Hey folks,

This is likely our last shot at preserving liberal democracy in the U.S., or at least avoiding 20–40 years of abject horribleness by wannabe bigoted and sociopathic demigods.

The year 2024 is also set to be a significant year for global politics, with a large number of critical elections taking place around the world. Nearly half of the global population will go to the polls this year, with at least 40 countries electing leaders. This includes countries such as Taiwan, Britain, India, and Iran.

Along with the POTUS showdown, the U.S. general election will also include one-third of the seats in the Senate and all the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In India, still the world’s most populous democratic country, elections will be held in April, where ~600 million eligible voters will determine whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be elected for a third term.

Iran will hold elections on March 1, 2024, to elect a new parliament.

In Europe, the European Parliament election, the second-largest vote by population in 2024, will take place.

Other countries with significant elections include Taiwan, Pakistan, and Mexico.

These elections are critical as they will shape global politics and have a profound impact on international geopolitics for years to come. They will also highlight the global health of democracy and either alter or reinforce the current course of economic, political, and geopolitical policies.

State Of The Union

The Movement Advancement Project (MAP) has some great maps that show the peril we’re in, here in the U.S. This one shows “Democracy Ratings By State”:

• High Overall Policy Tally (4 states)
• Medium Overall Policy Tally (16 states + D.C.)
• Fair Overall Policy Tally (19 states)
• Low Overall Policy Tally (11 states)
• Negative Overall Policy Tally (0 states)

This is a pretty comprehensive resource that tracks and analyzes over 40 aspects of state election and voting laws across the United States, including the District of Columbia. These maps are designed to provide a clear picture of how different states are performing in terms of fostering a healthy election system and optimizing civic engagement.

Each state is assigned a “Democracy Tally,” which is a count of the number of laws and policies within the state that contribute to a robust election system. This tally is a part of the broader evaluation of state election and voting policies, which are grouped into six major categories:

• Voter Registration
• Representation & Participation
• Voting in Person
• Voting By Mail
• Election Security, and
• Independence & Integrity

Visitors can click on any state to view detailed laws and state profiles. Additionally, folks can explore the maps by subject area to understand specific aspects of election and voting laws.

There are other maps on the site that show just how much of a hold that hate, misogyny, and fear has on the populace.

Getting Involved & Staying Informed

For folks in the U.S. (I’m not comfortable interfering in elections abroad), Indivisible is a good starting point. I’m also a fan and supporter of The Bulwark, though I grok that “liberals” might still be wary of former die-hard GOPers.

Ground News is also a great place to check your biases whilst also getting up to speed on what’s happening at home and abroad.

FIN

There will be regular pro-democracy posts on the blog in 2024, so use the per-topic RSS feeds if you want to avoid them.