As 2021 comes to a close, it’s important to reflect on this year in terms of democracy and to look ahead to 2022, which will be a midterm election year.
January began with a harrowing closure to the 2020 presidential election, with 147 members of Congress objecting to legitimate Electoral College votes and armed protestors attacking our Capitol, attempting to prevent the counting of the Electoral College votes.
The previous president has, to this day, never acknowledged that the election was decided accurately and decisively. Because the electoral system worked, the voters' choice was certified, but this near call awakened many Americans to the problems facing our democracy.
In the months following, we saw a wave of anti-voter laws introduced and passed across the country, intending to restrict Americans’ freedom to vote. CLC’s own state scorecard for vote-by-mail and early voting found that seven states passed new restrictions on vote-by-mail and early voting, specifically.
We’ve also begun to see extremeexamples of gerrymandering (i.e., politicians drawing voting maps to pick their voters and ensure a majority for their party).
Although we've witnessed many challenges, we’ve also witnessed Americans of all political persuasions coming together to stand up for democracy. It’s made a huge difference.
Americans are holding state legislatures accountable, successfully turning back some of the most extreme anti-voter proposals (many never made it to a vote), all while demanding better. Our state scorecard, for example, found that nine states made vote-by-mail and early voting more accessible. This happened because Americans organized and made our voices known. Alongside voters, CLC is making progress on lawsuits against anti-voter provisions: in Kansas, a judge recently blocked a law restricting the distribution of mail ballot applications, and in Georgia, we just heard that we can proceed to trial.
A relatively new problem will be increased efforts by politicians to inject partisanship and chaos into election administration. We just held a great discussion about this topic this week; you can view the recording of it here on CLC’s website.
Responding to attempts at election sabotage will be a large focus of democracy work next year, and it will require a broad approach, involving Americans in every state, to ensure voters — not politicians or partisan saboteurs — decide elections.
CLC’s work, specifically, will focus on ensuring our laws (federal, state and local) protect the will of the voters and that our election systems can withstand anti-democratic behavior.
You may be wondering: what can I do to help support democracy in 2022? Fortunately, there are many great options. Here are some:
Volunteer, whether that’s helping your neighbors register to vote or becoming a poll worker.
Learn more about the election processes in your community (it’s important to get information from trusted election officials). As a start, here’s a new CLC explainer about what happens after you cast your ballot, authored by CLC’s Victoria Hammitt, who previously worked in election administration.
Support and join groups who are helping voters in your state.
Brainstorm how you, your networks and organizations you are involved with can contribute to free and fair elections.
Vote! It’s your right; use it and show that it matters to you.
Throughout 2022, there will be moments where democracy will be challenged. Yet, we must remember that our voices matter and have an impact. They did this year. Whether it was demanding the rightful certification of the 2020 presidential election result, raising awareness about fair maps on social media or advancing democracy at the federal, state and local levels, you — the voters — have been in the driver’s seat.
Democracy belongs to those who demand it. Let’s continue this work, together, so we can secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, as the Constitution says.
The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center is dedicated to advancing democracy through law at the federal, state and local levels, fighting for every American’s rights to responsive government and a fair opportunity to participate in and affect the democratic process.
