In January 2025, NewDEAL Forum reached out to five forward-thinking secretaries of state to discuss the lessons learned from the 2024 election, as well as their views on the current state and future of democracy in the United States.

The NewDEAL Forum’s Democracy Working Group met in mid-September to discuss key efforts to safeguard the 2024 election. Election officials and voter advocacy leaders laid out what they are doing to ensure election security and protect democratic processes. The participants emphasized the need to combat misinformation, strengthen voter protections, and maintain public trust in election outcomes.

In less than six months, citizens around the country will start voting (early, by mail, and in person on Election Day) for positions ranging from school board to President of the United States. We offer six initiatives to prioritize over the final six months, focused on voting, election integrity, and civic engagement.

In response to the growing need to regulate this emerging tech, the NewDEAL Forum has published a new document outlining best practices for mitigating the negative impacts of AI in the near term, as well as principles for AI-focused legislation to protect our democracy.

Checklist outlining 12 methods state and local leaders can take to defend democracy ahead of 2024.

In less than a year, American democracy faces another major test. As state and local election officials prepare for the upcoming election, the NewDEAL Forum has released “12 Priorities Over 12 Months to Protect Democracy.”

The Democracy Playbook is a product of the NewDEAL Forum’s Democracy Working Group, and was written after months of extensive conversations with election experts, civic leaders, and elected officials.

America has been a global beacon of democracy for nearly 250 years. The most important professional commitment we ever made was when we took our oath of office – to faithfully carry out our duties while upholding not only our state constitutions, but the U.S. Constitution. We are proud to be part of this nation’s long tradition of representative democracy.