The Covid-19 pandemic comes at a delicate moment for our democracy. Trust in government has been abysmal for some time. Hyper-partisanship colors nearly every aspect of our society. Many Americans are justifiably skeptical of whether their government and political leaders are working for them. The 2020 election could determine the character of our nation for years to come. This new crisis threatens to cripple this already endangered system, undermining our democratic institutions and overloading our ability to respond to multiple, competing crises.
Now is a critical time for philanthropic organizations to rally together and strategically pool our resources so that we can protect our democracy. Philanthropy cannot accomplish this goal alone — government must act, too — but we must see the defense of our republic as a critical role for philanthropy, and we must act now.
In a world of social distancing, we must now re-learn how to do democracy, apart. While distancing is necessary, it challenges the ability of critical aspects of our democracy to function. Social distancing affects whether legislatures, courts, and federal agencies can fulfill their obligations to the American people. Congress, in particular, needs to be able to operate in a virtual environment if its members and staff can’t come to work or are ill.
Most notably, social distancing will upend how we vote in 2020. Two-thirds of Americans say they are uncomfortable going to a polling place given current events, according to recent polling by the Pew Research Center. Recruiting poll workers, especially young ones, may be an uphill battle.
What we saw in Wisconsin’s primary could be just a taste of what we will experience nationwide in November if we don’t make changes. Unfortunately, there are real questions about whether our system is ready for a massive expansion of voting by mail, as well as whether such a process can be carried out equitably. The increasing partisan divide on this issue is unhelpful and unacceptable when the legitimacy of our democracy is at risk.
A second threat is the coming economic downturn, which is already doing tremendous damage to institutions and communities nationwide. According to data from Nationscape, Americans’ perceptions of the economy have cratered in the past month.
The portion of the American public that has a pessimistic view of our economy jumped by 40 points in just a month.
Massive economic upheaval will endanger community well-being and will have significant political implications, including deepening political polarization and increasing dissatisfaction with our democracy. Those on the wrong side of the digital divide, particularly rural and low-income communities, are most at risk in this new normal, as civic communications and engagement pivot to a digital-only approach.
While journalism is playing a crucial role in helping us understand and respond to this public-health crisis, media organizations face their own existential crisis in this economic climate.
Many newsrooms, especially local media, were already operating on razor-thin margins. More than 28,000 journalists have already lost their jobs, been furloughed, or had their hours cut back, according to the New York Times. The downturn is dealing a crushing blow as advertising revenue disappears. Reporters are risking their lives to cover the pandemic while having to wonder about the future of their profession. Without intervention, we could soon have a public square without journalists at a time when we need them most.
Unfortunately, there is more reason to fear an even more pernicious danger. President Trump has threatened to invoke never-used constitutional authority to adjourn Congress so he can push through dozens of nominations for federal positions. He also fired inspectors general at multiple federal agencies, including the oversight official who was to oversee the $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package. This pattern is a direct assault on democratic values and is a break-the glass-moment for our democracy.
Throughout history, public emergencies have been used by demagogues and authoritarians to abuse their power and undermine democracy. We have already seen this play out in Hungary where extraordinary measures suspending parliament and postponing elections could prove the death knell of a fragile democracy. Now President Trump has proclaimed that his “authority is total. “
While the U.S. Constitution offers many protections, there are plenty of reasons to fear that political leaders could take actions to undermine the rule of law, threaten civil liberties, or undermine the election. With the public scared at this time of crisis, there is also a great risk that self-serving leaders will use our fears and anxieties to turn us against each other. In this moment, robust oversight and accountability mechanisms are crucial.
Together, social distancing, an economic downturn, and the emergency environment also undermine our ability to address the problems that were with us before the pandemic began. Adding these new threats to the list makes it less likely that we can adequately respond to pre-existing challenges such as cybersecurity, misinformation, and voter disenfranchisement. Even at this fragile time, we cannot afford to take our eye off the balls we were already juggling.
These challenges can feel overwhelming — but there is much we can do to address them. Those of us in philanthropy, in particular, have an important role to play to support the many champions of our democracy who have been in this fight for years and who are already standing up in this moment. Specifically, we need to organize to secure additional funding focused on four priorities and act to ensure:
Successful implementation of the 2020 election, the 2020 census, and the 2021 redistricting process. We must prepare for a massive shift toward digital engagement strategies, which will trade traditional campaigning tactics for personalized engagement with individuals on the issues that matter to them. We need to advance policies that expand options to vote by mail to ensure polling places are accessible and safe — and protect and support safe ways for people of color and others left out of the process to cast ballots and fill out census forms.
Continuity of government and trustworthy, effective democratic governance. We must prevent abuses of power. Watchdog groups and organizations that work to promote technology that enables participation in democracy are already stepping up in significant ways to address these challenges. It will be essential to increase financial support to organizations that work on governance and government-accountability issues so they can suggest ways remote governance can work, advocate against waste and abuse, and bring litigation as needed.
Public access to trustworthy, fact-based information, including by strengthening reporting and combating misinformation. Creating a resilience fund supported by government and private resources is necessary to stabilize journalism and save newsrooms that have been on the front lines of this crisis. We also need to increase the pressure on social-media platforms to push back against disinformation.
Civil liberties are protected to prevent violence and the violation of civil rights. Now is the time for philanthropy to support watchdogs and advocates to monitor policies and help establish norms and narratives about the appropriate exercise of emergency power by federal and state governments. We must defend against civil-liberties violations through litigation and other approaches and support communities at risk while pushing back against harmful narratives that stigmatize racial or ethnic groups.
Protecting the health of our democracy is an added weight at this challenging time. But the moment has also brought creative solutions and an inspiring resurgence of civic-mindedness. We can and must pour this newfound energy into improving our democratic system for the long term. Our democracy was built for times like these. It helps us come together and rebuild once the crisis has passed. We must put our faith in that — and in the meantime, each of us must do our part to protect it.