Additional Resource
Democracy demands new ideas.
Additional Resource
Who’s in Charge of Congressional Elections?
Paper
Building Capacity to Use Social Media: How Election Officials Can Leverage Content Creation to Provide Accurate Voter Information
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The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation develops ideas and fosters practices for equal and inclusive, multiracial, and multiethnic democracy and self-government.
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From sovereignty and civil resistance to technology and elections, we are advancing democracy today while imagining a better version for tomorrow.
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Feature
Global Challenges to Democracy Seminar Series Recap (AY 2025-2026)
Key takeaways from the Ash Center’s 2025–2026 seminar series on navigating global threats to modern democracy.
Media Release
Danielle Allen’s Radical Duke Recasts the Origins of the Age of Revolution
A new book from Harvard scholar Danielle Allen revisits the forgotten British radical movement that helped shape modern democracy.
Feature
Believing in the Power of the People
Paige Swem MC/MPA 2026 has built her career around a simple but powerful belief: meaningful change happens when institutions share power with the people they serve. From leading democracy reform efforts in Michigan to studying public leadership at Harvard Kennedy School, she has championed grassroots, participatory approaches that bring citizens into decision-making and strengthen democratic systems from the ground up, earning her the Ash Center’s Martha H. Mauzy Award this spring.
This article was originally written by Carol Kerbaugh for Harvard Kennedy School’s website.