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Media lies threaten the truth and decency on which democracy ... - Financial Times

Last month, Informing Democracy released a report identifying election officials from six battleground states who exhibited anti-democratic tendencies or actions ahead of the 2022 elections, based on research into the personnel in charge of elections across Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The group identified over 200 officials in its report, laying out how anti-democratic tendencies are rampant at the local level and warning that our democracy is still under threat from potential bad actors.

In total, Informing Democracy found 94 local officials responsible for administering elections and 110 state lawmakers who provoked concerns about harboring anti-democratic biasfrom abusing their authority to sow doubt about results to attempting to reject ballots from the counting process.

Heres what Americans all across the country are reading about these anti-democratic actors and election deniers who still could pose a threat to our elections:

You can read the full report into who could threaten elections in 2023 and 2024 here.

Link:
Informing Democracy: Watchdog identifies growing threat to ... - WisPolitics.com

I applaud and will follow with great anticipation The Democracy Solutions Project initiated by the Sun-Times. My suggestion is an easy start and finish to the problems we are facing on the political frontier. Any investigation into solutions to problems with our current two-party system should begin and will end with appropriate campaign finance reform.

Politicians are very adept at evading changes to campaign financing, but they should be willing to investigate such changes given the current political landscape. By now, politicians should be very weary of having to go through cycles of fundraising and coordinating (or pretending not to coordinate) with political action committees to finance their campaigns.

SEND LETTERS TO: letters@suntimes.com. We want to hear from our readers. To be considered for publication, letters must include your full name, your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be a maximum of approximately 375 words.

Current campaign financing drives corruption and ill-advised loyalties to PACs. While politicians should be paying attention to the will of their constituents, they are too often beholden to their heavy contributors. Campaign finance reform, if done correctly, would allow politicians to remove themselves from the distractions of fundraising and from the undue influence of PACs.

Gerald E. King, Merrionette Park

My biggest concern is what can I do to strengthen our democracy and to influence policy changes happening in other states? I vote, I stay informed, I debate politics with friends and family, and I support journalism.

After reading about the Democracy Solutions Project, it got me thinking about how it would be helpful to understand how a person in Illinois can help curb the erosion of rights in Missouri for transgender people, for example, or other signs of democracy failing our fellow citizens elsewhere.

Cristo Paraskevas, Park Ridge

I am writing to express my concern about limitations on voter access, gerrymandering and allegations of voter fraud.

Voter access limitations are a serious problem in many states. Some states have strict voter ID laws that make it difficult for many people to vote. Others have reduced early voting hours or closed polling places in certain areas. These restrictions disproportionately affect minority voters and are a clear attempt to suppress the vote.

Gerrymandering also undermines ourdemocracy. Politicians in many states have redrawn district lines to give their party an unfair advantage in elections. Politicians are choosing their voters instead of the other way around.

Finally, allegations of voter fraud have become a common refrain among some politicians. While there have been isolated incidents of voter fraud, there is no evidence of widespread fraud that would justify the restrictions being imposed on voters.

It is time for our elected officials to take action to protect the right to vote and ensure that our elections are fair and free. We need reforms that will expand access to the ballot, end gerrymandering, and restore confidence in our electoral system.

Steve Dominick

After reading the morning paper and again feeling like hope for our country is dim, I want to propose some suggestions.

Any sitting president should have a panel of advisers and problem solvers, including a sociologist, an environmental scientist, a psychiatrist, an economist and an additional spot for any expert in government.

These confidants should not be members of the political elite. This country should never be governed by the elite.

Members should be rewarded by the positive changes in society they can help bring about. They should always look toward the future, predicting future situations and problem solving any situation that will negatively affect our country.

The border refugee crisis is a good example. Heres a thought: Why is there such an uproar over how many refugees are sent to each city? Why not evaluate how many souls each city lost during the pandemic and how can we incorporate the refugees with jobs and a place to live? The amount of shortage of help each city complains of is an oxymoron. The help and willingness are there.

Ramona Clark, Hyde Park

I am writing to bring to your attention the continuous reckless speeding on DuSable Lake Shore Drive.

It was a tragic night for the family of Kenneth Hernandez, the 45-year-old road worker who was killed near my home in Lake View while doing his job to improve the city last month. If drivers whether they be on motorcycles or cars didnt abuse the speed limit and there wasnt lack of enforcement on the outer drive, this tragedy might have been averted.

