Strengthening and protecting American democracy played a major role at the NewDEAL Forum’s 2024 annual Ideas Summit, which brought state and local policymakers together with thought leaders from the public and private sectors to engage in conversations about key issues facing states and communities.

NewDEAL Forum hosted its annual Ideas Summit in Phoenix, Arizona in mid-April. The gathering brought state and local policymakers together with thought leaders from the public and private sectors to share ideas, hear about models from Phoenix, and engage in conversations about key issues facing communities across the country.

The technology’s use in voter suppression cannot be underestimated, according to a report from the progressive group NewDEAL. It recommends how states can craft laws to combat the threat.

This year’s presidential election will be the first since generative AI — a form of artificial intelligence that can create new content, including images, audio, and video — became widely available. That’s raising fears that millions of voters could be deceived by a barrage of political deepfakes.

Debbie Cox Bultan joins StateScoop's Priorities Podcast to discuss AI regulations.

A bill to protect politicians from ‘deepfake’ images and recordings received broad bipartisan support Wednesday in the Missouri House

Georgia lawmakers could pass AI bill at end of 2024 session.

New laws penalizing unlabeled AI-generated content and public awareness campaigns are two ways state leaders are attempting to fight deepfakes.

The Granite Post reports on the NewDEAL Forum’s Policy Roundtable in Manchester, NH.

The NewDEAL is heading to New Hampshire on Friday to cast a spotlight on New England Democratic state and local policymakers and their shared vision of impactful policies.

By making voting easy, transparent and secure, state and local leaders can ensure election systems remain strong in 2024.

Despite Americans’ pessimism about the state of our democracy, Democrats and Republicans agree on policies to protect election workers, expand voting access and strengthen election integrity.

NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan discusses the NewDEAL Forum's Democracy Playbook with Adam Morgan for KOSI Denver.

In 2020 and 2022, our democracy held firm against a wave of authoritarian forces, but we cannot ignore the cracks that have formed due to the malfeasance of unscrupulous actors. The tactics and attempts to undermine democracy are constant and shifting. Our efforts must keep pace in the face of relentless attacks.

Unfounded claims about voter fraud after 2020 continue to polarize the traditionally nonpartisan administration of elections in unfortunate ways. The defeat of many high-profile election deniers in the 2022 midterms should have begun to break the fever, but it remains more difficult than it should to rationally discuss ways to improve confidence. Which is why the common-sense ideas laid out in a new report are so welcome.

As we begin new terms as secretaries of state, our primary focus must be on making sure that the next election—Nov. 5, 2024—is safe, secure, and trusted. Yes, that is more than 600 days away, but the reality is that states and localities must act now to strengthen our systems for the future. Existential threats to our democracy may have receded for the time being, but they have by no means disappeared. Former President Donald Trump and his cronies continue to falsely claim that the 2020 election was rigged, and state legislators are right now considering bills to make it easier to restrict voting rights and to allow partisan interference in elections.

Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has participated in a national effort to improve the election system. NewDEAL Forum, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit, has released a set of recommendations for state and local leaders “to preserve and strengthen our democracy,” according to the organization.

More than 40 specific policy recommendations were developed by organization’s Democracy Working Group co-chaired by Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson of Michigan, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes of Arizona, County Commissioner Ken Lawrence of Pennsylvania, and Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui of Nevada.