Policy Briefs

Without having income derived from investments it becomes increasingly difficult to move up income classes, retire, or build any wealth. Increasing market access for the Black population is vital to any plan for improvement in economic standings. Technology changes have allowed more people to access the stock market, loans, and other banking services, but there are well-intended policies that can hinder this growth. These tools are part of the foundation on which upward economic mobility is deeply reliant. If future regulation and efforts are not coordinated, gains in this area could be reversed.

For the majority of Americans, their most valuable asset is their primary residence. But Black Americans have historically been at a disadvantage, given restrictions on land inheritance, redlining, and discrimination in lending practices. Overcoming these historical disadvantages and applying lessons from modern successes to a broader audience is challenging but necessary.

There are a number of bipartisan ideas that would improve our democracy: counting ballots more quickly, mandating that all ballot counting machines are American-made and passing voter ID requirements. To explore the viability of these proposals, the Rainey Center fielded a national survey of registered voters. We find that voters overwhelmingly support bipartisan democracy reform policies.‍

Rainey Center recently fielded national polling exploring voter attitudes towards a streamlined permitting process. We find that voters from both parties agree that there is too much red tape preventing the development of new infrastructure. Voters support new legislation, like the legislation from Senator Manchin and Barrasso to streamline American energy infrastructure.

We find that while Americans remain deeply divided about the legitimacy of the 2020 election, they support a range of proposals to ensure elections are conducted in a fair, secure and speedy manner. In addition, voters remain opposed to violent and dangerous protest tactics. Our findings should be a call to lawmakers to advance a bipartisan election security and legitimacy agenda.