American Democracy: A Data-Driven Look at Crisis and Hope

This article uses data to analyze the state of American democracy. The data reveals highly concentrated political funding among a small elite, a fractured judiciary, politically reshaped government agencies, and low voter turnout, particularly among Democrats. However, the data also offers hope: millions of potential Democratic voters remain unengaged, history shows successful citizen resistance to authoritarianism, and holding leaders accountable is common in healthy democracies. The article calls for focusing on voter mobilization rather than solely on ideological moderation, emphasizing the importance of citizen participation.