Earlier this week, the City Council unanimously passed an ordinance clearing the way for the public financing of council elections. This proposal is a major step toward ensuring everybody is able to participate in the democratic process.
Congress considered 15,000 pages of evidence when it reauthorized the Voting Rights Act in 2006. A divided Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the law in only 24 pages. Congress must now figure out a way to put it back together.
Even if it was not entirely unexpected, it is nonetheless shocking to read a majority of the Supreme Court sweep away a core provision of the Voting Rights Act, the most celebrated piece of civil rights legislation in our nation’s history.
Last week, the New York Senate failed to pass public financing for state elections, but voted through a bill expanding casinos after accepting millions in contributions from the gambling industry.
A recent complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court alleges that the NYPD violated American Muslims' constitutional rights by monitoring them based on nothing more than their religion.
Secret surveillance has thrived under the indifference of Americans. If one has nothing to hide, then why care about being watched? However, over-surveillance has consequences for everyone.
According to a Pew Research poll, the majority of Americans believe the government's claims that the harvesting of domestic phone records is legal. The law, however, says otherwise.
Governor Cuomo introduces a comprehensive campaign finance reform bill, editorials ask the Senate Independent Democratic Conference to bring the Fair Elections bill to a vote, celebrities join the Fair Elections team, and more.
The effort to end secret political spending by nonprofits received a major boost last week. Wednesday, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman adopted new disclosure requirements for charities.
Better ballot design is not the sole cause for the steep drop in overvotes in New York State elections in 2012 from 2010. Design for machines can matter just as much as the design of ballots in keeping overvotes close to zero.
