters had approved reforms against partisan gerrymandering. The litigation is a democracy-reform example because it seeks to defend voter-approved fair-map rules and protect the principle that politicians should not be able to override anti-gerrymandering reforms.
CLC Alleges Straw Donor Secretly Funded Pop-Up Super PAC Targeting Kentucky
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | June 9, 2026
Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint alleging that a hidden donor secretly financed a super PAC in Kentucky. The case highlights why campaign-finance disclosure matters: voters cannot judge political messages fairly when the true source of election spending is concealed.
Georgia Proposal Could Supercharge Frivolous Mass Voter Challenges
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | June 2, 2026
Campaign Legal Center opposed a Georgia election-board proposal that could make mass voter challenges easier. The article is important for voting-access reform because frivolous challenges can intimidate eligible voters, burden election workers, and create new pathways for wrongful removal from the rolls.
CLC Comment in Response to Georgia State Board of Election Proposal to Supercharge Frivolous Mass Challenges
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | June 2, 2026
Campaign Legal Center opposed a Georgia proposal that could make mass voter challenges easier. The article is important for voting-access coverage because frivolous challenges can intimidate voters, burden election officials, and remove eligible people from the rolls.
Strengthening Democracy Through State Voting Rights Acts
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | June 2, 2026
This article explains how State Voting Rights Acts can protect voters beyond the floor set by federal law. These reforms can prohibit vote dilution, expand language access, require review of harmful voting changes, and give communities stronger ways to challenge discriminatory election systems.
Strengthening Democracy Through State Voting Rights Acts
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | June 2, 2026
This article explains why State Voting Rights Acts are becoming a major democracy-reform tool as federal voting protections weaken. These laws allow states to ban discriminatory voting practices, protect against vote dilution, and give voters stronger legal tools to challenge unfair election systems.
Defending Vote by Mail From the Trump Administration’s Unconstitutional Executive Overreach
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | May 28, 2026
Campaign Legal Center describes litigation challenging federal interference with vote-by-mail rules. The case matters because mail voting is a major access tool for students, military families, disabled voters, older voters, and citizens who cannot easily vote in person.
Connecticut Expands Mail Voting, Catching Up to Most Other States
| Alex Burness | Bolts | May 22, 2026
Connecticut enacted a law allowing any voter to request a mail ballot without needing an excuse. The reform modernizes a voting system that had lagged behind most states and gives voters more flexibility to participate in elections.
State Voting Laws Roundup: May 2026
| Brennan Center Staff | Brennan Center for Justice | May 19, 2026
The Brennan Center reviews voting laws enacted in early 2026, including restrictive measures, expansive reforms, and election-administration changes. The roundup is useful for tracking where states are making voting easier, where new barriers are emerging, and how election rules are changing before the midterms.
State Voting Laws Roundup: May 2026
| Brennan Center Staff | Brennan Center for Justice | May 19, 2026
The Brennan Center reviews voting laws enacted in early 2026, including measures that expand access, restrict voting, or affect election administration. The roundup is useful for tracking where states are strengthening democracy and where new legal conflicts over voting access are emerging.
State Voting Laws Roundup: May 2026
| Brennan Center Staff | Brennan Center for Justice | May 19, 2026
The Brennan Center reviews voting laws passed in the first part of 2026, including restrictive laws, expansive laws, and measures affecting election administration. The roundup is useful because it gives a national view of where states are expanding voting access and where new barriers or election-interference risks are emerging.
Connecticut Approves Universal Vote-by-Mail Option
| Mark Pazniokas | CT Mirror | May 6, 2026
Connecticut gave final legislative approval to no-excuse absentee voting, making voting by mail a universal option for voters. The reform followed a 2024 constitutional amendment and represents a major voting-access expansion in a state that had long required voters to provide an approved excuse to cast absentee ballots.
The Court Interred the Voting Rights Act Without the Dignity of a Funeral
| Ask Bolts and Daniel Nichanian | Bolts | May 5, 2026
Bolts interviews redistricting experts about the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais and its effect on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The article helps explain why state voting-rights laws, fair-map litigation, and new civil-rights strategies have become even more important.
Push for State-Level Voting Rights Acts Renewed After Supreme Court Ruling
| Sam Levine | The Guardian | May 1, 2026
Civil-rights advocates and lawmakers renewed efforts to pass State Voting Rights Acts after a Supreme Court ruling weakened federal protections. The article highlights a practical path for democracy reform: states can build their own safeguards against voter suppression, discrimination, intimidation, and vote dilution.
The Supreme Court Just Gutted the Voting Rights Act
| Common Cause Staff | Common Cause | April 29, 2026
Common Cause explains the effect of a Supreme Court ruling that weakened a key Voting Rights Act protection for fair districts. The article is useful for democracy-reform coverage because it connects federal court decisions to the urgent need for state voting-rights laws, fair maps, and renewed federal protections.
FairVote News Update: April 24, 2026
| Will Mantell | FairVote | April 24, 2026
FairVote summarizes recent ranked-choice voting developments, including implementation work in Washington, D.C. and legislative progress in Virginia. The article is useful for democracy reform because it shows ranked-choice voting moving from theory into real election administration and voter education.
Campaign Legal Center 2025 Annual Report
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | April 24, 2026
Campaign Legal Center’s annual report summarizes work on voting rights, fair redistricting, campaign-finance reform, ethics, and rule-of-law litigation. It is useful as a broad source on how legal advocacy groups are defending democracy through courts, policy work, and public accountability campaigns.
The Voting Rights Act Is Up for Debate Before the Supreme Court: Louisiana v. Callais
| Common Cause Staff | Common Cause | April 23, 2026
This article explains why Louisiana v. Callais matters for fair representation and voting rights. It focuses on whether communities of color can continue to use the Voting Rights Act to challenge maps that dilute their political power.
Your State-by-State Guide to the 2026 Supreme Court Elections
| Daniel Nichanian | Bolts | April 20, 2026
Bolts reviews state supreme court elections taking place across the country in 2026 and explains how they could affect redistricting, ballot access, abortion rights, and other democratic questions. The article is useful because state courts are increasingly important protectors or weak points for voting rights and election rules.
What’s in the New Executive Order on Elections?
| Bipartisan Policy Center Staff | Bipartisan Policy Center | April 14, 2026
The Bipartisan Policy Center explains the legal and administrative issues raised by a federal election executive order. The article is useful for good-government coverage because it clarifies the constitutional limits of presidential power over elections and emphasizes the state and local structure of U.S. election administration.
What’s in the New Executive Order on Elections?
| Bipartisan Policy Center Staff | Bipartisan Policy Center | April 14, 2026
The Bipartisan Policy Center explains limits on presidential power over election administration and reviews the legal questions raised by a federal election executive order. The article is useful for good-government coverage because it emphasizes that U.S. elections are mainly run by states and localities, not the White House.
In Win for Voters, Arizona Supreme Court Rejects String of Anti-Voting Lawsuits
| Democracy Docket Staff | Democracy Docket | March 30, 2026
Arizona voters won a series of important election-law victories when the Arizona Supreme Court declined to hear three challenges aimed at mail voting, election procedures, and certification rules. The rulings left in place safeguards for signature verification, standardized vote counting, and election administration, blocking efforts that could have made ballot rejection and local interference more likely.
