The Renovator
Danielle Allen, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Aidan Fitzsimons, D. Graham Burnett, School of Radical Attention, Beth Fukumoto, Joanna Kenty, Mihir Kshirsagar, Nathan E. Sanders, Bruce Schneier, Annmarie Caño, Zachey Kliger, Meredith SumpterThe Renovator is a Substack for everyone who wants to help renovate our democracy.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Freemium | Publishes | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 278 | Founded | a year ago | Last Issue | 6 days ago |
| Active | |||||
Read this Newsletter
democracyrenovator.comLatest Issues
Down to the Wire: Courts Rewrite the Rules as the Ballots Go Out
Photo by Janine Robinson on Unsplash
It’s Wednesday, September 16, 2026, and it’s time for your Democracy in the States’ Weekly Roundup.
Delaware held the last primary in the country on Tuesday. States have their nominees. Candidates know...
12 Months of Chaos: Inside the Nation’s Most Bitter Redistricting Fight.
Ray Reed had not slept in two days. The 29-year-old Democratic state representative from St. Louis County, joined by two colleagues — Elizabeth Fuchs (D) of St. Louis City and Jeremy Dean (D) of Springfield — hunkered down on the floor of t...
The World is “Terrifying,” but Young People Want to Make it Better.
Last week, posted a moving piece commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and I also loved ’s piece about the relationship between objects and memory: September 11 and the Objects That Carry Our Civic Memory.
Harry Boyte an...
City Charters are Deliberative Democracy’s Friends
Residents and city council members discussing economic vitality at a deliberative study session in Boulder, CO, September 26, 2024.
When Tyler Fisher talks about renovating democracy, he isn’t speaking theoretically. A Policy Fellow at the...
Twenty-Five Years On
Left: Smoke rises over Lower Manhattan, September 11, 2001 (U.S. National Archives). Right: The Pentagon impact site, with flag unfurled, September 14, 2001 (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cedric H. Rudisill). Both photos public domain....
Key Facts
Audience Metrics
Subscribers, engagement, traffic and sponsorship for The Renovator.
| Subscribers | Engagement | 81 | Monthly Web Visits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accepts Sponsors | Estimated Cost per Ad | ||||
Explore More
Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
The founder of The Renovator, Danielle Allen, is a Harvard prof and democracy advocate working on democracy renovation 24-7.
Historian of authoritarianism and propaganda. NYT Bestseller: Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present. Now writing: Resisting Autocracy. Consultant film & TV. Rep'd by CAA & The Gernert Company.
Adventuring around America in pursuit of the Great American Novel
Fight the human frackers...
A Brooklyn-based non-profit advancing attention activism through community programs in the study and practice of human attention.
Apolitical’s “100 Future Leaders: The World’s Most Influential Young People in Government.” 3-term State Legislator. Once, the youngest woman to lead a major party in a US legislature. Now, political columnist & strategic comms consultant.
Roman empire nerd, random fact generator, kitchen wizard, proud Philadelphian
Tech Policy Clinic Lead @ Princeton CITP
Data Scientist @ Harvard University, Berkman Klein Center; Co-Author of Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship
Security technologist, writer, researcher. Fellow and lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School, and the Munk School at the University of Toronto. www.schneier.com
I write to sow seeds of liberation. I draw from liberation praxis because I know there's un otro mundo posible (an "other" possible world) that we can co-create by reading and acting upon what we learn together.
Policy writer and communications professional covering tech, AI, and democracy.
I serve as president and CEO of FairVote, where we are working to build a more functional and representative democracy that delivers for every American.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I access the email archive for The Renovator?
You can find recent issues that have been published by The Renovator on Reletter by scrolling up to where it says Latest Issues. Tap on the link for any of the most recent emails or hit More Issues to see older ones.
How many subscribers does The Renovator have?
To see how many people subscribe to The Renovator, simply upgrade your Reletter account. We provide readership numbers and lots of other stats for this newsletter so you can decide if it's worth reaching out to.
How can I advertise in The Renovator?
Newsletter advertising can be extremely effective when it's done right. Before you pitch The Renovator as a potential sponsor or partner, make sure that you've done your research and checked its newsletter stats with Reletter.
Then, personalize one of our winning pitching templates and send it to the right person using the contact info provided.
How much does it cost to sponsor a publication like The Renovator?
Newsletter ad rates (or CPM) vary depending on many factors, including industry, number of subscribers, open rate, ad placement and more.
To find out how much an ad will cost, contact The Renovator using the contact information provided and ask for a copy of their media kit.
How can I find newsletters related to The Renovator?
Scroll up to where it says Related Newsletters to see other publications like The Renovator. You can also search our email newsletter directory to discover other newsletters that cover the topics you're interested in.
How do I contact The Renovator?
Reletter provides this newsletter's website URL above, where you will often find their contact information. We also provide links to associated social media accounts and pitching templates so you can reach out fast.