About Us
We Support Public Health & Civic Participation
Democracy makes our communities more inclusive and healthier. Our votes affect health policy, clean air, housing, transit and funding for hospitals. Voting also helps people secure a seat at the table and feel more included within their communities.
When we’re healthier, we’re more likely to vote. And communities that vote experience better health.
The Latest
Health & Democracy Index
Our new analysis compares 12 health indicators to how accessible voting is in each of the 50 states. States with more inclusive voting policies and greater levels of civic participation are healthier. Explore the Index. →
News and Updates
- March 13th, 2023: Jeanne Ayers, Healthy Democracy Healthy People’s Executive Director, and colleagues Nico Pronk and Ross Arena, published a commentary in the Lancet today. The article underscores the critical role of the health sector in promoting inclusive democratic practices and outlines several action steps that are necessary to strengthen civic and voter participation to advance health equity and population health outcomes. Read the full article here.
- February 14, 2023: Minnesota State Senate Health and Human Services Committee held a hearing considering Senate Filing 3 and the provision that would allow the Department of Health and Human Services to implement automatic voter registration in programs like Medicaid. Our partners showed up and delivered supportive testimony. You can watch their testimony here.
- January 12, 2023: Executive Director, Jeanne Ayers, joined colleagues Dr. Olivia Little, Jonathan Heller, Victoria Faust, Paula Tran, Marjory Givens, and Lili Farhang in publishing a framework for building power to advance health equity in the Journal for Public Health Management & Practice. You can read a blog post by Dr. Little here, and read the full article here.
- January 6, 2023: Executive Director, Jeanne Ayers, was invited to witness the presentation of the Presidential Citizens Medal honoring those who protected democracy on January 6th. When democracy is healthy people are healthy. You can watch the livestream here.
Healhy Democracy Healthy People