American Democracy Under Construction

One year ago, the Academy’s cross-partisan Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship released Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century. The report offers 31 recommendations to strengthen American democracy. Some of those ideas are under consideration in Congress and state legislatures across the country. Others are hot topics of debate for journalists, legislators, and voters.

This discussion highlighted the latest advances on the recommendations, including New York City’s first mayoral election using ranked-choice voting, questions about the size of the House of Representatives and redistricting, and President Biden’s Supreme Court commission. These efforts to make American democracy work better are just a few of the topics up for review. Panelists explained whether these initiatives will work, why they are important, and which proposals might emerge next in the efforts to empower citizens, create more responsive governance, and build a more resilient civic culture.