Mediaboss Marketing

The January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol sparked an ongoing debate about how widely held democratic values are in the United States and what can be done to strengthen those values. One commonly proposed prescription is revitalizing public education about the duties, as well as rights, of citizenship in democratic societies. It is a familiar theme in American history with some of the earliest efforts to publicly fund education in the 19th century having civic education as a leading rationale.

In a paper published this monthin the American Political Science Review, Kenneth Scheve, Dean Acheson Professor of Political Science and Global Affairs and Faculty of Arts and Sciences dean of social science, and his co-authors examine whether these efforts in the early republic worked. Did state funding of education nurture a culture of participatory democracy?

Scheve, a faculty fellow with the Institution for Social and Policy Research (ISPS); Tine Paulsen, assistant professor of political science and international relations at the University of Southern California; and David Stasavage, Silver Professor of Politics at New York University, utilized a natural experiment in which some towns in Central New York were provided additional financial support for education based on funds established when the area was first being settled.

Analyzing outcomes from the mid-1800s by comparing neighboring regions that differed in access to a geographically determined external source of education funding, the authors found that greater public funding of primary school education led to improved earnings, lower inequality, and higher voter turnout. The authors argue that the historical circumstances that led to sharp differences in public education funding in these towns allow for the differences to be interpreted as the causal effect of greater education spending.

We interpret this result as suggesting that, in this case, we have an example where even if initial endowments were favorable to democracy, creating a participatory democratic culture depended on subsequent political choices, and perhaps the most important of these was to educate the population, they wrote.

Examining gubernatorial elections in 1842 and 1844 and the presidential election in 1844, the researchers found that residing within the towns receiving additional public education funding contributed to a 3-percentage point increase in eligible voters casting ballots. This was true even as those elections were very competitive and overall turnout was high.

Our findings support the view that maintaining democracy requires active investments by the state, the authors wrote. Something that has important implications for other places and other times including today.

Read more here:
Did Publicly Funded Education Promote Democracy in Early America? | Institution for Social and Policy Studies - Yale University

Major Garrett and David Becker open The Big Truth, half a love letter to democracy and half a warning about its ailing state, with a bit of speculative fiction about the ways a contested election could destabilize the country, rend states apart, and ultimately lead to a national divorcethat is, a second American civil war. The great cleaving could be closer than we think, the authors write. But while they were putting pen to paper, they struggled a bit with the hypothetical. We asked ourselves, Are we being too dramatic? Garrett told me, reflecting back on the period. Hell, I feel now like we were unduly restrained.

Garrett, chief Washington correspondent for CBS News, and Becker, executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, followed that line of inquiry with me in an interview, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, ahead of their September 20 book release. Democracy, they told me, has become existentially endangered by Donald Trumps baseless claims of election fraud. And while both men laid out various ways the country could be fought back from the breach,Becker also said that their optimism is being fundamentally challenged right now. (The authors arent the only ones concerned: Democracy Challenged is how The New York Times put it on Sundays front page.) Ive been someone who people dont want to invite to parties lately, Becker said. Because Im a little bit depressing.

Vanity Fair: I want to begin on a high note. You write in the book that you harbor deep, but not debilitating fears about the future of American democracy. What gives you cause for optimism? Why arent the concerns debilitating, since so much of what you describe here is pretty frightening?

Major Garrett: What gives me optimism is the longevity of our country. We have stared into abysses before and pulled back from them. I know thats an overused metaphor right now, and I know there have been barrels upon barrels of either ink or the digital equivalent spilled asking when America will pull back from the current abyss. So the question persists. Why are you optimistic? Well, 100,000 people in 2020 signed up to be poll workers for the first time, jumping into a breach of a situation that was not familiar to them. Not because they were going to get paid, not because they were going to be lionized in their community. Not because they were going to get a promotion. But because it mattered at a very basic civic level of accountability and participation. And Im gonna bank our countrys future on their optimism.

Now, having said that, I know some of them didnt get what they bargained for. They didnt sign up thinking that they would be harassed, followed from their polling place to their cars, or people who train them and who they look up to being harassed, threatened, and the like. So its a wobbly moment, and Im not going to suggest to you it isnt a wobbly moment. But I have an innate, enduring confidence in the American experiment. And that American experiment is having oxygen breathed into it in a way that to some is unfamiliar, but I believe is deeply strengthening. The concepts and the language we have always used around democracy are now being applied. And people are at the table, because theyve been elected to be at the federal level in ways we havent seen before. Thats not easy, but its real, and that participation and that visibility and that representation, in the modern sense, sends signals to people long underrepresented that this is actually real. And the notion that they have a stake in that reality is much more tangible. Does that please everyone? No. Does it get it closer to what we have long aspired to and said we believe in? Yes. And I believe my optimism is rooted almost entirely in that.

