Democracy does not maintain itself. It requires active cultivation — institutions that are trustworthy, elections that are fair, a press that is free, a citizenry that is informed and engaged, and leaders who accept the results of elections they lose. Remove any of these elements and democracy begins to degrade. Remove several at once and the degradation can become irreversible very quickly.
The United States in 2026 is experiencing a stress test of its democratic institutions that is more severe than anything since the Civil War. An attempt was made on January 6th, 2021 to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. The leader of that attempt returned to office in 2025 and has since used the executive branch to target political opponents, defund oversight institutions, intimidate the press, and consolidate power in ways that have no precedent in American history.
The guardrails that were supposed to prevent this — norms, traditions, the honor of officeholders — have proven inadequate. What is required are structural reforms that convert norms into enforceable rules: independent prosecutors who cannot be fired by the subject of their investigation, ethics requirements with real teeth, protection for inspectors general, criminal accountability for officials who attempt to subvert elections, and the restoration of congressional authority that has been ceded to the executive over decades.
But the structural reforms are not enough without civic renewal. Democracy is a practice, not just a structure. It requires participation, trust, and a shared commitment to the idea that we are more than a collection of competing interests — that there is such a thing as the common good.
What does a restored and strengthened democracy look like? Not just patched — rebuilt to last.
What does democracy worth defending look like? Submit your vision.