Contributing Task Force: Andrea Benjamin, George Cheung, Lee Drutman, Holly Ann Garnett, Ruth Greenwood, Pedro Hernandez, Kevin Johnson, Michael Latner, Maria Perez, Sam Rosenfeld, Jack Santucci, O. J. Semans, Heather Stoll, Fernando Tormos-Aponte, Alejandra Tres, Hannah Walker
A growing body of evidence suggests that democracy in the United States is in peril, from direct attempts to subvert our elections, to the targeted expansion of restrictive election laws, our dysfunctional party system, the dismantling of federal voting rights protections, and a resurgence of antidemocratic populism.
This report lays out a positive vision, pathway, and specific recommendations for addressing these risks and achieving truly multiracial, multiparty democracy in the United States. These recommendations include:
Securing the integrity of elections
Countering voter suppression by supporting voter participation
Reducing barriers to political association
Expanding representation by increasing assembly sizes
Designing electoral districts to represent all voters
Fostering more deliberative policymaking
The report also includes specific recommendations for democracy movement stakeholders, those community organizations, election administration agencies, reform and voting rights groups, and funding organizations whose collaboration is essential if multiracial, multiparty democracy in the US is ever to be realized.
About this report: This report draws from a September 2021 day-long course at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association (APSA) and broadly reflects the concerns and strategies voiced during the course and in the ongoing work of the Center for Science and Democracy’s education and outreach strategies. Many course participants contributed to the report, along with members of the Center's Democracy Reform Scholar-Advocate Council. See the full report for a complete listing of contributors.