Common Cause Massachusetts Launches Pro-Democracy People Power Platform
| Common Cause Massachusetts Staff | Common Cause Massachusetts | March 12, 2026
Common Cause Massachusetts launched a state reform platform focused on voting access, transparency, ethics, and people-powered democracy. The platform shows how state-level organizations convert broad democratic values into specific legislative goals.
Fact Sheet: Ranked Choice Voting and 2026 Primaries
| FairVote Staff | FairVote | February 26, 2026
FairVote explains how ranked-choice voting could help crowded primary elections produce nominees with broader support. The fact sheet is useful for democracy reform because crowded primaries can allow candidates to win with small pluralities, while ranked ballots let voters express backup choices.
Protecting the Freedom to Vote Through State Voting Rights Acts
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | January 23, 2026
Campaign Legal Center explains how State Voting Rights Acts can protect voters from discrimination, vote dilution, and unfair local election systems. The article is useful because it frames state-level civil-rights laws as a practical response to weakened federal voting protections.
Protecting the Freedom to Vote Through State Voting Rights Acts
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | January 23, 2026
Campaign Legal Center explains how model State Voting Rights Act legislation can help states stop discriminatory election rules, unfair maps, and vote dilution. The article is useful because it presents state-level civil-rights protection as a practical path when federal voting safeguards are weakened.
State Voting Laws Roundup: 2025 in Review
| Brennan Center Staff | Brennan Center for Justice | January 21, 2026
The Brennan Center reviews state voting laws passed in 2025, noting both restrictive and expansive trends. The report is useful for democracy-reform coverage because it gives a national picture of which states expanded access and which created new barriers.
State Voting Laws Roundup: 2025 in Review
| Brennan Center Staff | Brennan Center for Justice | January 21, 2026
This report reviews the voting-law landscape across the United States in 2025, showing a year of both major threats and continued pro-voter reforms. While restrictive laws remained high, states also enacted expansive laws improving access to the ballot, creating a useful national snapshot of where democracy reform is advancing and where it is under attack.
Democracy in 2026: What You Should Be Watching
| Common Cause Staff | Common Cause | January 20, 2026
Common Cause identifies major democracy issues to watch in 2026, including redistricting, voting rights, campaign money, and checks and balances. The article is useful as a broad reform overview because it connects state-level battles with national democratic stability.
Democracy in 2026: What You Should Be Watching
| Common Cause Staff | Common Cause | January 20, 2026
Common Cause reviews major democracy issues heading into 2026, including voting rights, campaign money, checks and balances, and state-level reform. The article emphasizes that democracy defense includes both opposing anti-democratic actions and building stronger public systems.
Democracy in 2026: What You Should Be Watching
| Common Cause Staff | Common Cause | January 20, 2026
Common Cause reviews major democracy issues heading into 2026, including voting rights, money in politics, attacks on checks and balances, and grassroots reform wins. The article emphasizes that state and local democracy work can produce real victories even during periods of national democratic stress.
It’s Time: Virginians Will Decide Whether to Repeal Jim Crow-Era Lifetime Ban on Voting
| Alex Burness | Bolts | January 16, 2026
Virginia voters will decide whether to end the state’s lifetime felony disenfranchisement system and automatically restore voting rights after incarceration. The reform would remove a major Jim Crow-era barrier to participation and shift rights restoration away from governor-by-governor discretion.
“It’s Time”: Virginians Will Decide Whether to Repeal Jim Crow-Era Lifetime Ban on Voting
| Alex Burness | Bolts | January 16, 2026
Virginia voters will decide whether to end the state’s lifetime felony disenfranchisement system and automatically restore voting rights after incarceration. The proposal targets one of the country’s harshest rights-restoration systems and would remove a major Jim Crow-era barrier to democratic participation.
Seven Legal Questions That Will Shape Democracy in 2026
| Quinn Yeargain | Bolts | January 13, 2026
This article previews court fights over the Voting Rights Act, redistricting, direct democracy, and ballot access. It is useful for tracking how democracy reform often depends on litigation and how courts can either protect or weaken voter power.
2026 Legislative Priorities
| Common Cause Maryland Staff | Common Cause Maryland | January 13, 2026
Common Cause Maryland outlines a pro-democracy agenda that includes a Maryland Voting Rights Act and other reforms to protect fair participation. The priorities show how state legislatures can expand voting access and build civil-rights protections at the local level.
Seven Legal Questions That Will Shape Democracy in 2026
| Quinn Yeargain | Bolts | January 13, 2026
This article previews major court battles that could shape voting rights, redistricting, ballot access, and direct democracy in 2026. It is useful for tracking where democracy reform may depend on litigation, especially as courts consider the future of the Voting Rights Act and state-level restrictions on citizen lawmaking.
Americans by Name, Punished for Believing It
| Alex Burness | Bolts | January 8, 2026
Bolts examines the legal limbo faced by American Samoans in Alaska, where confusion over citizenship and voting eligibility has led to prosecution and fear. The article shows how colonial status, citizenship rules, and election enforcement can combine to exclude people from democratic participation.
Americans by Name, Punished for Believing It
| Alex Burness | Bolts | January 8, 2026
This article examines the legal limbo faced by American Samoans in Alaska, where residents connected to U.S. territories have faced confusion and prosecution over voting eligibility. It highlights how citizenship rules, colonial status, and election law can combine to exclude people from democratic participation.
Legislative Priorities for 2026
| Common Cause Pennsylvania Staff | Common Cause Pennsylvania | January 7, 2026
Common Cause Pennsylvania describes priorities including ballot access, transparency, accountability, and election administration improvements. The agenda focuses on making government work more fairly by reducing barriers for voters and strengthening public oversight.
State Voting Rights Acts
| Legal Defense Fund Staff | NAACP Legal Defense Fund | 2026
The Legal Defense Fund explains why State Voting Rights Acts are needed to prohibit voter suppression, fight vote dilution, and protect voters when federal safeguards are weakened. The resource is useful as a plain-language guide to state-level civil-rights reform.
Ready for Ranked-Choice Voting, D.C.? It’s Moving Forward
| Michael Brice-Saddler | The Washington Post | December 17, 2025
Washington, D.C. officials rejected an effort to delay voter-approved ranked-choice voting, keeping the reform on track for implementation. The decision is a local democracy win because it respects the outcome of a voter-approved initiative and allows election officials to proceed with voter education.
Ranked Choice Voting in New York City’s 2025 Primaries
| FairVote Staff | FairVote | December 17, 2025
FairVote reviews New York City’s 2025 ranked-choice primaries and voter responses to the system. The report is useful for democracy reform because it provides evidence on how voters use rankings, how candidates adapt, and whether voters want to keep the system.
Ready for Ranked-Choice Voting, D.C.? It’s Moving Forward.
| Michael Brice-Saddler | The Washington Post | December 17, 2025
The D.C. Council rejected an attempt to delay voter-approved ranked-choice voting, keeping implementation on track for the 2026 primary. The decision is a local democracy win because officials honored a reform approved by voters and committed to voter education before rollout.
