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Democracy Initiative organizations and activists are gathering signatures for a state ballot initiative to automatically register Alaska citizens to vote as they sign up for the Permanent Fund Dividend. The PFD is paid annually to Alaska citizens, based on the state's oil revenue dividends.

In Maine this past Election Day, voters approved Question One, an initiative that strengthens the state's landmark Clean Elections law, expands small-dollar public financing for campaigns and making candidates more accountable to the voters by requiring that outside groups disclose their top three donors on all political ads.

Democracy Initiative allies, including CWA, pushed candidates and measures to end gerrymandering and make redistricting more bipartisan, transparent and fair.

The inspiration for the Democracy Initiative (DI) was extreme frustration that the path to achieving CWA's goals of secure, sustainable jobs, health care, retirement security and bargaining and organizing rights was blocked by a concerted attack on our democratic process. Workers' rights were eroding and contract bargaining was harder than ever.

The NAACP's "Journey for Justice" began this August, 50 years after the Voting Rights Act was signed. From Selma, Ala., to Washington, D.C., thousands of civil rights, religious, union, student and other activists joined actions, rallies and teach-ins as marchers made their way to the endpoint, a rally and advocacy day at the U.S. Capitol.