David Becker: Yeah, I have a similar thought. We are in a perilous moment in American democracy. And it is easy to focus on those who failed to stand up for democracy when given the opportunity, and we do in the book. But whats also sometimes somewhat harder is to note the large numbers of people who have stood up, and often at great personal peril to themselves, often at great political peril to themselves, often at physical peril to themselves and their families. To do the right thing, to stand up for an election. That was the most transparent, secure, and verified election in American history, even when their candidate lost. And that is in the best tradition of American democracy. And we havent had to see many people courageously stand for that in the past, because it was never a question with candidates and their supporters about whether or not they would accept the results of elections.

Threats to democracy, stress tests on the electoral processobviously, nothing new. You write about several of them: 1876, 2000. What was different about 2020? And, obviously, looking forward at the challenges were facing in 2022, 2024, and beyond?

Read the original here:
We Have Stared Into Abysses Before and Pulled Back: Looking for Flashes of Hope as Democracy Frays - Vanity Fair

For a girl raised on a West Virginia farm, the youngest of seven children, it may seem surprising that elections have always fascinated me.

I vividly recall accompanying my parents to the polls in a small nearby town. They would greet and chat with the poll workers and receive their ballot. I would go in the booth and carefully follow each race as my dad marked them off. When I asked why he didnt vote for someone who was running unopposed, hed reply, We dont want him to think everyone is for him, that way hell work harder.

When my older sister said she was running for student body president of her high school, and would be the first girl elected if she won, my excitement only grew. She wonand her victory set me on my own path, too. Though I lost every race for class president in my freshman, sophomore and junior year, finally won for student body president my senior year. I was hooked.

I carried that determined mindset when I auditioned to be the Mountaineer Mascot at West Virginia University. It didnt enter my mind that gender might play a role. Yet I was greeted with chants of, Back to the kitchen, go back to the kitchen and go make babies.

Despite the reaction, I was chosen to represent my university and state as the first female mascot in the universitys historya role that came with great responsibility and public outcry.

After college graduation, I continued in the public eye as a local television reporter and anchora jobthat sent me around the state telling stories of West Virginia and her people. It ultimately allowed me to cover the West Virginia legislaturean eye-opening opportunity to see up close how the legislative process works.

I knew then I had the capability of serving the people of West Virginia in elective office. Government shouldnt be a hands-off, secret system where only a few are allowed to participate. I saw the need for different voices and ideas.

So, I gave up my news anchor job and ran for secretary of state in 2004 where no incumbent was running. The 2000 presidential election, that was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, showed us all the importance of election integrityand the need for a strong leader committed to ensuring that voters were empowered.

I lost that statewide race by 1,108 votes. If you ever wonder if your vote matters, this is proof! One more vote in each precinct and I would have won. Never deterred, four years later I ran again and won.

Serving as secretary of state was a perfect combination for me: a chance to promote the state, become an inclusive leader, innovate, take chances and push beyond expectations of the states smallest constitutional office.

Because it was a constitutional office, I had more independence and control. So, I invested in the employees by offering them training, sending them to out-of-state conferences, and providing raises where possible. This prepared them for unprecedented asks I had of them and, in turn, make our office a leader in elections across the country. We were the third state in the country to pass bipartisan automatic voter registration legislation. We implemented online voter registration, conducted a pilot project for military internet voting, and established ballot tracking measures. We improved our website for greater transparency and information and saved the office money all at the same.

I realized I do lead differently than my male counterparts. I focused on inclusion and empowerment of my team. I was content with not having all the answers and allowing others to lead projects. A true leader is one whose vision (and employees) can continue when you are not in the office.

It is not always easy being a woman leader, especially if you dont have others around you. I was fortunate to have a strong core of women whom I could trust and depend upon.

After being defeated in my third term, I joined the Brennan Center for Justice as manager for state advocacy. I am fortunate to now share my experience as a practitioner with advocates and academics who every day put their heart and soul into upholding our democracy. In addition, I am a resident fellow at the Harvard Kennedy Schools Institute of Politics where I mentor undergraduates and conduct study groups on election administration. More than academic study, its an opportunity to work with young women and men and model how they can participate and make a difference.

We need heroesand we need to be heroes, as uncomfortable and unwelcoming as it may often be. This installment of Women & Democracy uplifts many of these stories. I am proud to be in the company of these women leaders.

Care about U.S. democracy, womens leadership and fair representation? We do too. Let Ms. keep you up to date with our daily + weekly newsletters. (Or go back to the Women Saving Democracy essay collection.)

