Downside: There's still a lot of work to do
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Hi Friend,

 

Living in a post-election world certainly is something, isn’t it? 


This week, we’re seeing more and more that it’s not only the functional
mechanisms of democracy that matter, but also that those participating have to
believe in democracy as well. 


Without proper maintenance, our democracy can crumble. It’s the doom loop
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worse. 


Here are three things to think about this week: 

Our elections went well!
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There was a lot to be nervous about as we prepared for this year’s election; a
global pandemic, new voting rules, foreign interference caused many — including
yours truly — to be concerned with whether our voting system could handle the
many stresses. 


A week later, we can say with some confidence: it did. Thanks to countless
election administrators, volunteers, and poll workers, the 2020 Presidential
election saw more Americans vote than ever before, during a nationwide
pandemic, amidst attacks and distractions from politicians. TheNew York Times
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this week unwraps how we, as Americans, came together to pull off this
unprecedented election. 


From the article: “It could easily have been a total train wreck,” said
Michael Morley, a law professor at Florida State University who served in the
George W. Bush administration. “Instead, we can be proud about how well our
election officials conducted this election under extremely adverse circumstances
.”



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What does the future of reform look like?
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Nevertheless, we must continue to look ahead; this week Unite America
Executive Director Nick Troiano and advisor Ron Fournier write inReal Clear
Politics
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about the future Americans face and the pathways we have to look forward to —
if we choose reform, rather than retribution, as our next chapter. 


“The next few years could be an era of post-Trump political reform, but only
if we refuse to surrender to partisanship and cynicism,” they write, “and
recognize that reform is already gaining momentum at the state level. Reform
isn’t naïve; it’s doable and politically advantageous for both Republicans and
Democrats in Washington.”


It’s a new chapter of American politics we’re opening, after a loop of
partisanship and dysfunction that’s left us divided and bruised. Reform offers
a way forward that improves our politics, changes the incentives for our
leaders, and makes a healthier civic society for us all.We’ve done it before,
and we can do it again <[link removed]>. The only question is,
will we? 



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It’s not a Red-Blue divide. <[link removed]>

Do you live in a red state or a blue state? Over the last few weeks, we’ve
been bombarded with brightly colored maps that draw clear distinctions between
the left and the right, states that vote Democrat versus states that vote
Republican. States like New York and California are proclaimed to be liberal
havens, while Oklahoma and Louisiana are conservative through and through. 

 

But as I’m sure you know, looking around in your state, it’s not that simple.
In between red and blue, it turns out there’s a lot of purple. Being a “blue”
state doesn’t make the state blue, especially if 40+ percent of voters might
have voted red. A new map shows just how inaccurate the red/ blue maps are.
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The Purple States of America project shows the broader nuance of a states’
electorate. As Americans we don’t live in homogeneous enclaves; we live with
each other and amongst each other. When we start “othering” one another, it
becomes less about being aunited states, and more about being competing ones.
Now more than ever, we have to stand united.



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Brett
__
Brett Maney
Senior Communications Manager
Unite America
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