“One of the biggest challenges that we have to our democracy is the degree to which we don’t share a common baseline of facts.” -- Barak Obama
I want to believe that I am a reasonably well-informed voter. However, I think that I am fooling myself: I know Raul Grijalva represents our congressional district but I don’t know anything about his voting record, bills sponsored, etc, I don’t know anything about upcoming state ballot issues, I don’t know much about senators Kristen Sinema and Mark Kelly’s platforms or their voting records. I didn’t know that Jill Stein, Marianne Williamson, Cornel West and Chase Oliver are also presidential candidates.
More generally, I don’t know diddly about Congressional bills like the “Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act”, or the “Equality Act”. I essentially don’t know sh** about the individuals and policies that are influencing our collective future. I take little comfort in thinking that I am at least one step ahead of my fellow voters who don’t even know that they don’t know sh**. Pretty scary.
So, I thought I'd get off my ass and start by researching our Electoral College. That project took on a life of its own and several twists and turns later, I decided to take a step back and have a conversation with AI.
Query: “Can you give me a definition of a democratic nation.”
Definition: ‘A democratic nation is a country that adheres to the principles and practices of democracy, which is a form of government in which power and civic participation reside with the people: Free and fair elections, Universal suffrage, Protection of civil liberties, rule of law, separation of powers, accountability and transparency, participation and inclusion, respect for human rights.’
Query: "Does the US adhere to these principles?”
Answer: ‘The United States aspires to adhere to democratic principles, but whether it fully upholds them in practice is a matter of ongoing debate and assessment.’
Query: “How knowledgeable is the US electorate regarding presidential politics?”
‘A 2020 Pew Research survey found that only around 1 in 4 U.S. adults could correctly name the three branches of government. This suggests gaps in foundational civic knowledge relevant to presidential politics.
While segments of the electorate demonstrate strong knowledge of presidential politics, the data also reveals significant knowledge gaps, and lack of foundational civic literacy, and variation in how closely voters follow the various aspects of the presidency across different demographic groups. Improving overall voter knowledge remains an ongoing challenge.’
Query: “Given these knowledge gaps is it even reasonable to conclude that we can have accurate, representative voter participation in US presidential elections?"
‘Given the data showing significant knowledge gaps among portions of the U.S. electorate regarding presidential politics and civic fundamentals, it raises legitimate concerns about whether voter participation in presidential elections can be truly accurate and representative.
Some of the key issues the data points to:
Lack of foundational civic knowledge - Many voters lack a basic understanding of how government works, the respective roles of the presidency/Congress/judiciary, etc. This can lead to uninformed voting decisions.
Vulnerability to misinformation - With struggles to discern credible information sources, voters are susceptible to misinformation campaigns that distort their perceptions of candidates/issues.
Uneven engagement levels - Portions of the electorate are highly informed and engaged, while others pay little attention, creating a dichotomy in participation quality.
Gaps across demographics - Education levels, news consumption habits, and other factors mean civic knowledge varies significantly across racial, socioeconomic, and other demographic lines.
Single issue/personality voting - With limited holistic knowledge, some voters may cast ballots based on just one issue or a candidate's personality rather than full platforms. These challenges could mean that election outcomes do not accurately capture the true "will of the people" in a fully informed, representative way, a core tenet of democracy. However, others argue that despite these problems, U.S. presidential elections still ultimately reflect the aggregate preferences of the electorate to a reasonable degree. Vigorous debates from campaigns, media scrutiny, and high stakes mean most voters make efforts to be adequately informed.
Ultimately, whether prevalent knowledge gaps fatally undermine the representativeness of U.S. presidential elections is a question plagued by numerous complex variables. But the data indicates it is a legitimate issue demanding ongoing efforts to improve voter education and engagement.”
Next month, I will come back to the Electoral College. In the meantime, we owe it to ourselves and our country to do our best to become better informed and engaged in what we purport to call a democracy.
Your comments, suggestions, or rebuttals are welcome.
Comments