We should celebrate democracy by being its best defender

Nicole Bibbins Sedaca

Submitted photo/InsideSources

Elections are naturally divisive because candidates, parties and supporters work to put forward competing ideas and earn citizens’ support. . . . Naturally, in a democracy, losers concede to winners and know they have future opportunities to compete again. . . . It’s messy, but it’s important to remember that most people around the world don’t get the chance to participate in a democracy.”

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OPINION — Election Day is less than two months away, so Americans are getting a crash course right now on what democracy is actually about: natural divisions and necessary unity. 

These reminders are coming just in time for International Democracy Day on Sept. 15. While it’s not as well known in the United States as the Fourth of July and doesn’t come with fireworks and hotdogs, it provides an opportunity for every American to reflect on the importance of a healthy democracy to our security, prosperity, and way of life and to redouble our commitment to protecting and strengthening it as we enter the final stretch of campaign season.  

Elections are naturally divisive because candidates, parties and supporters work to put forward competing ideas and earn citizens’ support. They seek to beat their opponents, and there are always winners and losers. Naturally, in a democracy, losers concede to winners and know they have future opportunities to compete again. Elections remind us of the need for unity in protecting the system that allows us to compete for our ideas. 

It’s messy, but it’s important to remember that most people around the world don’t get the chance to participate in a democracy. Only 20% of the global population live in a country that is free, according to Freedom House estimates.  

Our shared democratic system — which is supposed to serve all Americans, not any one group — is what protects our right to hold diverse political, religious or ideological views, to freely choose leaders or to speak our minds without fear of being silenced or violence. It protects our freedom of conscience and pursuit of a life to which we feel called. 

Democracy requires citizens and leaders to uphold a system that protects a diverse set of views, so we can think, believe, speak, assemble and associate as we please. It requires elected officials to work for the people of their city, state or nation, not just those who voted for them. It requires all people, including leaders, to respect the rule of law that ensures equality for all. 

This is a profound concept, often hard to grasp for those who have not had the privilege of living in a free country.  

In those nations, leaders pursue their personal goals, not what is best for the nation. The liberties and rights of the people are subject to the leader’s whim, guaranteed not by law or constitution but by the impulse of the powerful. Citizens have limited or no say in how the government works, taxes, spends, uses force or doles out rights.  

This is a stark reminder of the precious and fragile gift we have. And it should spur us to ensure our democracy is as strong as possible. 

To be clear, our democracy is far from perfect. It never has been. Like other democracies, it has self-correcting mechanisms that allow us to address our shortcomings through elections, engaging leaders, advocating for policy change and using the legal system, protests and fact-based reporting.  

In these weeks leading up to the election and in the many years thereafter, we must be unified in our shared responsibility to defend and uphold our democratic system.  

We should ensure that our elections are free and fair, that all citizens can participate fully and that the outcomes are respected. Poll workers, election administrators and volunteers who selflessly give their time and talent deserve our utmost respect, full security and protection as they do their important nonpartisan work. No one should feel intimidated at the polls.  

We should hold all elected leaders to the highest standards, free of corruption, undemocratic behavior or incivility. We should respect the rule of law and expect that of our fellow citizens, regardless of whether they share our political, religious or ideological views.  

We should respect the rights of others with whom we don’t agree. This doesn’t erode our firmly held convictions, and it doesn’t require us to compromise our views. It reflects our commitment to fundamental democratic values. 

We should practice civility in our daily lives — in the classroom, courtroom, boardroom, office, home and online — particularly toward those with whom we disagree.  

None of these behaviors forces us to like or believe something that we don’t want to. They do require us to acknowledge and uphold the rights of all people, not just those with whom we agree. Without this fundamental tenet, we will lose our democracy and move one step closer to the 80% of the world that doesn’t enjoy democratic freedoms.  

If we pursue our interests and views, at the expense of the rights of those of different views, democracy erodes. And a democracy eroded for some is a democracy eroded for all.  

So on this International Democracy Day, let’s recommit to strengthening and protecting American democracy. And, if we have time, let’s do a few fireworks on Sept. 15, too!   

Nicole Bibbins Sedaca is the Kelly and David Pheil Fellow at the George W. Bush Institute. She wrote this for InsideSources.com. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.