Ian Bassin & Justin Florence: Our democracy is in the balance

The next 100 days could shape our democracy’s next 100 years

Every few generations, our democracy comes to an inflection point. There are moments when the swirling forces of history come to a head and we Americans, collectively, get to decide whether to move towards a more perfect democracy. Or if our democracy moves backwards towards the lower points of American history.

The Civil War, the Women’s Suffrage Movement, the Civil Rights Movement, McCarthyism and the Cold War. In each chapter, past generations faced choices over whether to continue working to make our ideals real — or to abandon them. 

In some moments, our country made better choices, in some it made worse ones. But in each, the consequences of those choices carried through history all the way to today. 

We are living through our pivotal moment. Right now. 

100 days from now, the 2024 election will be formally complete and we’ll be preparing — one way or another — for Inauguration Day and the next chapter of our democracy’s history. 

What happens in these next 100 days may well shape our democracy’s next 100 years. 

The choice is much bigger than between two candidates

Just like those prior moments in history, the question is: Will the progress of our democratic experiment continue? Or will it end? 

As in the Civil Rights Movement or McCarthyism or Reconstruction, that question overlaps with partisan politics. 

It matters immensely that one of the two presidential candidates has vowed to try to implement an explicitly authoritarian agenda of retribution and concentration of power. If Donald Trump gets elected, he has promised to: one, pack the government with loyalists willing to violate the Constitution; two, use “every power at [his] disposal” to wreak vengeance on his enemies; and three, entrench himself or his chosen successor in power indefinitely. 

But this is all also much bigger than who gets elected. There are other tests we must also pass in the next 100 days, other key questions that have consequences even beyond the next president. 

For example: 

• Will we hold a free & fair election? We are arguably more prepared to do so in 2024 than any election in American history — and, all the same, the people who sought to subvert the last election have made every indication they will try again. If they succeed in preventing or overturning a free and fair presidential election, that would represent the functional end of our 246-year experiment in self-governance. 

• Will we avoid violence and protect a peaceful transition of power? Four years ago, our country failed this test on January 6th. Twice during this campaign, an assassin targeted one of the candidates. Threats to election officials and voters remain unacceptably common. Ensuring that everyone can vote without the threat of violence — and that votes are counted accurately and safely and the next president takes power peacefully — is critical to the health of our democracy. 

• Will our institutions, our laws, and our Constitution be prepared to constrain the next president? Whomever it is We The People choose to sit in the Oval Office next year, that person will face a system of checks and balances that is battered and dysfunctional but not yet broken. Whether it holds — and if we can, together, begin to strengthen the guardrails — will determine if we leave our children a democracy or an autocratic presidency, regardless of whether we continue to hold meaningful elections going forward. 

• Will we have an opportunity to build toward a more resilient and inclusive democracy? In too many ways, our democracy is not working as it should: in many races, voters lack a true choice; large sets of Americans feel unrepresented by the major parties; trust in democratic institutions is in decline; and our democracy has never been as fully inclusive as the highest aspirations of our founding ideals. This election can be an inflection point that creates the opportunity to build toward a more perfect, representative, and resilient democracy.

Every little thing matters

One thing about a pivotal moment is you don’t know what will cause history to tip. And especially in an election poised to be so close — potentially decided by thousands, if not hundreds of voters — any little thing could make the difference. So, over the next 100 days, everything matters. Every. Single. Thing. 

Every person who signs up to be a poll worker? They could be the difference between their town’s election running smoothly and facing long lines or delays. 

Every journalist who chooses to use their word count to provide unbiased but not neutral coverage of threats to democracy? They could be the difference in how our country understands this moment. 

Every campaign volunteer who decides to put in a few extra hours knocking doors on a weekend? They could make the difference in who gets elected. 

Every member of Congress who chooses to take their constitutional oath seriously and decides to uphold a free and fair election? They could be the deciding vote against partisan attempts at subversion. 

Every social media user who pauses to verify that a news story is true before sharing it? They could make the algorithmic difference in a lie not going viral. 

Every politician who decides to put country over party and publicly expresses their support for pro-democracy candidates? They could help ensure the Constitution endures. 

Every religious leader who works to build faith in elections? They could shape whether their congregation has trust in our democracy.  

Every neighbor talking civilly with friends, every local business leader giving employees time off to vote, every online influencer going more than surface level, every judge and litigator putting partisanship aside, every teacher talking about civics in the classroom, every eligible voter doing absolutely whatever it is they need to do to make sure that — no matter the obstacles — they get to vote. 

Each of us matters. 

If we all put democracy first for the next 100 days, democracy will survive.