Sean McElwee

After 50 years, voters support ending the destructive and discriminatory War on Drugs and treating drug use as a matter of public health.

New poll shows that New Yorkers want their next DA to tackle police misconduct and lead on reform.

New polling shows NYC voters ready for a mayor to take strong steps towards affordable housing, police accountability, and reimagining public safety.

Clemency powers are the most direct route to addressing the profound harm of needless incarceration and ending excessive, unjust sentences.

On key issues in district attorney races, Pennsylvania voters support policies that reduce incarceration and promote rehabilitation.

New polling shows broad voter support for clemency and the president’s use of commutation power to promote rehabilitation, consistency, and mercy.

New polling shows that voters across dozens of major U.S. metros recognize the broad reach of mayoral power—and demand bold, progressive change.

New polling shows voter support for executive clemency and commuting prison sentences for many who can be safely returned to their communities.

Voters want systemic alternatives to policing that reduce opportunities for police violence and support lawmakers who embrace these changes.

A new poll shows broad support among likely voters for using police funds to create non-police emergency first responders to handle some emergency calls.

Harris County voters want alternatives to policing that enhance public safety and reduce unnecessary encounters with armed police, according to new polling.

A new poll shows Harris County voter support for safe shelter for people experiencing homelessness and ensuring a right to legal counsel in evictions.

New polling shows that a majority of likely voters in Harris County support reforms that have eliminated cash bail for many low-level offenses.

Over 80 percent of Oregon voters support funding programs that deploy non-police first responders to health emergencies.

A new poll shows that a majority of Oregon voters want to reverse mandatory minimum sentencing laws and restore judicial discretion to sentencing decisions.

New polling shows wide support among Oregon voters for legislation that could lead to shorter sentences for domestic violence victims.

New polling found majority support for full decriminalization of sex work as the Oregon legislature considers House Bill 3088.

More than half of Maryland’s likely voters want to repeal its Law Enforcement Bill of Rightsm, to thwart inquiries and discipline for police wrongdoing.

A new poll shows that Maryland voters want to guarantee a right to counsel for those facing eviction, similar to the right to counsel for criminal cases.

A new statewide poll shows that Marylanders support removing the governor from the parole process.

New polling shows that MD voters support ensuring children have a chance of release and are protected from coercive police interrogations.

According to new polling, voters overwhelmingly want a fairer process in eviction cases.

A new poll shows that a majority of likely voters want Congress to pass the “Wall Street Tax Act,” federal legislation that would promote equity, fairness, and raise revenue through a tax on trades of certain financial instruments.

New polling shows substantial support for a number of measures that will dramatically reduce the county jail’s population amid the surging threat posed by COVID-19.

A new poll shows substantial support among Los Angeles County voters for a number of measures to reduce the jail population.

While Governor Gavin Newsom prepares to name California’s next attorney general, a new statewide poll shows overwhelming, bipartisan support for an attorney general who is independent from the police and prioritizes police accountability. 

Detaining people who pose no danger to the public in crowded, unsanitary jails and prisons not only endangers those who are incarcerated, it also subjects staff and the broader community to needless risk as new, more virulent strains of COVID-19 make their way into the United States. 

Voters in New York and California—two states with large numbers of federal judicial vacancies—overwhelmingly support their senators recommending more civil rights lawyers and public defenders for the federal bench. 

A new national poll shows that a majority of American voters support supplementing the existing social safety net with targeted, direct cash payments at the local level.

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting financial crisis have exposed the fragility and gaps within the American caregiving model.

Americans largely support progressive policies—despite objections from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Now is the time to pass them.

In a survey of a selection of frontline districts, including many that flipped for Republicans in 2020, majorities of voters expressed support for progressive reforms on healthcare, the environment, and policing. In other words, the very policies blamed for electoral defeats in frontline districts in fact have majority support among those same voters.

New polling from Data for Progress and The Lab, a policy vertical of The Appeal, shows that voters across party lines overwhelmingly support direct payments of $2,000.

The old-school default of keeping people who are presumed innocent in jail unless they can afford bail has always been unfair, destructive, and dangerous, and that is especially true amid a pandemic that poses a unique threat to incarcerated people.

It’s time for political leaders, no matter their party, to listen to voters—and provide financial relief from the pandemic.

Executive Summary Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, unhoused people, uniquely vulnerable to the spread of disease, have borne the brunt of government inaction. Yet in some places where the government has taken action it came in the form of crackdowns and new ordinances that criminalize the status of living without a home—actions that contradict CDC […]

Executive Summary With control of the United States Senate hanging in the balance, new polling from Data for Progress and The Justice Collaborative Institute shows that a bipartisan majority of Georgia voters are more likely to support Senate candidates who embrace Democratic policy priorities on a broad range of issues, including health care, clean energy, […]

Executive Summary A new poll from Data For Progress and The Justice Collaborative Institute shows that 87% of Georgia voters—including 84% of Republicans—support a direct federal stimulus payment to most Americans. For Peach State voters, direct financial payment should not be a matter of debate or compromise, and is instead an essential intervention in this time […]

Executive Summary American voters believe our legal system should prioritize helping and supporting people over incarcerating them—and probation and parole programs must be reformed to serve that function, new polling shows. Voters want fewer people in jails and prisons, and fewer people subject to surveillance and control by law enforcement. Instead, they want probation and […]

Executive Summary New polling from The Justice Collaborative Institute and Data for Progress indicates that most voters believe that President Trump will use vote-by-mail to try to commit voter fraud and steal the election, and that he will try to stop the counting of ballots if he is ahead on election night. Nearly half of […]