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Executive Summary In 2025, New Mexico became the first state in the nation to offer universal child care, culminating a more than decade-long effort led by a broad coalition of advocates, parents, educators, and community organizations. This case study examines how movement organizations in New Mexico successfully led the fight for one of the most ambitious social policy victories in the country despite significant financial, political, and structural barriers.

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In this moment of democratic crisis, a Third Reconstruction is necessary to complete the unfinished work of the first two Reconstructions. This series explores what it will take to build a new era of racial justice, radical citizenship, and genuine multiracial democracy. In November 2025, we launched a six-week series, co-produced and published by Nonprofit Quarterly, featuring articles by labor leaders, grassroots organizers, philanthropic innovators, and democracy defenders.

The right to vote must be protected. Big money must be purged from our politics. The democratic process must serve our diverse electorate. Demos strives to create a democracy rooted in racial equity and shaped by voters, not dollars. We have helped get 3 million low-income voters registered at DMVs and public agencies.

The following is a populist policy solution from Dēmos' 2026 Policy Agenda, Power Policies: How to Get and Keep People Power in the United States The Problem The racial wealth divide in the United States is growing, fueled by decades of policies and practices that have excluded Black and brown people from the opportunity to accumulate the same wealth that white people have amassed for centuries.

The following is a structural solution from Dēmos' 2026 Policy Agenda, Power Policies: How to Get and Keep People Power in the United States The Problem State and local governments funnel more than a trillion dollars to contractors every year—and too often, contractors use those dollars in ways that harm workers. Over the past several decades, policy choices at the federal and state levels have systematically eroded workers’ ability to organize and build collective power.

The following is a populist policy solution from Dēmos' 2026 Policy Agenda, Power Policies: How to Get and Keep People Power in the United States The Problem Housing costs have soared in recent years, leaving renters spending an unaffordable share of their income to remain housed. About half of households in the United States who rent their homes are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than a third of their income on rent.

The following is a structural solution from Dēmos' 2026 Policy Agenda, Power Policies: How to Get and Keep People Power in the United States The Problem Everyone, regardless of their race, income, or ZIP code, deserves to have a voice in our democracy and a say in the policies that impact their lives. However, Americans understand all too well that today we face a coordinated system that concentrates wealth and power in the hands of a small group of people and corporations.

The following is a structural solution from Dēmos' 2026 Policy Agenda, Power Policies: How to Get and Keep People Power in the United States The Problem Traditional voter registration systems in the U.S. put the onus on the individual to register to vote. Voters must also consistently check and keep their registrations active, particularly in states that regularly and aggressively purge voters from their rolls. This burden is a barrier to political participation and inclusion.