Spencer Overton speaking at an MDP event. Our Work
Our Work

Our Work

 

Through our initiatives on Scaling Voting Rights Capacity to Build a Multiracial Democracy, Protecting and Advancing Civil Rights through Emerging Technologies and AI, and Building a Fair Judiciary, we are designing practical pathways toward a more just, representative democracy.

 

 

Our Initiatives

 

  

Alternative Election Structures

Building civil rights leadership and advancing structural democracy reforms that counter polarization, prevent racial vote dilution, and strengthen durable, racially inclusive representation.

  

Emerging Technologies and AI

Ensuring that artificial intelligence and other technologies are developed and deployed with the necessary civil rights protections to prevent discrimination, safeguard democratic participation, and expand inclusive civic engagement.

  

Fair Judiciary

Developing research and reform strategies to address the erosion of voting rights protections, curb extreme gerrymandering, and safeguard equitable representation and institutional legitimacy in a changing judicial landscape.

 

How We Support Our Initiatives

6

Democracy in Color Webinars examining voting patterns across diverse demographic groups in recent U.S. elections 

13

Convenings and learning sessions to build capacity and understanding of alternative election structures

15

15 Partner Civil Rights Organizations engaged in sustained learning and democracy reform

70+

Keynotes, Panels, and Symposiums advancing the national dialog on the future multiracial democracy in the U.S.

 

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Professor Overton with a group at a conference.
Participants and facilitators from our 2025 Alternative Election Structures Initiative Principals' Convening in Washington, DC.

The Multiracial Democracy Project has built a nationally recognized model that empowers racial justice organizations to shape research agendas, translate those insights into policy, and equip their communities with that knowledge. Through its Electoral Structures Initiative, MDP has:

  • Built a community of 15 national racial justice organizations that serve Asian American, Black, Latino, and Tribal communities
  • Created structured time and support for these organizations to step back from reactive advocacy and engage proactively with research on how election reforms—such as proportional representation—affect communities of color
  • Strengthened these organizations’ capacity to advise local stakeholders on electoral alternatives that preserve fair representation if the U.S. Supreme Court narrows the Voting Rights Act and reduces the number of districts in which voters of color can elect their preferred candidates