Guys, I have a useful tool for us. A streamlining tool.

The tl;dr: Choose 1 - 2 essential features of democracy that most compel you, and turn them into a short script to motivate your citizenship work this year and beyond.

We’ve been told (literally ad nauseam) that this year’s elections are HIGH-STAKES, because DEMOCRACY. But “SAVE DEMOCRACY” is way too generalized for my brain to handle without spinning out or shutting down. I am not Captain Marvel; I am a normal person in her 40s who finally recognizes a too-tall order when she sees one.

captain marvel

So: in order to remain motivated to help with the important (though sometimes boring) work of 2024, I need to break democracy into its component parts, then identify a specific part or two that I value and want to help protect.

Unfortunately, given the extreme inadequacy of my civics education (please remind me to tell you about Mr. Zull), I had trouble listing specific features of democracy. I hope you’re better at this than I am, but if you’re not, we’ll just re/learn it together!

Surprise: I did a little research into What Makes Democracy Democracy. Turns out (surprise again!) that there are a lot of definitions out there, but the items on the list below are generally agreed upon. (As always, please correct/add/etc where necessary. Some sources: 1, 2, 3.)

Before the list, a few observations:

  • I’m often incandescently angry with the United States for its inequitable and half-assed application of democratic ideals, not to put too fine a point on it. I have to remind myself that (1) these are ideals—no one enacts them perfectly; (2) the stakes are high this year because a major political party has promised and explicitly planned to undermine these ideals and replace them with authoritarian alternatives; and (3) WE ARE THE COMMITTEE, so if I’m angry about our inequitable application of democratic principles, it’s my job to know the principles and work for more equitable application.
  • Each of the components on the list has multiple definitions; the wonks can wonk out hard about them. Those multiple definitions are important—but they should NOT bog us down. Each principle has a basic common-sense definition, with which any good-faith person would find MAGA’s plans incompatible. Let’s move toward nuance, yes, but let’s not let nuance keep us from moving.
  • “Effective” is a key word in all of these. Modern authoritarians do a lot of lip service to these ideals while eroding their effective deployment behind the scenes.

OK! You ready to choose your favorite motivator(s)? Here we go.

Captain Marvel punching

Democracy requires healthy, functioning systems for…

  1. Separation & balance of powers
    Three government branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) work competently and independently and have clearly defined ways to check each other.
  2. Judicial independence
    Judges and courts can decide cases impartially, without deference to the executive branch—“according to the law and the facts and not a shifting political climate” (ABA).
  3. Freedom of media
    Fact-based news and information are easily accessible and not restricted or controlled by the government.
  4. Accountability & transparency
    Citizens have the right to question and expect answers from all government authorities about what they’re doing & why.
  5. Multiparty pluralism
    The political landscape includes a variety of groups (parties and organizations) that represent the people’s wishes, offer genuinely different policy options, and hold each other in check.
  6. Free & fair elections
    All citizens can vote without coercion in regularly scheduled elections whose results are reliably respected and implemented.
  7. Rule of law
    No one is above the law, including leaders and authorities. Slightly separate but related: everyone is treated equally by the law.

I think my favorites for now are rule of law and separation of powers. So...

My 2024 script:

“The rule of law and separation of powers are important to me and to the health of this country. MAGA has promised to undermine them. The Democratic candidate wants to protect them. I’m working to elect him and other leaders who will protect and enforce the rule of law and separation of powers.”

BOOM.

I think our scripts will be multitools, like Swiss Army knives. We’ll use them for…

  • reading the news (“How does this headline reflect on free & fair elections?”)
  • answering ourselves and others who ask, “you’re really excited about Biden?!”
  • explaining democracy to kids
  • understanding and fighting against MAGA’s specific anti-democratic plans (no matter who wins in November)
  • thinking about “down-ballot” (i.e., not-presidential) races
  • calling our reps
  • AND SO MUCH MORE!!!
Swiss Army...light saber?

What’s your script?

Always interested in the whys, if you care to share. Especially interested in whys from anyone who’s lived under nondemocratic systems or the least democratic parts of our system.

Does this script help clarify anything for you? How can you imagine putting it to work?