More Money, More Corruption Require More Attention, Nonprofit Says
| Dan Zak | The Washington Post | December 13, 2025
This article profiles OpenSecrets and its effort to track campaign spending, lobbying, and political influence. It is useful for democracy reform because transparency tools help voters, journalists, and watchdogs follow money in politics even when formal campaign-finance limits are weak.
The Maine Lawsuit That Could Save Democracy From Big Money
| John Nichols | The Nation | December 11, 2025
This article examines Maine’s voter-approved law limiting contributions to super PACs and the legal battle that followed. The case is important because it could test whether states can regulate the flow of very large donations into supposedly independent political committees.
Five Ways Tuesday’s Results Will Affect Voting Rules and Democracy
| Alex Burness | Bolts | November 6, 2025
This article looks at how 2025 state and local election results affected voting rights, felony disenfranchisement, mail voting, redistricting, and election administration. It highlights how democracy reform often advances through state-level races that receive less national attention but directly determine access to the ballot.
Fact Sheet: Ranked Choice Voting in 2025 Elections
| Will Mantell | FairVote | October 23, 2025
FairVote reports that voters in 18 cities and counties used ranked-choice voting in 2025 elections, including major cities such as New York City, Minneapolis, and Salt Lake City. The fact sheet is useful because it shows ranked-choice voting becoming a normal election method in a growing number of local governments.
State Voting Laws Roundup: October 2025
| Brennan Center Staff | Brennan Center for Justice | October 21, 2025
The Brennan Center tracks voting laws passed across the states in 2025, showing both restrictive measures and pro-voter reforms. The roundup is useful for identifying where voting access is expanding, where election administration is being strengthened, and where new barriers are being created.
Supreme Court Arguments Conclude in Landmark Voting Rights Case
| ACLU Staff | American Civil Liberties Union | October 15, 2025
The ACLU describes arguments in Louisiana v. Callais, a major case about Black representation, redistricting, and the Voting Rights Act. The case shows how civil-rights litigation remains central to fair districts and equal voting power.
| Joshua C. Yang and Noemi Scheurer | arXiv | October 2, 2025
This paper presents a virtual-budget allocation method that combines voter preferences with group evaluation. It is useful for democracy innovation because it tries to make public funding decisions more proportional, understandable, and traceable for participants.
Ranked Choice Voting Movement Update, September 2025
| FairVote Staff | FairVote | September 24, 2025
FairVote summarizes ranked-choice voting developments, including work on military and overseas voters, state legislation, and local reform campaigns. The update is useful for tracking how election reform groups build support through research, policy work, and local organizing.
Six Major Wins for State Voting Rights in 2025
| Julia Hartnett | Legal Defense Fund | September 13, 2025
This article highlights the growing movement for State Voting Rights Acts and explains how states can protect voters when federal law is weakened. It is useful for democracy reform because it identifies concrete state-level tools for fighting discrimination and vote dilution.
The Voting Rights Act at 60: A Legacy in Jeopardy, a Democracy at Risk
| ACLU Staff | American Civil Liberties Union | August 6, 2025
The ACLU marks the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act by reviewing its civil-rights legacy and current threats. The article explains why voting-rights litigation remains essential for protecting Black voters and other communities from discriminatory rules and unfair maps.
Fair Compromises in Participatory Budgeting
| Hugh Adams, Srijoni Majumdar, and Evangelos Pournaras | arXiv | July 23, 2025
This paper studies how decision-support tools could help voters find fair compromises in participatory budgeting. It is relevant to local democracy because it explores ways to reduce choice overload while still improving representation of voter preferences.
Another Voter-Backed Maine Law Regulating Campaign Finance Halted, But the Case Is Far From Over
| Evan Popp | Maine Morning Star | July 16, 2025
A federal court halted Maine’s voter-approved super PAC contribution limit, but the case continued as a major test of campaign-finance reform. The article shows both the promise of voter-led anti-corruption laws and the legal barriers such reforms face.
Exit Surveys: Voters Love Ranked Choice Voting
| Deb Otis | FairVote | July 1, 2025
FairVote collects exit-poll and survey results from ranked-choice voting jurisdictions across the country. The report is useful for reform debates because it focuses on voter experience, including whether voters understand and support ranked ballots after using them.
Colorado Strengthens Access to Ballots in Spanish
| Alex Burness | Bolts | June 13, 2025
Colorado’s Voting Rights Act expanded language-access protections for voters, including stronger access to Spanish-language voting materials. The reform shows how states can make elections more inclusive for voters who face language barriers.
Colorado Voting Rights Act
| Colorado General Assembly Staff | Colorado General Assembly | June 2025
Colorado enacted a state Voting Rights Act prohibiting vote dilution and strengthening language access. The law is a major state-level civil-rights reform designed to protect voters and provide legal tools against discriminatory election practices.
2025 Legislative Review
| Common Cause Maryland Staff | Common Cause Maryland | April 25, 2025
Common Cause Maryland reviews state legislative work on voting access, risk-limiting audits, language access, transparency, and democratic participation. The article shows how state-level reforms can strengthen both election security and voter inclusion.
How Voting Laws Have Changed Since the Supreme Court Weakened the Voting Rights Act
| Common Cause Staff | Common Cause | March 11, 2025
Common Cause reviews how voting laws changed after the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder. The article is useful for democracy reform because it explains why renewed federal protections and state voting-rights laws are needed to stop discriminatory barriers.
Maine Capped Super PAC Donations. That Type of Law Could Affect Wisconsin a Lot
| The Badger Project Staff | The Badger Project | February 20, 2025
This article explains how Maine’s super PAC contribution limit could influence campaign-finance reform debates in Wisconsin and other states. It connects the national problem of billionaire-funded politics to state-level efforts to limit corruption and restore voter confidence.
Legislative Priorities for 2025–2026
| Common Cause Pennsylvania Staff | Common Cause Pennsylvania | February 3, 2025
Common Cause Pennsylvania outlines priorities including automatic voter registration, mail-ballot pre-canvassing, ballot curing, transparency, and election-code reform. The agenda focuses on practical changes that can reduce rejected ballots and make elections easier to administer fairly.
Legislative Priorities for 2025–2026
| Common Cause Pennsylvania Staff | Common Cause Pennsylvania | February 3, 2025
Common Cause Pennsylvania outlines democracy priorities including automatic voter registration, mail-ballot pre-canvassing, ballot-curing rules, and election-code reform. The agenda focuses on practical election administration changes that can reduce rejected ballots and improve voter access.
Virginia Democrats Advance a Measure to End Lifetime Voting Ban. Now It Gets Complicated
| Alex Burness | Bolts | January 30, 2025
Virginia lawmakers advanced a constitutional amendment that would automatically restore voting rights to people after incarceration, removing the governor’s discretion from the process. The reform targets one of the country’s most restrictive felony disenfranchisement systems and would give voters the final say through a statewide referendum if it clears the legislature again.
Oregon DMV Resumes Automatic Voter Registrations After Errors Registered People Lacking Citizenship
| Claire Rush | Associated Press | January 27, 2025
Oregon resumed automatic voter registration after pausing the system to correct errors that had mistakenly registered some people without proof of citizenship. The article shows how a pro-voter system can be repaired through stronger safeguards, audits, and interagency checks rather than abandoned entirely.
