With U.S. states banning abortion in record numbers, we had to ask: what does it mean for a place to ban abortion?
That’s why State Innovation Exchange took five state legislators to El Salvador, home of one of the strictest abortion bans in the world, to understand what happens when abortion is banned.
Watch and share this video with your networks today and help fight back!
By the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) and SiX
Today a majority of working Americans – over 80 million people – clock into a job with an hourly wage. As millions of families benefit from higher minimum wages (thanks to the work of many of you!), these victories are undermined by unstable work hours. Many hourly workers are expected to be available 24/7 to work part-time jobs with no guaranteed hours, and experience huge fluctuations in weekly income.
That's why we've teamed up with the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) to bring you resources on how you can restore a Fair Workweek for workers in your states.
See below for a new policy brief, video and audio interviews with experts, an example op-ed, and sample social media.
We all need a workweek we can count on – one that allows all of us to care for our families, stay healthy, and get ahead. This new policy brief outlines the problem, the research, and the ways to create new work hour protections that ensure that hourly workers at large service-sector chains have a greater voice in their workweek, predictable schedules, and the opportunity to work full time.
Also check out these video and audio interviews on Fair Workweek legislation that break down research on the problem, policy reforms, and legislative strategy:
Recently concluded focus groups built on polling conducted last year and reveal Mainers strongly support many of the policies the state legislature has recently passed or considered with residents most supportive of legislation to make prescription drugs more affordable, ones that will hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the opioid crisis, and establishing more protections for workers.
As the 2019 legislative session came to a close, SiX commissioned Lincoln Park Strategies to conduct a poll to gauge voters’ feelings on the progress of the legislative session. To build on that knowledge, SiX commissioned focus groups of Mainers prior to the 2020 legislative session to gauge swing residents’ feelings about the state’s future and their views on the legislative leadership’s policy agenda. One thing is clear: Mainers are looking for solutions to their everyday problems and largely support the progressive ideas the legislature has passed and considered.
Mainers are most worried about issues around healthcare, especially access to quality and affordable care, the cost of prescription drugs, and opioid abuse.
Voters are also very worried about job opportunities in the state, the cost of higher education, property taxes, income tax fairness, access to quality education, and climate change.
The SiX Democracy Project is teaming up with the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC) to help state legislators protect the ballot measure process and champion direct democracy.
The resources below highlight why you, as a state legislator, should care about this important tool for change and how you can identify and disrupt common tactics conservatives deploy to undermine direct democracy.
BISC State Legislative Manager, Jaspreet Chowdhary, introduces us to ballot measures, reviews major progressive policy wins at the ballot box, and outlines common tactics conservatives deploy to undermine direct democracy.
Ballot measures, specifically citizen initiatives, are direct democracy – a place where eligible voters can make decisions about policies that impact their daily lives. Advocates use ballot measures to win public policy that has stalled under the dome, apply pressure, raise awareness about an important topic, or change the underlying narrative about an issue. Here are a few quick resources to get legislators up to speed on ballot measures:
Legislative threats to direct democracy are on the rise. In 2019, there were more legislative attacks on the ballot measure process than the previous two years combined. 2020 is on track to be another record breaking year. The resources below highlight common tactics used to undermine direct democracy and how legislators can evaluate proposed changes to the ballot measure process.
A recent poll conducted by Strategies 360 for the State Innovation Exchange (SiX) shows that voters strongly support progressive solutions to make health care more affordable and put more money in the pockets of working people.
The skyrocketing cost of health care and prescription drugs remains a top issue for Colorado residents. The findings highlight that progressive policy solutions like limiting hospital profit margins, increasing competition in the health care market, and capping prescription drug costs would make a real difference for Colorado families.
Voters continue to support measures that expand tax savings for low- and middle-income families. There is robust support for the state to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, which would provide desperately needed economic relief for families making less than $75,000 per year.
For the polling on health care and economic issues, see results here. For analysis on the health care results see here.
Survey Methodology: Strategies 360 conducted a survey of 600 registered voters in Colorado from January 2-5, 2020. Interviews were conducted on landlines and cell phones. The margin of error for a survey of 600 interviews is ±4.0% at the 95% confidence level; error is higher among subgroups.
A recent poll commissioned by the State Innovation Exchange (SiX) shows Floridians are concerned about health care and other pocketbook economic issues. Polling demonstrates strong support for progressive policy solutions to these challenges facing Florida families.
Florida voters prioritize action on health care with a focus on affordability. On a scale of 1 to 100, voters supported policies to:
Floridians reject trickle down economics and strongly support progressive policies that put money back in the pockets of working people.
Click here to see the poll memo.
Click here to see the presentation on results.
The State Innovation Exchange commissioned TargetSmart to complete the research. The survey was conducted in December 2019 with 892 respondents.