After the institutions, the true power rightfully returns to the people. This level examines how citizens can meaningfully shape their government through informed participation, elections, and effective voting methods.
Putting the power back into the hands of individuals, society selects its leaders and representatives through elections.
The Duverger Syndrome is democracies' most critical illness. Both the causes and the fixes are known. Solutions must be applied as a matter of priority.
The most pressing need for our democracies is to understand what the Duverger Syndrome is, its root causes and how to overcome it.
Duverger Syndrome — The Duverger Syndrome is democracies' most critical illness.
Duverger example: France and the dangers of alternance
Duverger example: Taiwan 2000 and 2004 presidential elections
Duverger example: Taiwan 2024 presidential election
Duverger example: USA, 19th century
Duverger example: USA, 21st century — Where American democracy comes agonizingly close to its breaking point.
Duverger symptom 1: divisive dualism
Duverger symptom 2: destructive alternance
Duverger symptom 3: party politics
Duverger symptom 4: negative campaigning
Duverger symptom 5: lack of choice, lack of good candidates
Duverger symptom 6: extremism
Duverger symptom 7: Periodical political realignments
Duverger's Law
One of the most critical priority for any democracy is to improve its electoral system and start using a much better voting method.
The remedy to the Duverger Syndrome are well known:
Bush v. Gore (2000)
Campaign finance
Center for Election Innovation & Research
Center for Election Science
Certifying Elections
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
Comparative Study of Electoral Systems — Collaborative research among election study teams from around the world.
Concession
Concession speech — A nice concession speech goes a long way towards preserving democracy...
Counting the Vote: A Firing Line Special with Margaret Hoover
Democracy Docket
Democratic backsliding in the United States
Disfranchisement
Election denialism
Election integrity
Election official (poll worker)
Electoral system
Evolution of the Republican Party
Funding for elections
Gaming the Vote: Why Elections Aren't Fair
Gerrymandering
How to Steal a Presidential Election
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)
Kamala Harris Concession Speech — Kamala Harris could have been a great leader for the USA.
Leadership
League of Women Voters: Making Democracy Work
Open-source voting system
Plurality voting
Political polarisation
Political science in Taiwan — Academic research on political science in Taiwan.
Ranked Voting (class of voting methods)
Rated Voting (class of voting methods)
Roe v. Wade (1973)
Russian interference in US elections
Shelby County v. Holder (2013)
Single Choice Voting
Tactical voting
The Big Truth: Upholding Democracy in the Age of “The Big Lie”
The Despot's Apprentice: Donald Trump's Attack on Democracy
Trump v. United States (SCOTUS, 2024)
Tweed Symptom: Uncontested Elections
Tweedism: A Legacy of Corruption — A carefully constructed system of graft and patronage that nearly brought down a city.
Types of democracy — Different ways to categorize democracies.
Verified Voting Foundation
Vote Smart — Collecting information on issue positions, voting records, etc. of elected officials.
Voter suppression
Bec David Becker
Dil David L. Dill
Eli Marc Elias
Hua Chi Huang (黃 紀) — Taiwanese political science professor
Tru Donald Trump — An existential threat to democracy
Ken Burns: H24 Keynote Address to Brandeis University's 2024 Graduates
Prosecuting Donald Trump: Election Security Matters
Approval Voting Party — Party promoting implementing approval voting in the United States.
Campaign Legal Center
League of Women Voters — Empowering votes and defending democracy for over a century.
League of Women Voters of Colorado — /free/league_of_women_voters_of_colorado.1200-630.png
Dan Jessie Daniel Ames — American suffragist and civil rights leader
Not Adav Noti
Oba Barack Obama
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.