Publications
Democracy
Restoring the Right to Vote
Despite a history of expanding the franchise, there remains one significant blanket barrier to the franchise. 5.3 million American citizens are not allowed to vote because of a felony conviction. As many as 4 million of these people live in our communities, but are still denied the right to vote because of a prior conviction.
Authored by: Erika Wood
– 05/11/09
Electoral Competition and Low Contribution Limits
This report examines campaign contribution limits and the impact limits can have on electoral competition.
Authored by: Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, Kahlil Williams and Dr. Thomas Stratmann
– 05/04/09
2008 & 2009 Ohio Elections Summit and Conference
After voting ended on Nov. 4, 2008, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner announced a bipartisan convening to study the recent election with a goal of determining what went right as well as what could be improved. This is the final report from the summit and conference.
Authored by: Lawrence Norden with Jessie Allen
– 04/08/09
2008 Ohio Elections Summit
After voting ended on Nov. 4, 2008, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner announced a bipartisan convening to study the recent election with a goal of determining what went right as well as what could be improved.
Authored by: Lawrence Norden with Jessie Allen
– 03/11/09
Improving Judicial Diversity
Looking at racial diversity on the bench, report finds too few states make efforts to systematically attract racially diverse judicial applicants. Authors offer recommendations and best practices to solving this disparity.
Authored by: Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, Monique Chase and Emma Greenman
– 01/12/09
Still Broken: New York State Legislative Reform 2008 Update
Still Broken: New York State Legislative Reform is the 2008 update of the Brennan Center’s 2004 and 2006 reports on the New York state legislative process. The report finds that the legislative process remains broken, and offers concrete recommendations for reform.
Authored by: Andrew Stengel, Lawrence Norden, and Laura Seago
– 01/02/09
Democracy & Justice | Collected Writings, 2008
Excerpts from reports, policy proposals, and issue briefs, as well as excerpted material from public remarks, legal briefs, Congressional testimony, and op-ed pieces written by Brennan Center staff in 2008.
Authored by: The Brennan Center, including Eric Lane, Bob Herbert, Gov. Janet Napolitano, Nina Totenberg, and others.
– 01/01/09
Smart on Crime
Transition Document: A coalition of more than 20 organizations, including the Brennan Center for Justice, and individuals created this publication of a catalogue of key criminal justice issues and policy recommendations for the next administration and congress.
Authored by: Criminal Justice Transition Coalition
– 11/06/08
Is America Ready to Vote?
This report asks, in the face of election system problems, what procedures has each state put in place to ensure the integrity of every citizen’s vote? Put another way, in the event of voting machine problems on Election Day, how prepared is each state to ensure that every voter can vote, and that all of those votes will be counted?
– 10/16/08
De Facto Disenfranchisement
This report by the ACLU and the Brennan Center for Justice reveals widespread misunderstanding among state election officials of laws governing the right to vote of citizens with felony convictions. They receive little or no training on these laws, and there is little or no coordination between election offices and the criminal justice system. These factors, coupled with complex laws and complicated registration procedures, result in the mass dissemination of inaccurate and misleading information, which in turn leads to the de facto disenfranchisement of untold hundreds of thousands of eligible would-be voters.
Authored by: Erika Wood and Rachel Bloom
– 10/01/08