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Democracy on the (Down) Ballot: Unpacking the Midterms, Voting Rights, and Local Electoral Reforms

During the 2022 midterms, voters not only cast a ballot to decide the balance of power in congress, but in in many states voters decided on a range of consequential ballot initiatives impacting the nuts and bolts of the electoral process including voter-ID laws, party primary reform, ranked choice voting, and proportional representation. The outcomes of these statewide and local level ballot initiatives have direct implications for future elections and participatory democracy.

This midterm recap webinar goes beyond the candidate horse race and focus on analysis and perspectives from advocates and scholars on recent voting-related ballot initiatives, immediate implications for future elections, and what’s ahead for emerging electoral reforms at the state and local level. See panelists Deb Otis, Director of Research at FairVote; Jenny Lee, Deputy Director of the Coalition of Communities of Color; and Wendy Underhill, Director of Elections and Redistricting at the National Conference of State Legislatures. Ash Center Reimagining Democracy Fellow Nick Chedli Carter moderated.

Programs

Reimagining Democracy Program

Issues

Institutional Reforms, Voting and Elections

Related Resources

In Appearance Before Congress, Stephen Richer Testifies at House Hearing on Alleged Noncitizen Voting in New Jersey
Stephen Richer testifying before Congress.

Feature

In Appearance Before Congress, Stephen Richer Testifies at House Hearing on Alleged Noncitizen Voting in New Jersey

On Tuesday, September 15, 2026, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight held a hearing featuring testimony from Stephen Richer, a former Maricopa County, Arizona, Recorder, election administration expert and Ash Senior Fellow.

The hearing examined allegations that approximately 6,600 noncitizens were improperly registered to vote in New Jersey between June 2023 and June 2024.

 

Terms of Engagement: Does American Politics Have a Nazi Problem?
Picture of Saladin Ambar in the Terms of Engagement header.

Podcast

Terms of Engagement: Does American Politics Have a Nazi Problem?

For decades, racial appeals in American politics were most effective when they could be denied. Today, that carefully maintained distance between coded language and explicit hostility is rapidly eroding. In this episode, Saladin Ambar joins Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to examine what this transformation reveals about American politics and democracy.

More on this Issue

In Appearance Before Congress, Stephen Richer Testifies at House Hearing on Alleged Noncitizen Voting in New Jersey
Stephen Richer testifying before Congress.

Feature

In Appearance Before Congress, Stephen Richer Testifies at House Hearing on Alleged Noncitizen Voting in New Jersey

On Tuesday, September 15, 2026, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight held a hearing featuring testimony from Stephen Richer, a former Maricopa County, Arizona, Recorder, election administration expert and Ash Senior Fellow.

The hearing examined allegations that approximately 6,600 noncitizens were improperly registered to vote in New Jersey between June 2023 and June 2024.

 

Allen Lab Fellow Spotlight: City Charters Are Deliberative Democracy’s Friends

Commentary

Allen Lab Fellow Spotlight: City Charters Are Deliberative Democracy’s Friends

Allen Lab Fellow Tyler Fisher examines the untapped potential of city charters as a vehicle for deliberative democracy, arguing that advocates should work to embed tools like citizen assemblies, participatory budgeting, and town meetings directly into the governing architecture of cities, institutionalizing deliberative democracy one municipality at a time.

Terms of Engagement Summer Reading List
A collage of book and report recommendations from the Terms of Engagement summer reading list.

Feature

Terms of Engagement Summer Reading List

Books, reports, and articles exploring the front lines of American politics and democracy, as featured on the Terms of Engagement podcast.