On Voting Rights, Eight Legal Battles to Watch in 2025
| Quinn Yeargain | Bolts | January 17, 2025
Bolts previews major voting-rights cases involving registration, mail ballots, redistricting, and the Voting Rights Act. The article shows how courts can shape whether voters gain stronger protections or face new barriers.
Voting and Fair Representation: Protecting Your Voice
| Common Cause Pennsylvania Staff | Common Cause Pennsylvania | 2025
Common Cause Pennsylvania explains its work on voting access, fair maps, and representation. The page is useful for state-level democracy reform because it connects ballot access with the broader fight against unfair rules and gerrymandered districts.
Vote-by-Mail, Early Voting, and Expanding Voting Options
| Common Cause Pennsylvania Staff | Common Cause Pennsylvania | 2025
Common Cause Pennsylvania describes reforms to expand mail voting, early voting, and other flexible voting options. The page is useful because expanding voting methods can reduce barriers for working voters, disabled voters, older voters, students, and people with limited transportation.
The Freedom to Vote Act
| Brennan Center Staff | Brennan Center for Justice | 2025
The Brennan Center explains the Freedom to Vote Act, a federal reform package addressing voting rights, partisan gerrymandering, campaign finance, and election safeguards. The page is useful as a national reform blueprint for protecting access to the ballot and reducing structural distortions in democracy.
Voting Reform
| Brennan Center Staff | Brennan Center for Justice | 2025
The Brennan Center summarizes major voting-reform goals, including restoring the Voting Rights Act, expanding voting access, improving campaign finance, and safeguarding election administration. The page is useful as a broad guide to democracy-reform solutions.
Ranked Choice Voting
| FairVote Staff | FairVote | 2025
FairVote explains ranked-choice voting, in which voters rank candidates in order of preference and backup choices can count if a first choice is eliminated. The resource is useful for democracy reform because RCV is designed to reduce vote-splitting, encourage broader campaigns, and give voters more expressive ballots.
Proportional Ranked Choice Voting Information
| FairVote Staff | FairVote | 2025
FairVote explains proportional ranked-choice voting, a system designed to elect candidates in proportion to their level of support. The reform is useful for democracy coverage because it aims to ensure that more voters gain real representation, especially in multi-winner elections.
Research and Data on RCV in Practice
| FairVote Staff | FairVote | 2025
FairVote collects research and data on ranked-choice voting in real elections. The resource is useful for reform debates because it gathers evidence on turnout, representation, voter understanding, campaign behavior, and election administration.
What We Know About Ranked Choice Voting, Updated for 2025
| Elizabeth Dowling | American Bar Association | 2025
The American Bar Association reviews research on ranked-choice voting and its effects on representation, voter understanding, campaign behavior, and election outcomes. The resource is useful for reform debates because it weighs evidence rather than treating RCV as either a cure-all or a threat.
Voting Reform
| Brennan Center Staff | Brennan Center for Justice | 2025
The Brennan Center summarizes major voting-reform goals, including restoring the Voting Rights Act, passing the Freedom to Vote Act, improving campaign finance, and safeguarding election administration. The page is useful as a broad overview of pro-democracy policy solutions.
State-Level Voting Rights Acts
| Ballotpedia Staff | Ballotpedia | 2025
Ballotpedia provides an overview of State Voting Rights Acts, including the relationship between state protections and the federal Voting Rights Act. The page is useful as a reference for tracking which states have adopted or considered their own voting-rights laws.
Ranked-Choice Voting
| Ballotpedia Staff | Ballotpedia | 2025
Ballotpedia explains ranked-choice voting and tracks where it is used or debated in the United States. The page is useful for democracy-reform coverage because it provides a neutral reference on a voting method designed to reduce vote-splitting and allow voters to rank preferences.
Election Protection
| Common Cause Staff | Common Cause | 2025
Common Cause describes election-protection work including poll monitoring, legal hotlines, and efforts to counter election disinformation. The page is useful because protecting voting access requires both good laws and organized support for voters during elections.
The SAVE Act
| Common Cause Staff | Common Cause | 2025
Common Cause explains opposition to the SAVE Act, warning that proof-of-citizenship requirements could make voting harder for eligible citizens, including married women, naturalized citizens, and voters without easy access to documents. The page is useful for democracy-reform coverage because it shows how voting-access groups analyze proposed federal restrictions.
A Voter-Approved Maine Limit on PAC Contributions Sets the Stage for a Legal Challenge
| Patrick Whittle | Associated Press | November 8, 2024
Maine voters approved a referendum limiting contributions to super PACs, creating a major test of campaign-finance law. Supporters argued the measure could reduce corruption and the influence of wealthy donors, while opponents expected a court challenge under modern campaign-spending precedents.
Amendment 6 Fails: Florida Voters Reject Repeal of Public Campaign Financing
| FOX 35 Staff | FOX 35 Orlando | November 6, 2024
Florida voters rejected Amendment 6, preserving the state’s public campaign-finance system for statewide candidates. The result protected a reform designed to reduce candidates’ dependence on large private donors and give qualifying candidates access to public matching funds.
Connecticut No-Excuse Absentee Voting Amendment
| Ballotpedia Staff | Ballotpedia | November 5, 2024
Connecticut voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing the legislature to create no-excuse absentee voting. The measure opened the door to universal vote-by-mail access and marked a major step toward modernizing the state’s voting system.
CATEGORY: Ranked Choice Voting and Fair Voting Methods
Simpler Than You Think: The Practical Dynamics of Ranked Choice Voting
| Sanyukta Deshpande, Nikhil Garg, and Sheldon H. Jacobson | arXiv | February 15, 2026
This study tests ranked-choice voting using real election data from New York City, Alaska, and Portland. The authors find that RCV can increase competitiveness while remaining relatively transparent in practice, making the paper useful for debates over fairer election systems.
Ranked Choice Voting in 2025: A Year in Review
| Deb Otis, Avram Reisman, Rachel Hutchinson, and Bryan Huang | FairVote | February 2, 2026
FairVote reviews ranked-choice voting elections, new adoptions, research, and public responses from 2025. The report is useful for tracking how election reform is spreading across cities, counties, and states.
Fair Voting Methods as a Catalyst for Democratic Resilience
| Evangelos Pournaras | arXiv | December 19, 2025
This paper argues that fair voting methods can improve legitimacy, representation, and democratic resilience. It uses participatory budgeting evidence to show how more expressive and proportional voting systems may better reflect community preferences.
Fair Voting Methods as a Catalyst for Democratic Resilience
| Evangelos Pournaras | arXiv | December 19, 2025
This paper argues that fairer voting methods can improve legitimacy, representation, and democratic resilience. Using participatory-budgeting examples, it explores how proportional and expressive voting systems can produce outcomes that better reflect diverse community preferences.
American Democracy Summit: We The Future
| RepresentUs Staff | RepresentUs | April 29, 2025
RepresentUs announced a democracy summit focused on anti-corruption, voting reform, ranked-choice voting, and civic renewal. The event reflects the growth of a cross-partisan reform movement working to make elections fairer and government more accountable.
