Talking Points: Strengthening Democracy through Confident Conversations
If we learned one thing during the 2020 election cycle, it is that our democratic institutions are indeed resilient. But rampant misinformation reminded us of how fragile our democracy can be, as well as the importance of having leaders stand as vanguards for truth and integrity. Healing the divides in our country and alleviating the doubts about our institutions is an active and ongoing process. Along the way, elected officials must respect one another enough to tell the truth about our politics, even as they confront electoral outcomes that may not be in their favor.
As a legislator and leader in your community, you have the ability to provide crucial confidence amid the confusion. To help you, MAP has created this guide which highlights key facts and talking points to inform your conversations with colleagues and constituents:
By all measures—including record turnout—the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency ruled the 2020 general election as the safest, most secure election in American history. There is no credible evidence that any voting system deleted, lost, or altered votes, or was in any way compromised.
There is reason to be concerned about our country’s divisions, but when the potential for an election to be rigged or stolen is exaggerated, we undermine trust in our democracy and our institutions.
Trust in the federal government may be at a record low, but the majority (68 percent) of Americans express confidence in their local city and town officials*.
As a system of governance, democracy remains widely supported by most Americans regardless of their political affiliation. This is not to say that American democracy is perfect; in fact, 45 percent of Americans believe it needs improving or strengthening through civic engagement*.
We are stronger when Americans participate in their democracy. Voting offers a sense of pride, honor, and duty. An overwhelming majority of Americans, 81 percent, feel a sense of pride in being American when they vote*.
Regardless of political affiliation, 71 percent of Americans—70 percent of Democrats and 78 percent of Republicans—agree that it is more important to come together as a country than to challenge the result of the 2020 election*.
Democracy depends on disagreement, debate, and difference of opinion; however, it cannot normalize violent uprisings from its citizenry, which only weaken our systems and ability to function as society.
Mistrust and misinformation undermines good-faith efforts, working against elected officials who are providing the resources necessary to help their communities rebound from the devastation of COVID.
State legislators are on the frontlines of this work and MAP is ready to support the SFCN as you rebuild critical confidence in our institutions. MAP is continuously adding resources for legislators; please contact us at policy@millennialaction.org for more information.
*Malvar, Noelle et al. “Democracy for President: A Guide to How Americans can Strengthen Democracy During a Divisive Election.” Democracy for President,2020. Accessed March 4, 2021.