Millions to the Polls

Voting is the bedrock of our democracy. In a government of, by, and for the people, casting a ballot is the fundamental means through which we all have a say in the political decisions that affect our lives. Yet now, without substantial interventions, the freedom to vote is at great risk.

Today, Demos is publishing our vision of the 21st-century election system that we deserve. Introducing Millions to the Polls: Practical Policies to Fulfill the Freedom to Vote For All Americans, a comprehensive and bold agenda of 16 policy proposals and common sense reforms. It details policies to help us realize the full promise of our democracy.

Millions to the Polls outlines solutions in three core areas.

• Expanding and Streamlining Voter Registration. Registering to vote, and updating that registration, should be readily accessible to eligible voters. Online and Same Day Registration, and enforcing the National Voter Registration Act, will allow registration to serve as a tool for participation, not a barrier.

• Making Voting Work. Voting should not be a test of endurance or will power. Making our electoral system work at its peak potential starts with improved administration and poll worker training, and means having Election Day be the last, not the only day that a voter can cast her ballot.

• Protecting and Counting Every Vote. Even one disenfranchised voter is too many. Yet today nearly six million citizens are unable to vote due to a prior felony conviction—a betrayal of our belief in both redemption and the inalienable right to vote. Others face vote suppression in the form of deceptive practices and intimidation, wrongful voter challenges and purges, improper language and disability access, and uncounted provisional ballots. In addition,citizens should not face overly restrictive voter identification laws that disproportionately result in low-income, older and persons of color not being able to cast their ballot.

Our system of election administration—a patchwork of rules and requirements that vary by state—is outdated and antiquated, with far too many eligible voters encountering unnecessary barriers to registration, waiting hours to cast their vote, or having their vote rejected because of administrative errors, polling place confusion or other errors.

This is not the election system we want, nor the one we deserve. Millions to the Pollswill serve as a key resource for improving our democracy for policymakers, journalists, election officials, advocates and anyone who wants America to have a better election system.

 To Access Full Report:: http://www.demos.org/millions-polls