American Democracy Summit: We The Future
| RepresentUs Staff | RepresentUs | April 29, 2025
RepresentUs announced its 2025 American Democracy Summit as a gathering focused on anti-corruption, voting reform, and democratic renewal. The event reflects the growth of a cross-partisan democracy-reform movement working on ranked-choice voting, campaign finance, ethics, and structural reforms.
New Year, New Opportunities: Ranked Choice Voting for a Working Democracy in 2025
| Meredith Sumpter | FairVote | January 16, 2025
FairVote outlines opportunities to expand ranked-choice voting and improve election systems in 2025. The article is useful for democracy-reform coverage because it presents RCV as part of a broader movement for more representative and less polarizing elections.
The Movement’s Wins
| RepresentUs Staff | RepresentUs | Updated 2024
RepresentUs collects democracy-reform victories from around the country, including ranked-choice voting, campaign-finance reform, voting access, anti-corruption measures, and direct-democracy protections. The page is useful for finding examples of local and state reforms that have already passed.
CATEGORY: Campaign Finance, Money in Politics, Ethics, and Anti-Corruption
Abuse of the Presidential Pardon Power
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | June 8, 2026
Campaign Legal Center argues that the presidential pardon power can become a serious corruption risk when used to reward allies, protect insiders, or encourage lawbreaking. The reform proposal focuses on transparency and legal safeguards that could help preserve the rule of law and prevent public power from becoming a tool of private loyalty.
Abuse of the Presidential Pardon Power
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | June 8, 2026
This reform proposal argues that the pardon power can become a corruption risk when used to reward allies, protect insiders, or encourage lawbreaking. Campaign Legal Center recommends stronger safeguards and transparency measures to protect the rule of law and public trust.
Open Gov Week 2026: 15 Years of the Open Government Partnership
| Open Government Partnership Staff | Open Government Partnership | June 2, 2026
Open Gov Week 2026 marked 15 years of global open-government work, with discussions on transparency, accountability, public integrity, digital transformation, and citizen participation. The article is useful for democracy reform because it shows how governments and civil society groups are using openness as a practical defense against democratic decline.
Hungary Deploys AI to Track Alleged Orbán Corruption
| Financial Times Staff | Financial Times | June 2026
Hungary’s Integrity Authority has reportedly developed artificial-intelligence tools to help trace public funds and investigate alleged corruption connected to the former Orbán government. The effort reflects a broader push to rebuild transparency, recover public money, and strengthen anti-corruption institutions after years of democratic backsliding.
Opposing Overreach and Corruption in the Construction of the White House Ballroom
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | May 27, 2026
This article frames a challenge to the proposed White House ballroom project as a good-government dispute about legal limits, transparency, and public integrity. It shows how democracy reform also includes enforcing rules that prevent public office from being used for private or political advantage.
Opposing Overreach and Corruption in the Construction of the White House Ballroom
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | May 27, 2026
Campaign Legal Center describes a lawsuit challenging alleged government overreach and corruption connected to the proposed White House ballroom project. The case is framed as a rule-of-law and public-integrity fight over transparency, legal limits, and whether public power is being used for private or political benefit.
Anti-Corruption and Integrity Outlook 2026
| OECD Staff | OECD | March 24, 2026
The OECD report examines public-integrity systems, political finance, procurement safeguards, fraud prevention, and anti-corruption enforcement. It provides a global good-government framework for understanding how democracies can reduce corruption risks and rebuild public trust.
Anti-Corruption and Integrity Outlook 2026
| OECD Staff | OECD | March 24, 2026
This OECD report reviews global anti-corruption and public-integrity systems, focusing on gaps in enforcement, public procurement, political finance, and fraud prevention. It provides a useful good-government framework for understanding how countries can strengthen accountability institutions and reduce corruption risks.
Government Ethics Reform and the Need for Independent Enforcement
| Kedric Payne | Campaign Legal Center | March 12, 2026
This article argues that ethics rules are not enough unless there is independent enforcement. It proposes stronger federal ethics oversight so public officials can be held accountable when they misuse office, ignore conflicts of interest, or treat public service as a private benefit.
Government Ethics Reform and the Need for Independent Enforcement
| Kedric Payne | Campaign Legal Center | March 12, 2026
This article argues that weak ethics enforcement creates openings for corruption and abuse of power. It proposes an independent federal ethics enforcement body as a way to make sure public officials act in the public interest rather than using office for personal enrichment.
Building Resilient Democracies: Campaign Finance Issues and Reforms in Kenya
| Brookings Institution Staff | Brookings Institution | March 2026
This report examines Kenya’s campaign-finance challenges and the reforms needed to strengthen transparency, accountability, and democratic resilience. It is useful for good-government coverage because political finance rules can reduce corruption risks and help citizens understand who funds parties and candidates.
Building Resilient Democracies: Campaign Finance Issues and Reforms in Kenya
| Brookings Staff | Brookings Institution | March 2026
This report examines campaign finance in Kenya and the relationship between money, politics, accountability, and democratic resilience. It is useful for reform coverage because it shows how transparent political finance rules can reduce corruption risks and improve public confidence in elections.
California Fair Elections Act Campaign Launches
| Common Cause California Staff | Common Cause California | February 20, 2026
Democracy-reform groups launched a campaign for the California Fair Elections Act, which would allow public campaign-financing systems at the state and local level. The proposal would let communities amplify small-dollar donors and reduce reliance on large private contributions while adding safeguards for public funds.
CPI 2025: Findings and Insights
| Transparency International Staff | Transparency International | February 10, 2026
Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index reviews global corruption trends and warns that weak accountability undermines reform. The article is useful for democracy coverage because corruption damages public trust, weakens institutions, and gives powerful interests unfair influence over government.
How Does the Citizens United Decision Still Affect Us in 2026?
| Saurav Ghosh | Campaign Legal Center | January 21, 2026
Campaign Legal Center explains how Citizens United continues to shape elections through unlimited outside spending, dark money, and donor influence. The article is useful for campaign-finance reform because it connects modern political inequality to legal rules that empower wealthy interests.
How Citizens United Still Affects Democracy in 2026
| Saurav Ghosh | Campaign Legal Center | January 21, 2026
Campaign Legal Center explains how the Citizens United decision continues to shape American elections by enabling massive outside spending, dark money, and donor influence. The article is useful for campaign-finance reform because it connects modern political inequality to legal rules that allow wealthy interests to dominate campaign spending.
Common Cause New York’s 2026 Legislative Priorities
| Common Cause New York Staff | Common Cause New York | January 2026
Common Cause New York outlines a reform agenda covering transparency, ethics, voting access, and fair representation. The priorities show how democracy reform is often advanced through state legislative packages rather than single national laws.
Political Finance Reforms: How to Respond to Today’s Policy Challenges
| International IDEA Staff | International IDEA | 2026
International IDEA reviews reforms for campaign and party finance, including disclosure, donation limits, public funding, and enforcement. The resource is useful for good-government coverage because it connects political-money rules to corruption prevention and fair electoral competition.
