UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that 49% of Americans say democracy is not working well in the United States. Among Americans ages 18-29, Harvard’s Institute of Politics found that 64% have more fear than hope about democracy’s future.
If democracy is broken or not working to its full potential, how do we fix it? The McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s first event of the fall semester will offer two potential answers to that question.
David Daley, a senior fellow at FairVote, will join McCourtney Institute’s Managing Director Chris Beem at 4 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on Penn State's University Park campus for a conversation about whether the cure to what ails American democracy is structural reform or individual actions and behaviors.
Daley is the author of “Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America's Democracy” and “Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy.” Both books explore undemocratic power structures in America’s political system and how we can make them better. FairVote is a leading organization advancing ranked-choice voting across the United States.
Beem’s most recent book, “The Seven Democratic Virtues: What You Can Do to Overcome Tribalism and Save Our Democracy,” argues that individual actions like telling the truth and practicing humility are the keys to a healthier democracy. He’s also written about democratic virtues for media outlets including CNN and The Conversation.
Together, Daley and Beem will discuss the roles that structural reforms like ranked-choice voting and individual behaviors like honesty and humility have in strengthening democracy, as well as how the two can complement each other.
“How do we bring democracy back from the brink? That is a difficult and complicated question,” Beem said. “We need conversations like this to help us address this problem with the gravity and care that it requires.”
The event is free and open to the public. A professional recording by C-NET will be available on the McCourtney Institute’s YouTube channel after the event. Visit democracy.psu.edu/events for more information.