National Civic Review articles from June 2004

National Civic Review archives from June 2004

Note from the editors.(Introduction)(Editorial)
June 22, 2004... Political reformers and civil rights activists have much in common. Both groups work very hard to promote fairness and a higher level of participation in the electoral process. Both groups have struggled to overcome the obstacles that prevent...

Full representation: uniting backers of gerrymandering reform and minority voting rights.
June 22, 2004... In April 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision, with little fanfare, that may have more impact on voter choice and representation in the U.S. Congress than any other event during the past decade. In Vieth v. Jubelirer, (1) the Court...

A new model for urban voter mobilization.
June 22, 2004... 2004 may be the most contentious U.S. presidential election in recent history. Organizations across the country have announced major get-out-the-vote campaigns. Resources will flow to cities with large populations of nonvoters, from...

Thinking outside the (ballot) box: a broader political engagement strategy for America's civic organizations.
June 22, 2004... In recent years, there has been an expanding chorus of voices decrying the demise of civic engagement among Americans, particularly their lack of interest in voting and other political processes. Although not the only catalyst for this alarm,...

Practicing democracy: how communities come together to solve problems.(Excerpt)
June 22, 2004... This article is adapted from the author's Smart Communities: How Citizens and Local Leaders Can Use Strategic Thinking to Build a Brighter Future. New York: Wiley, 2004. All rights reserved. Americans need to practice politics. In an...

The civic meaning of Brown v. Board of Education at fifty.
June 22, 2004... The fiftieth anniversary of the May 17, 1954, Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka prompted me to reflect on the decision's civic and community legacies. (1) Brown was the court's clearest, most potent, progressive, and...

Federalism Jujitsu.(political structure)
June 22, 2004... In the Progressive Era, the Supreme Court forced social justice activists to appreciate the effect political structure had on policy by repeatedly striking down federal social and economic reform legislation in supposed fealty to states'...

Claiming democracy: a state network to support the right to vote.
June 22, 2004... Americans rightly take pride in living in one of the world's oldest democracies. But with that pride has come a dangerous hubris, a self-satisfaction with our institutions that tends to direct people's frustration with government at individual...

Leveling the playing field.(Political Reform)
June 22, 2004... The way in which our society defines a problem goes a long way toward shaping the solution. One poster child for ill-defined problems has to be campaign finance. For decades, political reformers have based their critiques and strategies on...

A common vision of democracy.(Political Reform)
June 22, 2004... Almost a decade ago as ideological polarization and paralysis in the face of national problems seemed to be the permanent state of American politics, a movement to renew the promise of democracy began to stir. At first, and in response to the...