Political Finance Reforms: How to Respond to Today’s Policy Challenges
| International IDEA Staff | International IDEA | 2026
International IDEA explains how political-finance rules can protect democracy from corruption, secrecy, and unequal influence. The resource compares reform options such as disclosure, donation limits, public funding, enforcement systems, and protections against foreign or illicit money.
Commit to Integrity in the Funding of Political Parties and Candidates
| ANFREL and Partner Organizations | Asian Network for Free Elections | December 16, 2025
Election-monitoring and anti-corruption organizations called for stronger integrity rules in political-party and campaign funding. The statement links clean political finance with public trust, fair elections, and the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
Commit to Integrity in the Funding of Political Parties and Candidates
| ANFREL and Partner Organizations | Asian Network for Free Elections | December 16, 2025
Election-monitoring and anti-corruption organizations issued a statement calling for integrity in political-party and campaign funding. The statement connects campaign finance to the United Nations Convention against Corruption and argues that clean political money is essential for public trust and fair elections.
More Money, More Corruption Require More Attention, Nonprofit Says
| Dan Zak | The Washington Post | December 13, 2025
This article profiles OpenSecrets and its work tracking campaign money, lobbying, and political influence. It is useful for democracy reform because transparency tools help citizens, journalists, and watchdogs follow the money behind campaigns and government decisions.
Republicans Ask the Supreme Court to Gut One of the Last Limits on Money in Politics
| Ian Millhiser | Vox | December 2025
Vox explains a Supreme Court case challenging limits on coordinated spending between political parties and candidates. The article is important for campaign-finance reform because coordination limits help prevent wealthy donors from bypassing direct contribution limits through party committees.
Republicans Ask the Supreme Court to Gut One of the Last Limits on Money in Politics
| Ian Millhiser | Vox | December 2025
This article explains a Supreme Court case challenging limits on coordinated spending between political parties and candidates. It is important for campaign-finance reform because coordination limits are intended to stop wealthy donors from bypassing direct contribution limits through party committees.
CLC’s Latest Research Shows How the Trump Administration Is Leaving Our Democracy Vulnerable
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | April 23, 2025
Campaign Legal Center warns that weak enforcement of campaign-finance, ethics, and foreign-influence rules can leave democracy vulnerable to corruption. The report emphasizes that good laws require strong institutions capable of enforcing them fairly.
CLC’s Latest Research Shows How the Trump Administration Is Leaving Our Democracy Vulnerable
| Campaign Legal Center Staff | Campaign Legal Center | April 23, 2025
Campaign Legal Center warns that weakened enforcement of campaign finance, ethics, and foreign-influence rules can make democracy more vulnerable to corruption. The report is useful as a good-government source on why enforcement institutions matter as much as the laws themselves.
Combatting Corruption in Political Finance
| International IDEA Staff | International IDEA | April 2025
International IDEA examines how political finance rules can prevent corruption in parties, campaigns, and elections. The report is useful for reform coverage because it compares disclosure rules, public funding, donation limits, and enforcement systems across countries.
2025 Democracy Legislation Roundup
| Common Cause New Mexico Staff | Common Cause New Mexico | March 25, 2025
Common Cause New Mexico summarizes democracy bills from the 2025 legislative session, including lobbying reform, ethics, transparency, voting access, and campaign-finance proposals. The roundup shows how reform often advances through a mix of partial wins and unfinished legislative work.
2025 Democracy Legislation Roundup
| Common Cause New Mexico Staff | Common Cause New Mexico | March 25, 2025
Common Cause New Mexico summarizes democracy bills from the 2025 legislative session, including transparency, ethics, voting, and accountability measures. The roundup shows how state legislatures can become important laboratories for anti-corruption and good-government reform.
Maine Capped Super PAC Donations. That Type of Law Could Affect Wisconsin a Lot
| The Badger Project Staff | The Badger Project | February 20, 2025
This article explains why Maine’s super PAC contribution limit could matter beyond Maine, including in high-spending states such as Wisconsin. It connects local campaign-finance reform to the national fight over billionaire influence and political corruption.
Citizens United, Explained
| Daniel I. Weiner | Brennan Center for Justice | January 14, 2025
The Brennan Center explains the Citizens United decision and how it helped increase corporate, super PAC, and wealthy-donor spending in elections. The article is a useful background source for campaign-finance reform and the movement to reduce big-money influence.
Citizens United, Explained
| Daniel I. Weiner | Brennan Center for Justice | January 14, 2025
The Brennan Center explains how Citizens United changed campaign finance by expanding the role of corporate and wealthy-donor spending in elections. The article is a useful background source for democracy reform because it links modern dark-money politics to the legal structure created by the Supreme Court.
Government Transparency
| Common Cause Staff | Common Cause | 2025
Common Cause explains why open meetings, freedom of information, ethics laws, and accessible records are essential to accountable government. The resource is useful for good-government coverage because transparency gives citizens and watchdogs the tools to detect abuse and participate meaningfully.
Government Transparency in Georgia
| Common Cause Georgia Staff | Common Cause Georgia | 2025
Common Cause Georgia describes its work on open government, public access, and accountability. The page is useful for state-level democracy reform because transparency reforms help residents monitor officials, understand decisions, and push back against corruption.
Government Transparency in New Mexico
| Common Cause New Mexico Staff | Common Cause New Mexico | 2025
Common Cause New Mexico explains why public access, ethics rules, and transparency laws are central to democratic accountability. The page is useful for showing how good-government reforms are pursued through state and local campaigns.
Government Transparency
| Common Cause Staff | Common Cause | 2025
Common Cause explains why open meetings, public records, ethics rules, and accessible government information are essential to democracy. The resource is useful for good-government coverage because transparency allows citizens and watchdogs to hold officials accountable.
Government Transparency in New Mexico
| Common Cause New Mexico Staff | Common Cause New Mexico | 2025
Common Cause New Mexico explains its work on open government, public access, ethics laws, and transparency reforms. The page is useful for state-level good-government coverage because it shows how national reform principles are applied in local legislative campaigns.
CATEGORY: Open Government, Transparency, and Public Accountability
A Win for Democracy: Labor Abandons Freedom of Information Law Changes That Would Have Reduced Transparency
| Paul Karp | The Guardian | March 5, 2026
Australia’s government withdrew proposed Freedom of Information changes after transparency advocates warned they would weaken public access to records. The reversal is a good-government win because open-records laws help journalists, citizens, and watchdogs hold public officials accountable.
A Win for Democracy: Labor Abandons Freedom of Information Law Changes That Would Have Reduced Transparency
| Paul Karp | The Guardian | March 5, 2026
Australia’s government withdrew proposed Freedom of Information changes after transparency advocates, opposition lawmakers, and civil society groups warned the bill would weaken public access to government records. The reversal became a good-government victory for openness, accountability, and public oversight.
Common Cause New York’s 2026 Legislative Priorities
| Common Cause New York Staff | Common Cause New York | January 2026
Common Cause New York outlines a reform agenda focused on transparency, ethical accountability, civic participation, and fair elections. The priorities show how state watchdog groups translate broad democracy goals into practical legislative proposals.
