Preserving Democracy: A Liberal Perspective

In January 2024, the Center for American Progress (CAP), a liberal research and advocacy organization, published a report that included a roadmap for addressing the immediate threats to the 2024 electoral process. The report points out that echoes of the January 6, 2020 attempt to overturn a free and fair election continue to reverberate across the country in significant ways: rising threats of political violence; increasing number of election officials who refuse to certify accurate election results; and elected leaders who rely on conspiracy theories to influence election policy. CAP urged all citizens to take responsibility for protecting democracy during the 2024 campaign, reminding us that our democratic institutions are only as strong as the faith citizens have in them. In short, the country cannot afford a repeat of January 6.

Concretely, the CAP report identified four policies to prepare for the election that was then a year away.

1. Increase public communication campaigns and public messaging. Since 2020, many states have changed their laws about registering and voting. It is critical that state and local officials collaborate with civic organizations to inform citizens of new procedures for participating in the democratic process. It is also important to inform the pubic that it is not unusual or alarming that states do not know the final results on election night, but need more time to count and verify the ballots. Unavoidable delays in tabulating ballots should not cast doubt on the electoral process.
2. Deter and counter violence. The last presidential election saw unprecedented violence and threats against election workers and officials and there are genuine concerns that this danger will persist in 2024. In response, CAP commended states and municipalities that passed protective laws and encouraged more efforts to safeguard poll workers: for example, training volunteers to report threats and to take proper precautions to avoid violence. CAP put special emphasis on keeping firearms away from polling places and drop boxes, which could incite violence and intimidate voters.
3. Guard against efforts to subvert the election. The CAP report argued that attacks on the election and certification process have increased around the country since January 6. It urged states and municipalities to require election workers to attend a training course explaining their duties to certify election results and to sign an oath to uphold their duties. The report went on to encourage states to change their laws so they can begin the process of counting mail-in ballots before election day, thereby avoiding delayed publication of final election results that can undermine public trust in the election process. Unfortunately, many states including the swing states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have not speeded up their process and we will have delays again in November, 2024.
4. Counter the spread of disinformation. The CAP report expected that the disinformation campaigns employed by foreign countries in the U.S. since 2016 would increase in 2024, aided by the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance or create deceptive political ads. Given this enhanced threat, CAP urged voters to rely on reliable sources for information: for example, the federal resource “Vote.gov” as well as the websites of secretaries of state and local election directors. Furthermore, the report insisted that social media platforms have a responsibility to avoid propagating political disinformation by more careful fact-checking and greater transparency in their process of approving political ads. Unfortunately, very little progress has been made on this issue and citizens will have to be more vigilant and thoughtful in assessing the accuracy and worth of the vast amount of political commentary available on the internet.

What part of the CAP analysis is most helpful to me?