Democracy in Action: Time to Weigh In

Three issues, six grantees, and a wonderful mix of opinions converge as the health of democracy in America is explored in the 2008 annual review.  And the discussion continues online with the Democracy in Action podcasts.

Comments or Questions?  Please email us at communications@rbf.org.

Election Reform: Historic Election Energizes Supporters, but Challenges Remain

"I think the biggest improvement in the health of democracy has been a surge in the desire of people to participate. It is time to raise our sights even further."

                                     -Miles Rapoport, president of Demos

Journalist Lauren Foster sits down with Biko Baker, executive director of the League of Young Voters, and Miles Rapoport, president of Demos, a public policy and advocacy organization, to discuss voting rights and election reform.

Public Financing: A Moment of Real Opportunity for Reform

"Public funding of elections, or clean elections, allows people who otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to run to participate effectively in the political system, and that's the way it ought to be."

-Adonal Foyle, founder and president of Democracy Matters

In this feature, journalist Lauren Foster turns her attention to the issue of public financing in a discussion with Adonal Foyle, founder and president of Democracy Matters, and Laura MacCleery, deputy director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.

Shared Prosperity: The New Voices in Civic Engagement

"I think immigrant communities are developing a new model of civic engagement that goes beyond just voting."

 -Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the
New York Immigration Coalition

Writer Matt Saldaña sits down with Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, and Luz Santana, co-founder of the Right Question Project, to talk about immigration and the new voices in civic engagement.