cover of episode Election 2024 and the health of American democracy

Election 2024 and the health of American democracy

2024/10/31
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Kathryn Dunn Tenpas
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Kathryn Dunn Tenpas认为,美国各州的投票准入存在差异,选民欺诈的发生率很低,但公众普遍存在对选民欺诈的误解,这会影响人们对投票的信任。她还提到,对简化投票流程的反对程度出乎意料的高,这阻碍了投票权的扩大。她认为,更多选民参与,民主制度会更健康,但美国历史上对投票权的限制造成了参差不齐的历史。她还谈到,选举是民主的核心,但并非充分条件;缺乏对威权民粹主义运动的制衡是更令人担忧的问题。传统上,媒体是防止威权主义的制衡之一,但最近一些媒体放弃了总统候选人的背书,这令人担忧。一些曾经被视为规范的准则正在被忽视,例如对政府官员进行背景调查,这削弱了政府的道德标准。由于社交媒体平台不再删除散布虚假信息的帖子,美国在应对虚假信息方面比以往更加脆弱。人工智能和生成技术使得制造和传播虚假信息变得更加容易。提高选民意识和教育是恢复公众信任的关键。与专家交谈后,她对美国民主的担忧加剧了。一些曾经被认为理所当然的规范,例如白宫法律顾问办公室和司法部之间的沟通,正在被侵蚀,需要进行改革。虽然有一些改革措施试图改善选举和权力交接过程,但仍有许多工作要做。如果哈里斯当选,由于参议院的确认程序变得越来越慢,组建新政府将面临挑战。 其他专家则从各自领域出发,对美国民主的健康状况、投票准入、虚假信息、公众信任等方面提出了各自的观点和分析。

Deep Dive

Chapters
This chapter explores the issue of voter fraud in the US, examining its prevalence and the impact of public perception on voter trust. It discusses various state-level voting access changes and the surprising opposition to simplifying the voting process. The chapter highlights the importance of making voting accessible and encouraging participation.
  • Low incidence of voter fraud despite public perception.
  • Significant variation in voting access across states.
  • Opposition to simplifying voter registration and access.

Shownotes Transcript

As the U.S. heads into the final days of the 2024 elections, Kathryn Dunn Tenpas reviews the health of American democracy, the lack of guardrails against mis- and disinformation, and ways to restore public trust.  

Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/election-2024-and-the-health-of-american-democracy)

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