Americans are living through a difficult time marked by rising economic inequality, a lack of affordable housing, mass gun violence, and humanitarian crises abroad, among other challenges.
Instead of helping to solve these pressing issues, politicians often seem more interested in adding fuel to the flames. Just this year, for example, far-right members of Congress brought the government to the brink of shutdown on multiple occasions, prioritizing extremism over the well-being of everyday Americans.
U.S. government does not always feel like a democracy because it is full of outdated structures and mechanisms that make it harder for government to represent the will of the people. For example, the election system fails to fully protect people’s right to vote and prevent self-interested politicians from sabotaging valid election results. District maps are often drawn to favor one political party over another, instead of giving people a true say in which leaders to elect. The outdated Electoral College prevents Americans from directly electing the president, violating the principle of one person, one vote. Outmoded Senate filibuster rules allow the political minority to stop progress on popular policies supported by the people. And extremist justices have hijacked the U.S. Supreme Court, stripping Americans of fundamental rights and imposing a radical agenda.
Multiple crises and a government unwilling or unable to respond can tempt Americans into wanting to give up on democracy and turn to other forms of governance—such as autocracy. In an autocracy, government is ruled by a person or group with no checks and balances on their power. This allows autocrats to act much more quickly than democratic governments in order to implement their agendas. But while attractive during difficult times, autocracy is no more than a “get change quick” scheme that comes at the cost of the people’s voices and rights.
An American autocracy would only magnify current challenges and create new problems. The checks and balances that autocrats may see as “red tape” are actually safeguards to protect citizens’ rights. In an autocracy, if a leader takes a harmful action, there is nothing the people can do because they have no baseline protections, and the government does not have to listen to their grievances.
The solution for a more responsive, representative government is not autocracy, but rather to double down on democracy.
In a strong democracy, each person has the power and freedom to help choose the path their government takes to improve society. If everyday people do not like the path the government is taking, they can hold elected officials accountable by voting and making their voices heard.
By modernizing outdated government structures and rules, Americans can create a more representative and responsive democracy—one that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people.