Spain’s President Sánchez Convenes Global Leaders, Calls on Reformers to Defend Democracy
| Open Government Partnership Staff | Open Government Partnership | October 10, 2025
Spain hosted global open-government leaders to emphasize transparency, participation, accountability, and democratic resilience. The article is useful because it presents open government not as a technical reform but as a democratic defense against authoritarian pressures.
Generative AI as a Catalyst for Democratic Innovation
| Italo Alberto do Nascimento Sousa, Jorge Machado, and Jose Carlos Vaz | arXiv | September 23, 2025
This paper studies how generative AI could help residents participate in public consultations and participatory budgeting. It also warns that democratic technology must be transparent, inclusive, and accountable so that AI strengthens rather than weakens public participation.
Generative AI as a Catalyst for Democratic Innovation
| Italo Alberto do Nascimento Sousa, Jorge Machado, and Jose Carlos Vaz | arXiv | September 23, 2025
This paper explores how generative AI could improve citizen engagement in participatory budgeting by helping residents formulate proposals and participate in public consultations. It also warns that democratic technology must be designed carefully so that public participation remains inclusive, transparent, and accountable.
AI in Civic Participation and Open Government
| OECD Staff | OECD | September 18, 2025
This OECD chapter examines how governments are using artificial intelligence to improve public participation, analyze large volumes of citizen input, and support open government. It includes examples of tools used for consultations, deliberation, and participatory processes, while also warning that public-sector AI must be trustworthy, transparent, and accountable.
The Impact of Participatory Budgeting on Public Governance
| ResearchGate Authors | ResearchGate | June 19, 2025
This research examines how citizen involvement in budgeting can improve transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility. The article is useful for local democracy coverage because it treats budgeting as a public-governance process rather than a closed administrative decision.
Open Gov Week 2025: A Global Call to Action for Ambitious Reform
| Open Government Partnership Staff | Open Government Partnership | May 29, 2025
Open Gov Week 2025 brought together reformers from more than 40 countries to promote transparency, accountability, and citizen participation. The article is useful because it shows global momentum for open-government reforms and public oversight.
2025 Legislative Review
| Common Cause Maryland Staff | Common Cause Maryland | April 25, 2025
Common Cause Maryland reviews the state’s 2025 legislative session and its work on voting access, government transparency, and inclusive democracy. The article is useful for tracking state-level reform efforts that make election systems more accessible and government more accountable.
Small Steps Forward for New Mexico’s Democracy in 2025 Session
| Common Cause New Mexico Staff | Common Cause New Mexico | March 22, 2025
Common Cause New Mexico reports that the 2025 session produced lobbying reform and election-access wins, while other reforms stalled. The article is a useful example of incremental democracy reform through transparency rules and access improvements.
A Manual for Citizen Participation in Germany
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | February 11, 2025
This guide explains participation methods such as citizens’ juries, town halls, online consultations, and participatory budgeting. It is useful for civic-engagement reform because it helps public officials choose democratic tools that fit different problems and communities.
A Manual for Citizen Participation in Germany
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | February 11, 2025
This guide explains participatory methods such as citizens’ juries, town halls, online forums, and participatory budgeting. It helps governments choose public-engagement tools that fit different goals, making it a practical resource for civic engagement and democratic renewal.
2025 Legislative Priorities
| Common Cause Maryland Staff | Common Cause Maryland | January 8, 2025
Common Cause Maryland describes a 2025 agenda focused on voting access, fair representation, transparency, and accountable government. The priorities show how state reform campaigns can defend democratic norms while also expanding practical access to participation.
Fostering Inclusive Leadership and Citizen Participation in Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
| Open Government Partnership Staff | Open Government Partnership | 2025
This open-government commitment in Morocco focuses on inclusive leadership, citizen participation, and improved access to public information. The project is useful for democracy reform because it addresses the connection between transparency, trust, and meaningful public involvement in decision-making.
Strengthening Transparency and Public Accountability in Athens
| Open Government Partnership Staff | Open Government Partnership | 2025
Athens committed to tools for open accountability, participatory monitoring, and stronger dialogue with youth and residents. The project is useful as a local good-government example because it links municipal transparency with public trust and civic oversight.
Open Government and Citizen Participation
The OECD describes open government as a way to improve trust, transparency, responsiveness, and citizen participation. The resource is useful because it connects local engagement tools with broader institutional reforms that make government more accessible and accountable.
Open Government and Citizen Participation
The OECD describes open government as a way to improve trust, participation, transparency, and democratic resilience. The resource is useful for linking local civic engagement to broader institutional reforms that make public decision-making more accessible.
Participatory Budgeting as a Factor in Increasing Trust in Local Government
| T. Vitovshchyk | Public Administration and Law Review | 2025
This article examines participatory budgeting as a tool for increasing trust, transparency, and accountability in local government. It is useful for democracy-reform coverage because it connects citizen involvement in budgeting with public finance transparency and more responsive institutions.
The Role of Participatory Budgeting in Improving Local Government Accountability
| Dr. Ssimbwa Peter and Ka Banda Jeofrey | ResearchGate | 2025
This study looks at whether participatory budgeting improves local government accountability and governance outcomes. It is useful for civic-engagement coverage because it focuses on the connection between public participation, transparency, responsiveness, and institutional trust.
CATEGORY: Participatory Democracy, Participatory Budgeting, and Civic Technology
What We Did at the People Powered 2026 Convening
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | March 20, 2026
People Powered summarizes its Nairobi convening, where more than 200 organizations and advocates gathered to build participatory democracy. The event focused on practical tools such as participatory budgeting, citizens’ assemblies, participatory planning, and civic technology.
People Powered 2026 Convening: Nairobi
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | March 2026
The People Powered 2026 Convening brought democracy practitioners, governments, and civil-society groups to Nairobi to share methods for participatory democracy. The gathering is relevant because it highlights global work to give residents more direct power over public policy and local decision-making.
2025 Rewind: Top 5 Participatory Democracy Wins
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | December 10, 2025
People Powered reviews five major participatory democracy wins from 2025, including civic-technology projects, climate democracy work, and local participation programs. The article is useful for finding practical examples of residents shaping public decisions outside normal election cycles.
2025 Rewind: Top 5 Participatory Democracy Wins
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | December 10, 2025
People Powered reviews major participatory democracy accomplishments from 2025, including climate democracy projects, civic technology, and local public-engagement programs. The article is useful for identifying practical democracy-building efforts outside normal election cycles.
The Seesaw Experience of Participatory Budgeting
| Natalia Dias and Coauthors | International Journal of Public Sector Management | October 28, 2025
This research examines how participatory budgeting operates inside public institutions and why it can be difficult to sustain. It shows that local democracy projects need staff capacity, political commitment, clear procedures, and durable public support to survive beyond pilot programs.
The Seesaw Experience of Participatory Budgeting
| Natalia Dias and Coauthors | International Journal of Public Sector Management | October 28, 2025
This research article studies how participatory budgeting works inside public institutions and why it can be difficult to sustain. It is useful for democracy reform because it shows that citizen budgeting programs need committed staff, institutional support, and clear procedures to become durable public-participation tools.
Register for the People Powered 2026 Convening
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | October 15, 2025
People Powered announced its 2026 convening in Nairobi for practitioners of participatory and deliberative democracy. The gathering focused on practical methods such as participatory budgeting, citizens’ assemblies, civic technology, and public decision-making.
