Our Common Purpose Newsletter | November 2023
By Zachey Kliger | zachey.kliger@gmail.com | November 22, 2023
This month, the Academy issued two new publications on Supreme Court Term Limits and Advancing a People-First Economy. Significant advances were made across the country in realizing Our Common Purpose recommendations: Voters in six cities adopted or expanded ranked choice voting and Maryland launched the nation’s first public service year program for high school graduates. And Our Common Purpose Champions launched new initiatives to boost ballot access and improve civic literacy. Read on to learn more about how you can get involved in the national movement of democracy renovation. We are grateful for your continued support of this work and wish you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.
New Report: The Case for Supreme Court Term Limits
In 2022, the Academy assembled a bipartisan working group of constitutional scholars to create a roadmap for implementing Supreme Court Term Limits legislatively. The group’s deliberations culminated in a final publication, The Case for Supreme Court Term Limits. On October 25th, the Academy co-hosted a publication launch event at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the Senate, which included a panel discussion with Judge Patti Saris, Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Gabe Roth, and working group members Akhil Reed Amar and Charles Fried. The panelists addressed the mechanics of term limits, the urgent need for this reform, and how it can be enacted by statute. Learn more about the report and event here.
Academy's Commission on Reimagining our Economy Issues New Report and Data Dashboard
Inspired by the work of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, the Academy launched the Commission on Reimagining Our Economy (CORE) in October 2021 to rethink the principles, metrics, narratives, and policies that shape the nation’s political economy. This month, the Commission issued a new report, Advancing a People-First Economy, and a national data dashboard, the CORE Score. The report includes proposals to strengthen democracy and rebuild trust in institutions, and the data dashboard offers county-level data on economic opportunity, mobility, security, and political voice. Read the Academy’s press release announcing the new report and dashboard.
In The News
Massachusetts should move local elections to even-numbered years.
An op-ed in the Boston Globe, building off of OCP Recommendation 2.2, proposes aligning state and federal election calendars to strengthen democracy by increasing participation, representation, and engagement in voting.
Ranked choice voting wins in six cities.
On November 7, cities in Michigan, Minnesota, and Massachusetts voted to adopt or expand the use of ranked choice voting in local elections.
Maryland launches the nation's first state-backed service year program.
Maryland launched Service Year Option, a first-in-the nation public service year program for high school graduates.
A new place to learn civics: The workplace.
Private companies in the United States and Europe, concerned about the potential for instability, are increasingly offering employee workshops on civics and democratic principles, according to a New York Times story that cites OCP Champions Civic Alliance and the Leadership Now Project.
Stories From The Field
iCivics launches video series on civics and democracy.
iCivics partnered with First lady Jill Biden, former first lady Laura Bush, and Nickelodeon to create a video series that teaches children civic concepts through original pop songs.
Unite America examines benefits of ranked choice voting.
Unite America released a new report, Alaska’s Election Model, showing that RCV has facilitated positive campaigning and improved participation and representation.
Federation of State Humanities Councils Planning Community Conversations for 250th.
The Federation of State Humanities Councils will partner with five Humanities Councils to help communities observe the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Get Involved
Apply: Public Agenda's Democracy Renewal Project.
Public Agenda seeks proposals for its Democracy Renewal Project, a new initiative to catalyze actionable research on promising interventions to strengthen American democracy.
NCOC Annual Conference on Citizenship.
The National Conference on Citizenship and the National Civic League will co-host the 2023 Annual Conference on Citizenship: The Future of Citizenship in Washington, D.C. on November 30th.
DATE: November 30, 2023 | Planet World Museum | Register
Save the Date: Civic Learning Week.
CivXNow, a project of iCivics, will co-host the 2024 Civic Learning Week in Washington, D.C. with the Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service. CivXNow invites coalition members to submit proposals for a featured activity.
DATE: March 11-15, 2024 | George Washington University | Register
