The #DemocracyAwakening: A Moment to Stand Up
By Miles Rapoport
There have been moments throughout American history where the people understood their power and moved mountains. The movements to give women, African-Americans, and 18 year olds the right to vote highlighted the need for everyone’s voice to be heard if America is to fulfill its promise. Their struggles represented something many of us took for granted: an ever expanding democracy including more people and ideas.
But six years since the U.S. Supreme Court issued the Citizens United decision and three years since the Shelby decision eroded key parts of the Voting Rights Act, in many ways it seems our democracy is slipping away. The evidence is clear: the power of wealthy special interests in government has grown exponentially, while the voices of everyday voters aren’t being heard. Recent studies have documented and affirmed the sense that people instinctively know, that policy decisions time and again reflect the agenda, class, and demographics of very wealthy donors.
Meanwhile, laws are being passed in many states that are raising additional obstacles to the right to vote. Partisan gerrymandering has led to more polarization and gridlock, leaving our government hamstrung by partisan politics. And the obstruction and refusal to listen to the people is now impacting the highest court in the land, with Senate Republicans refusing to even hold hearings on filling the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.
None of these things are predetermined. Rather, they are choices made by a handful of politicians, on an agenda put forward by the few. And we can change these dynamics by making different choices, and advancing an agenda for the many. But it will require a level of mobilization and engagement that makes clear that there is a real demand for change.
Powerfully demonstrating this demand for a better democracy is why Common Cause and its members are participating in the Democracy Awakening on April 16, 17, and 18. The Awakening will be a three day event in Washington, DC where thousands will gather to urge Congress to act on money in politics, voting rights, and the Supreme Court vacancy. This is a chance for our voices to be heard, our presence to be felt, reminding Congress that democracy is for everyone.
The problems we face are big, and can seem daunting, whether it is the high levels of economic insecurity so many people face despite sustained economic growth; the continuing challenges people and communities of color face in claiming full citizenship, or the dangerous spiral of climate change.
But our solutions and the movement for change can be even bigger, and the change begins with standing up for a fair and fully inclusive democracy. We have to change our system of funding political campaigns, so politicians focus more on small donors than wealthy special interests. Connecticut and Maine offer models for the nation and other states are exploring other solutions. We must expand the possibilities for voting by tearing down barriers to the ballot box and automatically registering every eligible voter. We must end partisan gerrymandering, putting citizens in control of the rules by which we select our representatives. These are solutions already working in cities and states around the country that will create a more balanced system where everyone’s voice can be heard and every vote counted. In order to win reform, though, all of us must get involved.
The Democracy Awakening is a chance for Americans to stand up for what we know is right for our democracy. That means showing up at your member of Congress’s office and letting them know where you stand on issues critical to protecting and expanding democracy. It means joining rallies and protests, to show that there is a growing movement to create a government of, by, and for the people. And maybe most importantly, that means showing up to vote and making sure everyone you know is doing so, too.
“Everyone is organized but the people” said our founder John Gardner. That’s why Common Cause is participating in the Democracy Awakening, to make sure everyone has a voice in the halls of our government. Change is possible, but only if we work together for it as our generation’s common cause.
For more information and find out how to get involved in the Democracy Awakening, visit www.democracyawakening.org
Miles Rapoport is President of Common Cause, a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. Rapoport previously served as president of Demos, the Connecticut Secretary of State, and in the Connecticut legislature.
