Democracy Optimist

After the November 2024 election, numerous stories emerged about how voter turnout was high—the second-highest in a century, in fact, second only to 2020. Yet turnout nationwide was under 64 percent. Over 1/3 of eligible voters did not show up. How can we celebrate strong voter engagement or an electoral mandate when more people didn’t vote than voted for the winner?  But at least one state has consistently been among the top in voter turnout. Minnesota, the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes, has a strong culture of democratic engagement. Joining us to discuss Minnesota’s success is its Secretary of State, Steve Simon. Secretary Simon is a former five-time member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and has been elected to the office of Secretary of State three times. Secretary Simon is particularly proud of his state’s record on voter turnout.  

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People hear the phrase “civics education,” and they often think of K-12 classes in government. States have enacted laws that require high school students to be able to pass the same citizenship test that new citizens must take. What can we do to ensure civics is not just something we discuss briefly in school but instead is a lifelong endeavor? Our guest, Donna Cohen, is a former educator and librarian in Oregon. She runs a program called “Civics for Adults,” which includes interactive in-person or virtual workshops that provide nonpartisan information about the political process and civic engagement.

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Corey Brettschneider, a professor of political science at Brown University, teaches law and political theory. He’s the author of multiple books, most recently, The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It. He’s also the co-host of a new podcast, The Oath and the Office.

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Jennifer Mercieca is a historian of American political rhetoric and a Professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at Texas A&M University. She writes about American political discourse, especially as it relates to citizenship, democracy, and the presidency, and has published three books: Founding Fictions, The Rhetoric of Heroic Expectations: Establishing the Obama Presidency, and Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump. Her work aims to make our communication with one another more democratic.

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It’s not a stretch to say that the Supreme Court plays an outsized role in our democracy, determining the scope of various rights, such as abortion, immigration, and the right to vote. We hear a lot about how the current Supreme Court focuses on originalism, or the idea that it must interpret the Constitution just how the Framers would have understood it. Under this theory, judges should not really consider how a constitutional principle might operate in today’s society. Instead, they must figure out the original public meaning of a word or clause and interpret the phrase consistently with that understanding. Supporters of originalism say that it limits judges, forcing them to consider the Framers’ views instead of their own opinions.

How did the Court fully embrace this idea? Is it the proper way to construe the Constitution? Joining Josh Douglas to discuss the reasons behind the Court’s current approach is Madiba Dennie. She’s the Deputy Editor and Senior Contributor at the critical legal commentary outlet Balls and Strikes. She’s also the author of the new book, “The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take It Back.”

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As the saying goes, history is bound to repeat itself. America has gone through tumultuous periods in its past. The Constitutional Convention included heated debates about the core ideals of our democracy. We have endured the Civil War, the Jim Crow era, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights movement, and so much more. Many think we are in another significant period of change and turmoil. How should history inform our understanding of today’s Democracy? What lessons can we learn to help sustain our system, particularly in light of the current threats? Joining Josh Douglas to discuss those issues is author, historian, and professor Heather Cox Richardson. Heather is a professor at Boston College, teaching several courses on American history. Her most recent book is Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, where she traces the history of our democracy to its roots, using the past as a lesson for our future. She also publishes the newsletter Letters from an American, where she examines current political developments

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American democracy requires both major political parties to embrace the core idea of democracy. And young people are the key to sustaining a democracy movement that can endure. Scott Warren has spent his career working on both issues—creating a culture of youth engagement and fostering a democracy movement for all sides of the political spectrum. Scott co-founded the organization “Generation Citizen,” which empowers young people by improving local civics education all across the country. He also launched Democracy Moves, an international network of youth activists pushing for democratic change. Now he is a visiting fellow at Johns Hopkins University, where he is focused on building a pro-democracy conservative movement in the United States.

Democracy must have at least two robust parties that both agree on certain core values—in particular, the importance of democratic institutions and accepting election outcomes. From 2021 to early 2025, Stephen Richer served as the County Recorder, administering elections in Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix. After strongly defending the integrity of the 2020 election, he lost the 2024 Republican primary election for his office but continued to serve voters admirably in running the 2024 election in the nation’s second-largest voting jurisdiction. Richer is currently a senior practice fellow in American democracy at the Ash Center of Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Offering an international perspective on elections and democracy is Dr. Fernanda Buril, the Deputy Director of the Center for Applied Research and Learning at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems. She’s an expert on sustaining democracy.

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It’s early 2025, but plans are already underway for the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential election. Joining series host Josh Douglas to discuss the inner workings of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission is Ben Hovland, one of the four Commissioners on the EAC and its current Chair.

** WEKU is working hard to be a leading source for public service, and fact-based journalism. Monthly supporters are the top funding source for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation.