Most voters take the valued tools of democracy for granted. We can access them readily without thinking about how society got them, or who’s responsible for protecting them. The foundational, electoral, and direct democracy tools are deeply integrated into the fabric of society. It has only been under the current regime that significant attention has been given to understanding what these tools are and the potential consequences of losing them.
The foundational elements include freedom of speech and assembly. In the U.S., citizens readily speak their mind or express their opinions in writing. We gather to meet when we want or to protest when necessary. Under MAGA, people are using their voices and feet to express their concern about government corruption. Mass protests have been a constant during Trump 2.0.
Citizens in Festus, MO have provided a good example of how to use the democratic tools at their disposal. They held community meetings and informed their local government that they did not want data centers … When the city council ignored their demands, citizens voted out the four incumbents who supported the detrimental data center. Citizens proceeded to recall the mayor and three remaining council members. This is what democracy looks like!
The electoral apex of tools is the right to vote. Trump’s Save America Act is a dangerous threat to the voting process. The desperate despot has pretty much given up on trying to convince stakeholders of the Big Lie. Instead, he is now focusing on bullying Congress to pass the Save America Act. If that fails, it appears that the MAGA regime is preparing to disrupt the November elections under the guise of national security. Americans will be fed allegations of foreign interference, possibly even from the Russians.
We also have the right to petition our government through ballot initiatives, constitutional amendments, and propositions. These tools have become particularly important given the government’s indifference toward meeting the needs of its citizens.
Propositions create new laws or, like Prop M on the August ballot in Missouri, change existing laws. Props happen at the local level, while amendments like Amendments 4 and 5 change the state constitution. The irony of Amendment 4 is that if passed, it will make it all but impossible to pass amendments in the future by mandating majorities in every one of the eight congressional districts. If one district misses the mark, it can screw up the passage. This is not what democracy looks like.
Ballot initiatives are how citizens have won Medicaid expansion or secured increases in the minimum wage. Victories like these were not the result of benevolent legislators. Citizen groups had done the incredible work required to collect signatures, get the initiative on the ballot, educate voters, and ultimately get them to the polls on election day.
The MAGA crackdown will be to weaken the potency of these tools or to eliminate them. We must fight back. Citizens in Festus, MO have provided a good example of how to use the democratic tools at their disposal. They held community meetings and informed their local government that they did not want data centers.
When the city council ignored their demands, citizens voted out the four incumbents who supported the detrimental data center. Citizens proceeded to recall the mayor and three remaining council members. This is what democracy looks like!
Citizens and citizenship will be challenged at every step for the next three months. The Trump administration is telling us how it plans to rig elections and strip us of our power. We must be vigilant and proactive. Declawing the talons of authoritarianism is a collective act of resistance. Fighting for a purpose feels so good.