iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 17h

"The more a regime depends on AI, the more it depends on the people who keep AI running. ... For autocratic rulers, the temptations of artificial intelligence may re-create the same trap they are seeking to escape," share Bruce Schneier and co-author. bit.ly/4yaMfSb

foreignaffairs.com

The AI Autocrat

How technology empowers—and imperils—dictators.

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The audio recording of the latest episode of Terms of Engagement is now available on Spotify (bit.ly/4rVqe8D) and Apple Podcasts (apple.co/4dn5wbI). New episodes every Tuesday.

open.spotify.com

Is High Voter Turnout a Good Thing?

Terms of Engagement · Episode

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The authors outlined options for policymakers, including updating franchise fee laws for the streaming era as Maine has done, reversing the 2019 FCC decision, and building community media into public budgets as Vermont did this year.

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

In a recent piece, the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation looked at what this trend means for local democracy.

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

A 2019 FCC decision has further reduced the cash these stations receive.

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

These nonprofit stations are funded mostly through fees on cable subscriptions. In Massachusetts, cable subscriptions have fallen by more than half since 2013, from about 2.19 million to just over 1 million.

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

For residents who are elderly, disabled, or unable to attend in person, they are a main way to see how local decisions get made.

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

In many towns these local cable access channels are the only outlet recording local government, and they often provide the equipment and expertise behind remote and hybrid meetings.

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

When residents “cord-cut” cable television for streaming, they are unknowingly defunding the local cable access channels that broadcast local government meetings and community life.

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Join the Ash Center on Oct. 5, 4–5 p.m. ET, for a webinar exploring lessons from recent elections and strategies for effective partnerships between law enforcement and election officials. Co-sponsored by PCJ at the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy. bit.ly/4rEm6cT

bit.ly

Law Enforcement and Election Officials: Building Partnerships to Protect Elections – Ash Center

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

In a new installment of his co-authored series on democratic technology, Bruce Schneier discusses the use of AI in drafting the U.S. Virgin Islands' new constitution and assesses the implications for technology's role in shaping democratic governance. bit.ly/4yg1N86

bit.ly

How AI is Helping to Write a New Constitution in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Rewiring Democracy Now shares another democracy-supporting technology

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

@politicsprof.bsky.social and Stephen Richer talk with Saladin Ambar about how political discourse has moved from dog whistles to racial invective, what the shift tells us about the state of democracy, and whether trying to limit such speech would help or backfire. ash.harvard.edu/resources/te...

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Explore new research insights from “Labor Unions and Civic Participation,” in partnership with @cljeharvard.bsky.social

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The audio version of the latest episode of Terms of Engagement is now available on Spotify (bit.ly/4Av1706) and Apple Podcasts (apple.co/46HCoYR). New episodes air every Tuesday.

open.spotify.com

Does American Politics Have a Nazi problem?

Terms of Engagement · Episode

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Digital tools can expand access to local government if the rules are clear enough for officials to use them. Explore these resources and more at ash.harvard.edu/digital-civi....

ash.harvard.edu

Digital Civic Infrastructure – Ash Center

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Their Municipal Leader Guide (ash.harvard.edu/resources/ma...) walks through scenarios, drawn from recent Attorney General determinations, to help municipal leaders use digital tools with confidence today as the law is currently written.

ash.harvard.edu

Massachusetts Municipal Leader Guide: Open Meeting Law in the Digital Age – Ash Center

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The goal is to keep deliberation visible to residents while making room for tools that can actually expand access to government.

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

A new policy brief (ash.harvard.edu/resources/ma...) from the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, part of their Digital Civic Infrastructure Initiative, reviews how other states are handling social media, hybrid meetings, and AI, and offers recommendations for Massachusetts.

ash.harvard.edu

Update Massachusetts Open Meeting Law for the Digital Age – Ash Center

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Local leaders have questions about how to use these digital tools, and often choose to pull back from engaging residents online rather than risking a violation.

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Social media, hybrid meetings, and AI are changing how local government works, and Massachusetts Open Meeting Law guidance has not kept pace.

