At the Ash Center, we’re generating new ideas and insights for the future of civic engagement — everything from voter participation to democratic deliberation.
Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, American Politics Speaker Series, Nonviolent Action Lab, Reimagining Democracy Program
Civic engagement — from voting to volunteering — is the engine that drives democracy forward. Robust citizen participation at every level of government provides the feedback that democratic systems require to be responsive and productive.
But what happens when people are systemically shut out of deliberation? Can we boost declining voting rates? How will we create a culture of civic engagement in an increasingly digital, AI-influenced world?
These are the questions the Ash Center community works to answer.
Our programs generate novel ideas about making civic engagement more robust, enabling everyone to participate. Ash scholars are researching how citizens can better provide input into government programs, processes, and policies. Together, we are developing a blueprint for what the future of civic engagement can look like.
We encourage you to explore the below events, research, and commentary to learn more about our work.
Commentary
As the dust settles from the U.S. presidential election, the American public can celebrate that the election process was largely nonviolent and smooth. However, it is important that the public not be lulled into thinking this signals the end of election administrators’ problems.
Commentary
Roughly 80 percent of the population who do not live in “swing states” lack a clear notion of what they “need to do” to actively support their candidates.
Q+A
Video
The Ash Center hosted a discussion with representatives of the NBA, NFL Votes, the co-founder of Vet the Vote, and the Deputy Secretary of State of Georgia to discuss how these partnerships are succeeding at supporting voter participation and fair and secure elections.
Video
The Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation hosted a webinar with several panelists to discuss a host of new campus initiatives that offer promising pathways for higher education to reassert its vital role in strengthening democracy by engaging students’ civic learning and supporting their development as civic actors.
Feature
Election integrity is under the microscope as we near the 2024 Presidential Election, and many Americans are apprehensive about election security, the timeframe of learning the results, and how peaceful the transfer of power will be.
Feature
In a climate of growing distrust surrounding elections, election administrators play a pivotal role in safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process.
Podcast
Host Jay Ulfelder and Hardy Merriman discuss Merriman’s latest guide, titled Harnessing our Power to End Political Violence, which empowers people from all over the country to band together and support democracy by rejecting acts of political violence.
Feature
Commentary
Never in American history has a party shifted course as quickly and effectively as the Democratic Party did this summer. The rapid transition from Biden to Harris has left many wondering: Was this process truly democratic?
Feature
Across the United States, hundreds of thousands of people in jail retain their right to vote while being held in pretrial detention, having not been convicted of a crime.
Commentary
“In public life, if you don’t claim authorship of your own story, others will claim it for you.”
Q+A
HKS research fellow Freddy Guevara MC/MPA 2024 remains optimistic about a democratic transition and that the July election was the beginning of the end for the Maduro regime.
Policy Brief
This study provides an analysis and evaluation of how celebrity engagement impacts civic participation in the United States. When and why do celebrities decide to use their influence to encourage civic engagement? What difference do their actions make?
Feature