Register for the People Powered 2026 Convening
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | October 15, 2025
People Powered announced its 2026 convening in Nairobi, focused on participatory and deliberative democracy. The program included workshops, site visits, networking, and strategic planning for organizations working to expand public power in policy decisions.
Three Emerging Strategies for Renewing Democracy
| Nonprofit Quarterly Staff | Nonprofit Quarterly | October 15, 2025
This article explores citizens’ assemblies, participatory budgeting, and local civic institutions as tools for democratic renewal. It focuses on practical ways governments can rebuild trust by giving residents meaningful roles in public decisions.
Three Emerging Strategies for Renewing Democracy
| Nonprofit Quarterly Staff | Nonprofit Quarterly | October 15, 2025
This article explores practical democracy-renewal strategies such as citizens’ assemblies, participatory budgeting, and local civic institutions. It points to examples like Paris, where democratic tools are being combined so residents can help shape public decisions more directly and governments can rebuild public trust.
Exploring AI Capabilities in Participatory Budgeting Within Smart Cities
This research uses São Paulo as a case study for AI-assisted participatory budgeting in smart cities. The article connects civic engagement, local public finance, and technology design, showing how digital tools may help residents shape budget priorities if safeguards are in place.
Exploring AI Capabilities in Participatory Budgeting Within Smart Cities
This research looks at São Paulo as a case study for using AI to improve participatory budgeting in smart cities. The article connects technology, local democracy, and public administration, showing how digital tools may help residents shape budget priorities when implemented with proper safeguards.
PCMC Launches Participatory Budget; Citizens’ Suggestions Led to Rs 136 Crore Allocation Last Year
| Times of India Staff | The Times of India | August 15, 2025
Pimpri Chinchwad continued its participatory budgeting program after residents submitted thousands of proposals and hundreds received funding. The project shows how local governments can give residents direct influence over spending on roads, drainage, waste management, parks, and neighborhood improvements.
PCMC Launches Participatory Budget; Citizens’ Suggestions Led to Rs 136 Crore Allocation Last Year
| Times of India Staff | The Times of India | August 15, 2025
Pimpri Chinchwad continued its participatory budget program after residents submitted thousands of proposals and hundreds received funding in the prior cycle. The initiative gives citizens a direct role in shaping local investments for roads, drainage, waste management, parks, and other neighborhood improvements.
Participatory Budgeting in Brandenburg: Perspectives for Youth Participation
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | July 15, 2025
This case study examines youth participation in participatory budgeting in Brandenburg, Germany. It is useful for democracy reform because it shows how young people can be included in real public-spending decisions and learn civic problem-solving through direct participation.
Participatory Budgeting in Brandenburg: Perspectives for Youth Participation
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | July 15, 2025
This case study examines youth participation in participatory budgeting in Brandenburg, Germany. It is useful for local democracy coverage because it focuses on how governments can include young people in public spending decisions and civic problem-solving.
Renewing Democracy by Mainstreaming Participation
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | July 10, 2025
This article describes efforts to institutionalize participatory budgeting, including Senegal’s national commitment and implementation in many municipalities. It shows how participatory democracy can move from isolated experiments into regular public-governance practice.
Toolkit for Delivering Participatory Budgeting for Youth in Cities
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | June 18, 2025
This toolkit gives local governments and youth organizations practical steps for running youth participatory budgeting programs. It supports democracy reform by helping cities include young people directly in decisions about public funds and community priorities.
Participatory Budgeting in France
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | June 18, 2025
This resource reviews the growth of participatory budgeting in France, including the large program in Paris. It highlights how local governments can use digital tools and open participation rules to let residents, youth, and noncitizens influence public investment.
Upgrading Democracies With Fairer Voting Methods
This paper studies alternative voting methods in participatory budgeting and finds that fairer systems can improve representation and legitimacy. It treats voting rules as design choices that can make public decisions more inclusive.
Upgrading Democracies With Fairer Voting Methods
This paper studies alternative voting methods in participatory budgeting and finds that fairer systems can improve representation and legitimacy. It is useful for democracy reform because it treats voting rules themselves as design choices that can make public decisions more inclusive.
Latest Research: Impacts of Participatory Budgeting
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | April 11, 2025
People Powered summarizes research on how participatory budgeting affects residents, communities, and governments. The findings connect participatory budgeting with civic engagement, accountability, trust, education, and stronger relationships between citizens and local government.
Latest Research: Impacts of Participatory Budgeting
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | April 11, 2025
People Powered summarizes recent research on participatory budgeting and its effects on civic engagement, trust, and public decision-making. The article highlights participatory budgeting as a practical local democracy reform that gives residents direct influence over public spending.
Latest Research: Impacts of Participatory Budgeting
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | April 11, 2025
This article summarizes research on participatory budgeting, a local democracy tool that allows residents to propose and vote on public spending priorities. The research connects participatory budgeting with civic trust, accountability, public problem-solving, and stronger relationships between residents and local government.
Participatory Budgeting: History and Functioning in Polish Local Governments
| People Powered Staff | People Powered | February 11, 2025
This resource reviews the history, legal context, benefits, and challenges of participatory budgeting in Poland. It is useful for local democracy reform because it shows how public budgeting participation can become part of regular municipal governance.
Explaining the Effects of Local Participatory Budgeting on Public Attitudes
| J. Turkenburg | Regional Studies | 2025
This research examines how local participatory budgeting affects public attitudes, including trust, fairness, and perceptions of government. The article is useful because participatory budgeting is often promoted as a way to involve communities more directly in public decisions.
Determinants of the Survival of Participatory Budgeting
| V. Castro | International Journal of Public Administration | 2025
This article studies why some participatory budgeting programs survive while others fade away. It is useful for democracy reform because civic-engagement programs need durable institutions, funding, political support, and administrative capacity to last.
Explaining the Effects of Local Participatory Budgeting on Public Attitudes
| J. Turkenburg | Regional Studies | 2025
This research examines how local participatory budgeting can affect trust, fairness perceptions, and civic attitudes. The study is useful for democracy reform because participatory budgeting is often promoted as a way to involve vulnerable communities, strengthen accountability, and rebuild confidence in local government.
Determinants of the Survival of Participatory Budgeting
| V. Castro | International Journal of Public Administration | 2025
This article studies why participatory budgeting programs survive or disappear in Brazilian municipalities. It shows that local democracy projects require durable political support, adequate resources, and institutional commitment if they are going to last beyond their early years.
CATEGORY: Democracy Reform Overviews, Legislative Priorities, and Reform Platforms
Privocracy: Online Democracy Through Private Voting
This paper proposes a secure private-voting system for organizational decision-making and access control. Although technical, it connects to democracy reform by exploring how privacy, auditing, delegation, and distributed trust can strengthen collective governance in digital institutions.
A Democracy Lens on Oregon’s 2025 Legislature
| Common Cause Oregon Staff | Common Cause Oregon | February 18, 2025
Common Cause Oregon previews voting, representation, accountability, and democracy issues in the state’s 2025 legislative session. It is useful for tracking how state legislatures handle both threats and opportunities for expanding civic participation.
