Democracy Optimist

CivicLex founder and Executive Director Richard Young discusses the details of the much-watched “Civic Assembly,” an exercise in true grassroots democracy currently underway in Fayette County, Kentucky.

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Joining Josh Douglas to discuss the work of Citizen University is one of its co-founders, Eric Liu. As the author of Become America: Civic Sermons on Love, Responsibility, and Democracy, Liu has thought a lot about what it means to be an engaged citizen in 2026.

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Boyle Co. H.S. senior Luisa Sanchez of the Kentucky Student Voice Team and KSVT managing partner Rachel Belin discuss the organization’s lawsuit claiming the state has failed its constitutional duty under Section 183 of the Kentucky Constitution to provide “an efficient system of common schools.”

Joshua Douglas speaks to LaJuan Allen, the Executive Director of Vote16USA, a nonprofit dedicated to lowering the voting age to 16 in response to concerns about youth engagement, civic readiness, and the long-term health of our democracy. 

Joshua Douglas speaks to Evan Weissman, the founder of “Warm Cookies of the Revolution,” which he refers to as a “civic health club.” The organization promotes civic health by creating an enjoyable and engaging atmosphere to discuss social issues that are critical to people’s lives—and they bring warm cookies to every event. Weissman has won several awards for his efforts, which have engaged more than one million people.

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Joshua Douglas speaks to Carly Muetterties, chair of the Kentucky Civic Education Coalition, promoting civic education in public schools. She is a former high school social studies teacher, an expert in civic education, and co-founder of “Common Good Ed,” an organization that provides educational resources to diverse communities.

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Dan Wu is the first Asian American to serve as Vice Mayor of Lexington. He served on numerous local boards before winning election as Vice Mayor, but before that, he had little experience in politics, instead opening his own ramen shop and appearing on the TV show Master Chef. Wu has become a passionate advocate for civic engagement.

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Ben Sheehan, host, writer, and producer of “Civics Made Easy,” a series on PBS that empowers viewers with the knowledge necessary to participate in democracy. He also writes a Substack titled “Politics Made Easy.” He is the author of the best-selling book, “What Does the Constitution Actually Say?: A Non-Boring Guide to How Our Democracy is Supposed to Work.”

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Democracy is about representation. Elected officials should fairly represent the interests of their constituents. But what causes someone to run in the first place? What is it like when they first take office? And how does it feel when you enter the halls of government, especially in the minority party?  Here to give us an inside view of how democracy and representation actually work is Anne Donworth, who represents the 76th district, which covers much of Lexington, in the Kentucky House of Representatives.

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Disputes over redistricting have gone into overdrive as some states have engaged in what we call mid-decade redistricting or re-redistricting. These states drew the lines for congressional seats back in 2021, which are supposed to last for the entire decade. But, spurred by President Trump, Texas redrew its map to turn five seats that were more favorable to Democrats into ones more winnable for Republicans. In response, California put a measure on the ballot in November to redraw its own map to make five Republican-leaning districts into Democratic ones. It’s a race to the bottom with partisan gerrymandering run rampant. And it could have a major impact on which party controls Congress after the 2026 midterm elections. 

 Missouri is also part of the fight, redrawing its map to split up the Kansas City area into several districts, which will likely flip one seat from Democratic to Republican. Lawsuits have predictably ensued.

Joining us to discuss that mid-decade redistricting in Missouri and the litigation over the map is Denise Lieberman. She is the Director & General Counsel of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, a non-partisan organization that works to advance free, fair, and accessible elections in Missouri. She is also the Faculty Director of the Voter Access and Engagement Initiative at Washington University in St. Louis. 

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