Year in Review, 2024

An election year can be a kind of quadrennial checkup on the condition of American democracy, and this year we took an unusual test. As was said one too many times, “democracy itself was on the ballot.” We’ve long believed that if the state of democracy were an electorally relevant issue, we could find a larger constituency for positive change. 

In 2024, “democracy” and “rule of law” polled as issues important to many voters. But we learned that these words were abstractions to almost everyone, filtered through existing preferences. Even more specific ideas such as “peaceful transition of power” represented forms or processes that don’t speak to what people want from public life. Focus groups showed that contrasting words such as “authoritarianism” also appeared to have little tangible meaning. Pervasive, deserved distrust of the political system made it difficult for voters to see a sharp distinction, and a defense of “democracy” as it is wasn’t appealing. 

With an incoming president who has indicated an intention to break through most of the constraints on presidential power, we need to develop a stronger, aspirational narrative about democracy’s possibilities, how it relates to more material and personal values, and above all, how democracy can fulfill its real promise, which is to give us a genuine sense of agency in our lives and communities. That narrative should be embedded in the lived experience of millions of people engaged in their own civic spaces, formal or informal, and should embody the varied language in which people actually talk about democracy and elections. That work will involve experiments in local organizing, co-governance, and citizens' assemblies, along with a role for stronger political parties that help people make sense of their choices. 

We look forward to building on our work in all these areas, as summarized in our 2024 annual report, as we confront the most challenging moment for American democracy in our lifetimes.