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Why are union members more likely to vote, volunteer, and take part in public life? In Labor Unions and Civic Participation, Tova Wang and co-authors explain how unions build the relationships, confidence, and skills that turn belonging into civic action. bit.ly/4xCDUXi

bit.ly

Labor Unions and Civic Participation: How Unions Can Increase Member Engagement – Ash Center

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Larry Bartels, the Vanderbilt political scientist who wrote “Democracy for Realists” and “Democracy Erodes from the Top,” joins Terms of Engagement to explore the question, is Democracy eroding from the top? ash.harvard.edu/resources/te...

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Reposted by Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation

Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Join the Ash Center for an upcoming online event on September 22 from 4-5pm ET on how election officials are beginning to work with social media influencers and creators to provide accurate, accessible and engaging civic information. Register here ⤵️ bit.ly/4yLdXpv

bit.ly

Content Creators, Election Administration and Voting: Can Social Media be used to Improve the Voter Information Environment – Ash Center

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Gordon Gauchat, Democracy Visiting Fellow at the Ash Center, speaks at the No Coast SciComm 2026: Science from the Heart Conference, exploring the intersections between science communication, public engagement, and trust in science. bit.ly/4yK0C0D

bit.ly

No Coast SciComm 2026 | Center for Science, Mathematics and Computer Education | Nebraska

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

“All evidence suggests that noncitizen voting in American elections is a minute phenomenon. ... American elections are accessible, secure, and accurate." — Ash Center fellow Stephen Richer, testifying before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight. bit.ly/4y38U3G

bit.ly

Restoring Election Integrity: Oversight of Voter Fraud in New Jersey

Learn more at http://republicans-judiciary.house.gov Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudiciaryGOP Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudiciaryGOP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JudiciaryGOP

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

bit.ly

Content Creators, Election Administration and Voting: Can Social Media be used to Improve the Voter Information Environment – Ash Center

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Today, the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation launches the Digital Civic Infrastructure Initiative, a new effort focused on how technology can strengthen democratic participation, improve government transparency, and help government better serve residents. bit.ly/4yH7VWT

bit.ly

Digital Civic Infrastructure – Ash Center

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Jen Domagal-Goldman, the executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, and @yaelbromberg.bsky.social, a constitutional rights attorney and leading scholar on the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, discuss student voting rights and civic participation. Watch here: ash.harvard.edu/resources/te...

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

"The broad listening and deliberation tools pioneered by others around the world could make US politics more transparent, responsive and community-driven. The impact of AI on campaigning doesn’t have to be all bad," share Bruce Schneier and co-author. bit.ly/4r5GcfZ

bit.ly

AI is hurting US politics. Here’s how candidates could use it for good | Bruce Schneier and Nathan E Sanders

The technology can help candidates listen more deeply to voters, as examples from Japan and Scotland show

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The audio version of the latest episode of Terms of Engagement, featuring Jen Domagal-Goldman and Yael Bromberg is now available on Spotify (bit.ly/3UL7yvF) and Apple Podcasts (apple.co/4yx0d1t). New episodes out every Tuesday.

open.spotify.com

The Fight for the Student Vote: Campus Democracy Under Pressure

Terms of Engagement · Episode

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

In a new research article, Ash Center Democracy Visiting Fellow Gordon Gauchat and co-author Kassandra Thompson offer an alternative framework for public understanding of science, focusing on "science's role as a social system." Learn more here ⤵️ bit.ly/46gHriJ

journals.sagepub.com

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Democracy renovation starts close to home. A new landscape analysis from the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation investigates how digital tools can support civic engagement, government decision-making, and public service delivery. Learn more: ash.harvard.edu/resources/th...

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

American Enterprise Institute political economist Nicholas Eberstadt joins Terms of Engagement to discuss the links between “un-working” men and the rise of populist politics in the U.S. and what the trend reveals about the fraying bonds between work, dignity, and civic life.

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

The Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, co-chaired by Danielle Allen, Director of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, recently released a new volume exploring "fresh perspectives on the future of our constitutional democracy." bit.ly/4qIoBdR

bit.ly

Our Common Purpose: Democratic Citizenship at America’s 250th Anniversary

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Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Matthew Cavedon, Director of the @cato.org’s Project on Criminal Justice, joins Terms of Engagement hosts @politicsprof.bsky.social and Stephen Richer to discuss the democratic and legal implications of Flock cameras. Watch the full episode here: ash.harvard.edu/resources/te...

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