Washington, D.C. — Over the past decade, American democracy has faced growing levels of extremism and threats of political violence that pose deep challenges to the rule of law and the ability to carry out free and fair elections.
A new column from the Center for American Progress discusses how Americans across the political spectrum—including political leaders—can counter this dangerous trend and reset political norms to help restore trust in government.
These foundational norms include respect for the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution; civil and truthful discourse; free and fair elections that reflect the will of the majority and result in peaceful transfers of power; and rejection of political violence and intimidation.
“Americans must work together to reject a culture that allows lawbreaking and political violence to flourish,” said Cissy Jackson, senior fellow at CAP and co-author of the column. “It’s time to take actions that help rebuild societal trust in elections, the political process, and democracy itself.”
The column recommends eight actions that Americans and their political leaders can take collectively to make this happen:
- Embrace and model acceptable public behavior.
- Publicly condemn violations of the law and political intimidation and violence.
- Be willing to call out anyone who violates laws or norms, even if they are in the same political party.
- Hold those who violate the law for political purposes accountable.
- Communities must promote stronger civic education, civic engagement, and civil debate.
- States and localities must dedicate sufficient resources to protect free and fair elections.
- States must strengthen and support election certification processes to guard against efforts to subvert elections.
- Lawmakers should consider implementing structural electoral reforms that reduce political polarization and extremism.
Read the column: “Practical Steps To Build Strong Political Norms and Stop Political Violence” by Michael Sozan and Cissy Jackson
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].