Sen. Chang Joins Nation Bipartisan Democracy Reform Task Force

The Hawai‘i Senate announces that Senator Stanley Chang is among twelve young state legislators from across the country who have launched the Democracy Reform Task Force to advance legislation on redistricting, government accountability, and access to voting. The lawmakers are reaching across state and party lines with the goal of finding innovative solutions to government reform and sharing their findings with lawmakers across the nation. The legislators have joined Millennial Action Project’s (MAP) national effort to support young elected officials as they work to break through partisan gridlock and reestablish political cooperation on issues that millennials care about.

“Partisan gridlock has caused millennials to lose trust in our government and civic institutions, and has caused them to check out of the political process,” said Founder and President of Millennial Action Project Steven Olikara. “The Democracy Reform Task Force is made up of trailblazers who have shown they will prioritize progress over party. Working together, these young lawmakers will lead the nation in finding innovative, legislative solutions to make our government more accountable, transparent, and functional.

The Democracy Reform Task Force was born from MAP’s initiative to rebuild trust in our government in order to encourage civic engagement, particularly amongst younger generations. According to Harvard IOP’s 2017 survey, 67% of Millennials are fearful of America’s future, and just 14% believe our nation is headed in the right direction. However, a counter-movement is emerging – led by Millennials – that seeks to disrupt the status quo in government.

“Access to government, accountability of elected officials, and increasing the ability of eligible voters to exercise that right shouldn’t be a partisan issue,” said Sen. Chang (Dist. 9 – Hawai‘i Kai, Kuli‘ou‘ou, Niu, ‘Aina Haina, Wai‘alae-Kahala, Diamond Head). “I look forward to being a part of the Democracy Reform Task Force and help increase the number of young voters in Hawai‘i and boost our generation’s trust in government and our democracy.”

A complete list of Democracy Reform Task Force members is below:

Rep. Shevrin Jones (D-FL)
Rep. Warwick Sabin (D-AR)
Rep. Stephanie Clayton (R-KS)
Senator Frank LaRose (R-OH)
Rep. Amanda Stuck (D-WI)
Senator Art Linares (R-CT)
Rep. Caroline Simmons (D-CT)
Senator Stanley Chang (D-HI)
Rep. Chaz Beasley (D-NC)
Rep. Jonathan Brostoff (D-WI)
Rep. Michael Caldwell (R-GA)
Rep. David Olsen (R-IL)

The Millennial Action Project (MAP) is a national, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to activating young policymakers to bridge the partisan divide and lead a new era of collaborative governance. In 2013, MAP organized America’s first-ever bipartisan caucus for young members of Congress, the Congressional Future Caucus. Shaping the next generation of leadership, MAP’s Future Caucus Network has expanded into fifteen state legislatures and grown into the largest nonpartisan organization of millennial elected officials in the U.S. More info available online.