Democracy Matters - Episode 30: Why Isn’t Democracy Working For Everyone?

In his new book, Democracy in One Book Or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think, David Litt addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing democracy, including partisan rancor, gerrymandering, campaign finance, voter suppression, political corruption, the legislative filibuster and how people are represented (or not) in our political system. David especially focuses on voting rights, and how efforts over time to suppress voting rights based largely on race, ethnicity, and class have led to socioeconomic and political inequalities we see today.

From 2011-2016, David wrote speeches for President Barack Obama, and was described as "the comic muse for the president" for his work on the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Since leaving the White House, David served as the head writer and producer for Funny Or Die's office in Washington, with a focus on improving youth turnout in the 2018 election, and is currently developing a sitcom based on his life in D.C. 

Questions for Discussion: 

• • What are some of the most often overlooked barriers in our political and voting systems?
  • What are effective practices for reaching young people and connecting elections and political participation as means for making a difference on the issues they care about? 
  • Why is it hard for young people and minoritized communities to vote? 
  • How does access to and exercise of voting rights affect policies and outcomes?

Links in this episode:

• Democracy in One Book Or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think