Democracy Matters

Meet our 2022-2023 E-Board President: Ishana Bandyopadhyay Vice President:  Neharika Rao Co-Director of Education & Advocacy: Lizzie Hahn Co-Director of Education & Advocacy: Lilly Roberson Co-Director of Policy: Sanjana Miryala  Co-Director of Policy: Sai Golkanda Director of Finance: Neil Sairam Director of Recruitment: Ian Hoerr Director of Communications & Social Media: Diya Mehta

The Road to Banning Stock Trading in Congress A representative democracy ceases to function when elected officials legislate for their own personal interests as opposed to the interests of those who elected them. The responsibilities entrusted to members of Congress grant them the potential to commit insider trading: the strategic trading of stocks or other financial assets given access to non-public information. While insider trading by members of Congress is illegal, no member of Congress has ever been prosecuted for insider trading as it is difficult to prove whether trades were made because of inside information. The legality of congressional stock trading not only incentivizes building personal wealth above providing for the general welfare of the congressperson’s constituents, but it also leaves the door open for insider trading with an extremely low likelihood of criminal repercussions. The trading of assets in the stock market by memb ers of Congress has corroded our democracy...

As society has become more partisan, questions surrounding voting patterns with party lines have become prominent. Democracy remains extremely important in today's political climate because it allows for a prospering government that represents the people's wants. It ensures that fundamental freedoms are given to the people and that human rights are protected. However, the democracy that we are promised is not always seen. After Americans around the nation were disappointed in the 2016 presidential victor, Donald Trump, voting patterns with political parties needed to be evaluated to indicate increases or decreases following his term. Since the Republican party won, it could be assumed that Republican voter turnout was high. However, that is not true. The electoral college disappointed millions of voters when voting against the popular vote for Donald Trump. Much of the Republican party denied fairness in the election. However, multiple repetitions of state counting established ...

The reality of policy and public opinion: Policy positions have undergone massive polarization as political parties continue moving stances closer to the extremes. The reality of the reactive approach has become abundantly clear, as change on a larger scale has come at the heels of considerable public scrutiny, from public safety debates on gun control to abortion access. Properly packaging policy to appeal to public sentiment plays a significant role in political messaging, as the American public relies on these generalizations to form their own opinions on the policy itself. Trust in elected leaders is crucial for understanding policies, as the American public often relies on narratives to contextualize specific issues. The visibility of policy makes for its ultimate success or failure, as the public can ultimately decide whether their representatives should support or oppose possible changes. The grandest attempt at a policy overhaul in US history came through the FDR-era New Deal p...

  The current state of our elections and politics Our election system is completely flawed. It doesn't help our country; rather it makes it more anti-democratic. What makes matters worse is that the U.S. population isn't even educated about the process or how our elections and government work. Nearly a third of Americans cannot name any of the three branches of government, according to a survey by the ​Annenberg Public Policy Center​. Today, it may seem impossible to imagine the United States government without its two leading political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans. These same parties were originally feared by the founding fathers, and now they control the course of our country. Alexander Hamilton stated that political parties were “the most fatal disease of popular governments”. Despite their warnings, our nation has evolved into a two-party system that controls our elections. People in America want more options to voice their vote, but sadly there aren...

  What is Voter Suppression? In this democratic nation, the right to vote is a privilege that every citizen is granted in order to have a voice in who their elected officials are. However, the past two decades have brought endless barriers to the ballot box, preventing many from exercising their basic right to vote. Politicians go as far as redrawing individual district lines to skew election results in the favor of their party. As a result, voter suppression ends up disproportionately affecting minority groups, poor communities, and the elderly.  Types of Voter Suppression: Voter suppression is formulated in a multitude of ways, from restricting mail-in ballots to preventing early registration. Voter registration is the foundation of the voting process, as it finalizes the right legally and documents one’s voting identity for the polls. However, registering to vote in itself presents several barriers. In order to register, a proof of citizenship must be obtained. That means t...

Voting – especially in our current political climate – can be stressful. Oftentimes, voters can feel overwhelmed standing at the voting booth making a decision candidate by candidate, for many, it is easier to straight party vote. While straight-party voting is only an option in seven states; Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Nevada, it is often seen as the ‘easy way out’. By checking one box, you are able to cast your ballot for every candidate of your chosen political party. This does not typically allow for the consideration of third-party candidates and does not encourage voters to be familiar with or educated on each candidate or state question prior to heading to the polls. During his time as the United States' first President, George Washington was quick to warn citizens against party loyalty, now, nearly 27.2 million registered voters in America have the option to do just that, should they decide to go vote. There are a variety of views re...