On Democracy: How to Improve Democracy in the United States
By: Marcus Cervantes
Tags: Trump, Politics, Democracy, Biden, Politics And Protest

Photo by Fred Moon by Unsplash

Democracy is fragile, as we’ve seen throughout history. Since ancient Greece developed a form of democracy to self-govern, democracy has provided a pathway for citizens to actively engage in the political arena and elect their governors. It has provided an engine for the masses to hold their government accountable and approve/disapprove legislation in their community. The internal institutions that protect democracy, or guardrails, are the judicial system, the press, and political parties. Established norms are also viewed as a safeguard for democracy. According to Freedom House, democracy’s popularity is on the decline worldwide.

The United States, over the past decade, had seen a wave of populism that rose to new heights when Donald Trump was elected in 2016. A country that took pride in its freedoms and the constitution; selected an autocrat who would eventually challenge the guardrails and destroy established norms. Most Americans watched in disgust at the president’s behavior while others began to fall to the manipulation and deceit. Donald Trump had effectively done what so many other politicians seeking power have done, capitalize on populist movements, and seize power. Fortunately for the United States, the Judicial system is resisting the Trump administration coup attempt from President-elect Joe Biden.

If the United States continues the banner of ‘leader of the free world,’ Then the next question is, where should we go from here?

The United States should focus on these four areas, removing barriers to voting, improving racial relations, the economy, and restricting extremism on social media.

During the pandemic, many states in the United States reduced barriers to voting. The result is an astounding 150 million voters in the general 2020 elections. Another driving factor to consider toward this historic turnout is the polarization of the Trumps’ administration. Accessibility is an essential factor in this equation; ensuring enough ballot drop-off boxes in every county is critical. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation that each county in Texas can only have one dropbox. This was intended to restrict accessibility in Harris county, a large population, and racially diverse. Ensuring that every state and county has access for individuals with disabilities so that they can vote as well. Voter ID laws are racist and intend to suppress the minority vote, and such voter ID laws must be removed.

Improving racial relations in the United States should be a priority for any incoming administration. It is not a task that can be summarized in one paragraph or essay. Still, some steps moving forward are actually listening to the community suppressed and implementing policies that reflect their experience and not policies drafted from a person of privilege. These calls have ranged from ending the private prison complex, defund the police, ending gerrymandering politics, and reducing barriers to the political arena. Racism is still alive in the United States. The United States president has said that millions of ‘illegals’ have voted in the election. However, he specifically targeted battleground states that went for Joe Biden. More insidiously, he only challenged the counties with large populations and are racially diverse. A red state was never challenged by the president. This is, in fact, inherently racist.

The congress of the US must work together to reduce the gap in income inequality. Democracy does not function properly from a top-down approach, but instead, it thrives from the middle-out method. Fiscal policies need to prioritize the average American rather than the top 1%. Weak economies are prime for the disintegration of social cohesion, abusive politicians gaining power, and social unrest. When most citizens do not feel the system is working in their favor and that another segment of society is playing by a different set of rules, then there’s an increased risk of social unrest.

Previously, states were threatened when they could no longer enforce power within their own boundaries or foreign invaders. Paramilitary groups across the globe continue to be a threat to the modern state. However, the state has a new challenge it must contend with. Social media is a platform used to connect people from around the globe. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, have grown into a tool to organize and share extremist ideological thoughts in the United States, especially amongst white supremacy groups. We’ve seen misinformation spread, including about the integrity of our general election, the vaccine for COVID-19, and many Black Lives Matter. The government must hold these social media giants accountable when hate speech, violent protest, and misinformation spread quickly on these platforms.

This is not an exhaustive list of ideas on improving democracy. Still, these are some areas that the United States can focus on. Democracy is a complex government system that is made up of rules, legislation, and established norms. To this day, it is the best conduit of ensuring that people have a way to address their grievances to the government, elect their officials, and choose the direction of their country. For democracy to thrive and function properly, then the people must have faith in the system itself for the process to retain its legitimacy.