However, cars and motorcycles speed north and south all day and all night with impunity from Oak Street to Hollywood, the end of the drive, because Chicago police are lax about penalizing speeders. In addition to the speeding, the deafening noise from some of the vehicles must be in violation of some ordinance.

Now that theres a smooth new roadway, I can just anticipate an increase in speeding and drag-racing that will occur late into the night, leading to the potential of more accidents and deaths.

I can only hope Hernandezs senseless death will spur the city and police to finally do their jobs and crack down on the violators, enforce the laws and protect ordinary citizens and city road workers.

Kenneth Frigo, Lake View

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Campaign finance reform, voting, and other reader feedback on ... - Chicago Sun-Times

Country

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IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe

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Our view: Democracy is a two-way street - La Grande Observer

op-ed

By Aizaz Gill

The 2022 midterm elections results demonstrated that more Pennsylvania voters are rejecting partisan rancor and seeking common ground. While this is a sign of hope for our democracy, there is still much work to be done to address the divides in our communities and workplaces. One important step for reducing polarization is for communities across the state to invest more in civic education for all K12 students.

As a nation, we are currently facing a crisis of civic literacy. A 2022 study from the University of Pennsylvania showed that only 47% of American adults can name all three branches of government. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progresss National Report Card, in 2018 only 24% of students performed at or above NAEP proficiency standards in civics.

This is the result of several decades of underinvestment in civic education. Currently, the federal government invests a mere 50 cents per K12 student in civic education compared to 54 dollars per K12 student for STEM. Both are important and worthy of public investment. This deficiency in civics funding contributes to the political polarization and dysfunction plaguing America today.

Businesses are concerned that too many young people lack a basic understanding of the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and the responsibilities of being a citizen. This limited education about our democratic system makes people more vulnerable to misinformation and sowing distrust in the electoral process, which are destructive to our countrys social cohesion and economic competitiveness. Continued neglect of civic education will weaken the states civic and economic strength, putting at risk businesses, supply chains and investments that will negatively impact employees and communities.

Students who receive quality civic education are more likely to vote, give back to their communities, complete college and develop skills that advance their careers. At Business for America, we believe that our constitutional democracy and economic prosperity must be driven by an engaged citizenry. Civic education needs to start with young people, who are our future employees and community leaders.

This is why Business for America was a leading sponsor of Philadelphia Civics Day on April 13, organized by Generation Citizen and Philadelphia Public Schools and hosted at the National Constitution Center. Like a science fair for civics, students from five Philadelphia high schools showcased their Action Civics projects with community and business leaders. They received valuable coaching and mentorship from these Community Advisors. Projects such as Civics Day provide students with essential skills such as critical thinking, multisource research and the ability to work on teams that require effective communication and collaboration.

In the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the last major piece of civics legislation was Act 35, signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf in 2018. Act 35 amended the Public School Code of 1949 to require that all school entities administer a locally developed assessment of U.S. history, government and civics at least once to students during grades 7-12. However, the civics assessment test is being unevenly administered across school districts. Although it was a step in the right direction, Act 35 hasnt accomplished nearly enough to prepare young people to be civically engaged.

As an example, state Sen. Gebhard (R-48th dist.) has introduced legislation requiring completion of a half-credit economics and personal finance course as a graduation requirement in Pennsylvania. Perhaps PA legislators could examine similar ways of increasing governmental literacy of Pennsylvania students as well. Other examples could include a Civic Seal earned by high school students, media literacy classes or programs on the First Amendment.

Though Act 35 made progress to improve civic literacy throughout the commonwealth, we call on the PA state legislature to find more solutions for students to learn about their role in government, the rights and duties of citizenship and how they can participate in democracy. Our lawmakers in Harrisburg must invest in the civic education of our young people today so that the communities of Pennsylvania can reap the benefits for decades to come.

Aizaz Gill, of Burholme, is the Pennsylvania Policy Director for Business for America, a national, nonpartisan organization focused on engaging businesses across Pennsylvania to protect the democratic institutions that are essential to a thriving economy.

Link:
Improving K12 civic literacy is an investment in our democracy - Northeast Times