Democracy

Current Campaigns

New Voters Project

The New Voters Project is the largest grassroots youth voter outreach movement in the country. More.

State budget decisions are often based on short-term considerations or narrow criteria that create larger costs over the long term. This short-term bias in budgeting takes a variety of forms: governments often fail to maintain adequate rainy-day funds. More.

Campaign Finance Reform

The 2008 presidential race was the costliest in history. The candidates, political parties, and interest groups spent a record 5.3 billion—a 27 percent increase over 2004. This type of spending invites corruption, reduces the diversity of candidates for public office, and puts wealthy donors ahead of average citizens. We need a new system for financing campaigns. Read more.

Fair and Open Elections

Elections should be fair, and that means that all eligible voters should be allowed to cast a ballot that will be counted. Unless changes are made nationally or in the states, large numbers of voters are likely to continue to face unnecessary and troubling obstacles to participation in future elections. Read more.

Overview

The American system of representative democracy relies on an engaged citizenry and fair representation, and yet voter turnout is lower than it should be, voting is too often difficult, inaccurate or unverifiable, and in many states the districts themselves are drawn by elected officials to benefit themselves or their party. That’s why OSPIRG is fighting to make verifiable, high quality voting machines the standard. We’re registering tens of thousands of young and low-income new voters across the country. And we’re supporting measures that will ensure a fairer way to draw political districts.

OSPIRG is fighting to make verifiable, high quality voting machines the standard. We’re registering tens of thousands of young and low-income new voters across the state. And we’re supporting measures that will ensure a fairer way to draw political districts.