Read the rest here:
Put Heart and Soul Into Upholding Democracy: An Election Official on What It Takes - Ms. Magazine

So Ted Budd refuses to commit to accepting the election results in November. When asked why, his campaign manager claimed without evidence that Cheri Beasley, the Democratic nominee and a former State Supreme Court justice, might try to disenfranchise voters, according to theNew York Times. Budd also voted against certifying the election after Joe Biden won.He is more committed to Donald Trump and his movement than he is to democracy or our Constitution.

I would love to see some North Carolina reporters delve more into Budds response and see if its more widespread among Republicans. How many of the Republican candidates for down ballot races are going to accept the results? Budds response should really be a focus of this campaign until hes ready to clear it up.

Budds response is disturbing, but not surprising. The GOP is radicalizing quickly as Trump continues to turn up his rhetoric. At a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month, he called President Joe Biden an enemy of the state. In Ohio this weekend, he laid out a dystopian view of America where the FBI is engaged in police state activities and the crowd responded with a new one-armed salute, eerily reminiscent of the one seen at Nazi rallies in the 1930s.

Republicans have a long history of downplaying their worst instincts. Right now, formerly mainstream Republicans complain that the criticism of Trump is overblown and that Democrats are somehow worse. Lindsey Graham is the poster boy for the Trump GOP. He knew the truth about Trump when he said that he wouldnt vote for him in 2016. That Lindsey Graham told the truth about Trump but told a lie about himself. I think Donald Trump is going to places where very few people have gone and Im not going with him. Trump has certainly gone where very few people have gone, but Graham and the whole mainstream GOP has gone right down that road with him.Trump is exactly the same guy he was in 2016. Its the GOP that has changed.

Back before Republicans had power in North Carolina, Democrats warned that if the GOP took control of the legislature, Republicans would cut funding to schools and universities. Republicans claimed Democrats were using scare tactics and that the GOP would do no such thing. Since theyve been in power, per pupil spending has dropped and theyve dramatically cut funding to the UNC system.

In the immediate aftermath of the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, Republicans denied that they wanted any sort of national ban on abortion. They claimed they just wanted to give power back to the states. Now, Graham and his compatriots are calling for a national ban on abortion.

Republicans have spent decades deriding Democrats warnings about the GOP cutting social security and Medicare. They called it Mediscare and assured the voters that Republicans had no plans to cut the entitlement programs. Now, Senator Rick Scott has released his plan that would do just that.

The media needs to step up right now. They have clear questions for Budd. They have a long history of Republicans saying one thing and doing another. Now, they have candidates who could determine control of the Senate refusing to accept democracy. As Graham said, Trump has taken us where very few people have gone. Somehow, we need to get out of here.

Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >

Read the original post:
Ted Budd is a threat to democracy - PoliticsNC

Courtesy Samir Khan

Samir Khan is an 18 year old sophomore at Cornell University. He got involved with poll work as soon as he could at 17 years old. Now, he holds the position and title of Philadelphias 8th Wards 15th Division as Judge of Elections.

In high school, Khan developed the nickname Senator Khan among his classmates for his love of talking politics. This nickname got Khan thinking could that mean something deeper than just that superficial level? Perhaps if I cultivate myself I might have the skillset to add value to America, to our country as an elected official. The summer before heading off to Cornell for his freshman year, Khan decided to do some research on how he could get politically involved in his community at such a young age and stumbled upon the position of judge of elections. The judge of elections position has been a phenomenal opportunity to really gain the experience of how to not just interact with the voters and the people but also fellow government officials and elected officials, said Khan, to really do our best to serve our community and the American population at large.

Khansjob as judge of election entails overseeing the entire election process for his district to ensure voting integrity. Since Khan was not yet 18 when he was running for the position of judge of election, his name was provisionally on the ballot, and he was later appointed with confirmation from city hall to his position. While the campaigning and initial election process was difficult for him, Khan said for other young people wanting to get involved in politics and poll work, If you have a will, there will absolutely be a way.

Khan said working the polls requires a lot of coordinated, relentless, hard work. Khan starts working Election Day around 5:45 a.m. and ends at about 10 p.m. Because of the hard work and long hours that Khan and his fellow poll workers put in, claims of fraudulent elections offend him. When I hear those sorts of claims, like the election is a fraud, I take that personally of course. This is an insult to the work of thousands of people in Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, and the entire country.

Khan balances his life as a college student studying finance in New York and a public servant working the polls in Philadelphia through passion. He said, I dont really consider either of these things work. I think of it as my life mission to do what I do. Because I consider it something deeper than just a job or a career, it doesnt feel like something that I have to juggle, it feels like something I get to do. And when I get to do something, I want to do more of it honestly.

Until 2025, Khan will serve as judge of elections for his district. After that, there are many opportunities he might pursue. One thing that will remain important to Khan, however, is assisting and uplifting others, which he is honored to do through his role as judge of elections.

