Democracy Wire

Michelle Nunn is the 4th major U.S. Senate candidate to call for a People's Pledge.

Next week public comments are due regarding the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) proposed rules for net neutrality. Much of the focus will be on arcane legalisms, the particulars of various court decisions, and the confounding twists and turns of FCC regulatory oversight (or lack thereof). This is all well and good, and based on more than a decade tracking such minutiae as a member of the FCC, I am confident that those of us favoring real Open Internet will have much the better detailed arguments to put forward. But it’s more—much more—than that.

This week – super PACs, the Voting Rights Amendment Act, Hobby Lobby, and Twitter

The Media and Democracy team recently traveled to beautiful Burlington, Vermont. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) invited Michael Copps, former FCC Commissioner and special advisor to our Media and Democracy program, to testify on the Open Internet ("net neutrality").

Politicians have learned to harness every form of technology to manipulate voters, but none are more visible than ads on TV. For many voters who haven't had time to do their own research, these ads may be the only information they have as they head to the polls.

Hawaii is making strides toward greater participation in their elections. In an effort to combat the state’s current low voter turnout and expand access to the ballot box, Governor Neil Abercrombie has signed a bill allowing voters to register at absentee polling places beginning in 2016, paving the way for Election Day registration to begin in 2018.