CIVICS, CIVILITY, AND COLLABORATION: A BEACON OF HOPE

In October 2022, a New York Times/Siena College poll found that only 63% of American adults have faith in the democratic process, a horrifying statistic that raises concerns about the future of American democracy. To many, it seems that the building blocks of American democracy are being forgotten in favor of petty squabbles, a depressing spiral that has disillusioned many from our democratic process. Despite the divisions of American society, there are still reasons to believe in the American people’s ability to come together through continued successes from the past and present that, if driven by the American people, can build hope and our democracy prosperous for the future.

Much of the division that seems to dominate our society and government stems from a lack of public education about civics and the basic systems of American democracy. Both James Madison and Thomas Jefferson were outspoken in their support for a populous educated on systems of government and civics in general, though it seems their efforts have not come to pass. According to a 2016 survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, a mere 26% of Americans could name the three branches of government. Combined with America’s low voter turnout, these alarming numbers seem to spell doom. Some states, however, are providing reason for hope through new laws that require increased levels of civics education. Colorado and Idaho, for example, have started requiring more civics education, and both are seeing students achieve higher scores than their neighbors on tests that measure knowledge of the American government. These states have also seen higher than average levels of voter participation, showing reason to hope that improved civics education may result in improved civic participation. Aside from education, much fear about the state of democracy has arisen about the behavior of political candidates, and whether they will continue to honor norms of civility likeconceding election losses. Following the extremely close and bitterly contested 2000 presidential election, Vice President Al Gore went on national television to concede the election and urged his supporters and all Americans to “unite behind our next president.” Yet just 20 years later, the 2020 election was marked by controversy, alleged fraud, no concession by the loser, and even violence. However, when we focus on the extreme examples, we forget that the vast majority of races remain civil once they’ve concluded. In the 2022 midterms, in high-stakes contests in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada, the losing candidates all conceded, despite all three having previously made false claims about the validity of the 2020 election. Further, three election-denying candidates for governor in the swing states of Arizona, Michigan, and Wisconsin all were defeated in their elections. Although legitimate fears persist, the 2022 elections saw an unprecedented repudiation of election-denying candidates. Voters showed that democracy is an issue Americans are ready to fight for and that candidates still remain willing to keep elections civil. Even when candidates are civil, many worry that our government seems constantly hampered by partisan fighting and a lack of collaboration. With three government shutdowns happening in

the past decade alone, it seems like simply keeping our government functioning has become a partisan question. Yet partisan fighting has not always been the biggest challenge to collaboration. In the civil rights era, progress was often stymied, not by partisan opponents, but by ideology opposed members of the party in power; while the three presidents that pushed hardest for civil rights were Democrats, the fiercest opposition to civil rights came unilaterally from southern members of their own party. Collaboration between parties was therefore key to passing historic civil rights laws. Today, though it may be faint as of now, there are still signs of collaboration and bipartisanship in congress that provide a glimmer of hope. In 2021, as Joe Biden nominated his cabinet, there was fear that the confirmations could become fights that would stop the basic act of appointing the executive branch from proceeding routinely. Despite the deadlocked 50-50 Senate, only a single confirmation vote came down to a party line vote, and almost all the confirmations netted above 80 votes in favor. It may not be the norm, but collaboration is still possible.

While it may seem that American democracy is facing a crisis, the ideals of civics, civility, and collaboration remain a beacon of hope. Civic education policy can work to bring up a new generation that is knowledgeable and prepared to help our democracy function. At the polls, voters are choosing civility in politics over false claims of fraud. Despite deep ideological differences, collaboration can still be found in our political process. Throughout its history, America has overcome challenges through commitments to the ideals of civics, civility, and collaboration. American Citizens have a responsibility to continue these commitments in order to meet the challenges of today and into the future.

Eliot Watson and father, Jay Watson, at the 2023 Law Day Lunch.

ELLIOT WATSON is the winner of the 2023 YLD Law Day Essay Contest winner. He is in 10th grade, attending Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School.