24th Ward District 5Party Affiliation:DemocratArea of Philadelphia:ChinatownRole:Multilingual interpreter

Melody Wong is a multilingual poll worker from West Philadelphia who has been working elections in Chinatown since 2009 with her mother, Jacqueline. Wong speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin. After Obama got elected, I got involved because my parents came here in the 70s and Ive been volunteering in Chinatown for a longtime, Wong said. She got interested in politics from growing up watching The West Wing, but also by being an American born citizen who grew up in Hong Kong. When I came back to the states in 2000, right after Bush vs. Gore, it really catapulted, Oh whats going on? Does our vote really matter? and what are we doing?'

Working the polls, Wong has noticed that redistricting has affected the traffic at her polling station. I have noticed a lot less people coming to our polling station because they divided up Chinatowns polling districts. Wong worries this means some community members just stay home once their polling places have been changed.

Outside of major elections, turnout is not always great according to Wong. When we get a 20% turn out rate were very happy. As a multilingual poll worker, Wong experienced microaggressions, especially as an Asian-American woman working the polls in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. As a multilingual poll worker, Wong also feels that there is cultural work to be done to promote the importance of voting in predominantly immigrant communities who had different systems or maybe didnt trust the system in their countries of origin.

While poll workers compensation has been boosted to around $250, many, like Wong, have other motivations that keep them coming back. Being a poll worker is a really good way to know your neighborhood, she said. Wong likes to stay involved and give back to her community, and she feels that working the polls is a great way to do so.

For some, working the polls is as far as they want to go politically. Wong works as a stage manager as her day job, and she has no other political aspirations other than to continue working the Chinatown polls for as long as she can. Politics are grueling and hard, [and] not a road I want to go down, said Wong. As long as Im asked to serve, I would serve. Wong sees her service as a poll worker as a way to give back to her community in a way that not many others do. If not me, who? she said. It doesnt cost me anything, and at the end to serve is fulfilling.

50th ward 4th divisionParty Affiliation:DemocratArea of Philadelphia:Mt. AiryRole:Judge of Elections

Marjorie S. Bolton is a longtime judge of elections from the Mt. Airy area of Philadelphia. She was recruited back in the 1980s by another local poll worker who noticed she voted in every election. [She] saw that I was interested and would ask different questions and she said, would you like to work on the polls? And I said sure!

Bolton was in her 30s when she started. Bolton said that one major change in the process has been the technology; shes worked with three very different types of voting machines over the years. While the changes in technology have made some things easier, it has also led to an increase of work at the polls. And then came the pandemic. COVID has changed a lot. The biggest change is that it has caused people to vote in person less, Boston said. She has noticed an increase in community members voting via mail in voting rather than coming in person to the polls on Election Day.

Bolton notes that until the city decided to raise pay for this years election, her pay had not increased much at all since the 1980s. She believes that citizens do not realize how long of a day the poll workers put in, or how much work it really takes to make sure everyone can come in and vote smoothly. It is a long day, whether they [polling places] are full of people or not, she said. Bolton and other poll workers work 14 to 17 hour days depending on their roles within the polling station, and with the new increase will get paid about $250. They [citizens] dont realize how much poll workers do to get prepared for them to vote.

Bolton said its Definitely not the money! that keeps her going back to working the polls year after year. You know what it is? she asked, Its the sense of joy that I see my community coming out to vote. Much like both Wong and Khan, Bolton gets a sense of gratification from working the polls and serving her community. I love to see that neighbor Ms. Taylor, who is 92 years old and still comes out to vote because she knows how important it is to vote, she said, I love seeing parents bringing their 18 year old children coming out to vote for the first time.

Its important to vote whether you work on the polls or not. Its important to vote, and thats maybe why I stay involved this way, because I want to see people come out and vote. After working the polls for several decades, Bolton has realized the importance of a citizens right to vote, as well as the importance of community. All politics are local! she said. Bolton wants to encourage young people, especially college students studying political science or with interest in community, government, and policy to work at the polls in order to learn more about our most basic function of democracy.

Another observation that Bolton has made about voting is that young people dont turn out in big numbers. Young people are not coming to the polls enough, she said, Everything is for you [young people] but not enough are coming to the polls, so whatever we can do to get them [young people] involved and to the polls. In past years when pay was lower, Bolton said she lost money by working the polls while she was in the midst of her teaching career since she had to take personal days. However, she would not have changed a thing. I did it because it was that rewarding to me. I dont regret it and I didnt miss the money either. Bolton said she doesnt expect to retire from election work anytime soon.

View post:
These Philly poll workers love being a crucial part of democracy - Billy Penn