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Our democracy is in danger

Our democracy is facing threats we haven’t seen in generations. Protect Democracy is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting efforts, at home and abroad, to undermine our right to free, fair, and fully informed self-government. Together, armed with our Constitution and the rule of law, we can renew our democracy and protect it from those who would do it harm.

Featured Projects

The Authoritarian Playbook: a media guide
Challenging Censorship of Speech on Race and Gender
Fighting Defamation Aimed at Election Workers

Understanding
the threat

The story of the United States has been one of constantly seeking to perfect an imperfect democracy, and for most of our history we have moved towards delivering democracy’s promise to more and more of our union. However, this progress can, and has, stalled and reversed. Democracy itself is facing challenges not seen in decades. Recent years have been marked by presidential abuses of power, efforts by political leaders to stoke hatred, racism, and misogyny, and failures of our system of checks and balances that have sounded a powerful alarm.

Democracy Watchers | George Conway

“Actually, Protect Democracy is pro-rule-of-law. If in your mind that’s anti-Trump, that says a lot. ”

Democracy Watchers | Jennifer Rubin

“These folks are worth their weight in gold. ”

Democracy Watchers | E.J. Dionne

“Democracies sometimes collapse suddenly. More typically, they waste away. One major cause of institutional decline involves politicians putting their own immediate interests ahead of their obligations to democratic norms. We wake up one day and discover that a long series of individual choices has rotted out the constraints on authoritarian rule. ”

Democracy Watchers | James Clapper, Former Director of National Intelligence

“If there has ever been a clarion call for vigilance and action against a threat to the very foundation of our democratic political system, this episode is it. ”

Democracy Watchers | Yascha Mounk, Lecturer at Harvard, Senior Fellow at New America

“If a president can command the military and the civil service to break the law, there’s nothing to stop him from arresting his critics or falsifying an election. Even a president who has been democratically elected would then be in danger of overriding the will of the people once he falls out of favor. ”

Democracy Watchers | Daniel Ziblatt, Professor of Government at Harvard University

“Elected authoritarians, as their popularity dwindles and their political allies leave them, often look weak and cornered. Some mistake this as a sign that extra vigilance is no longer warranted. But sometimes, this is precisely when elected authoritarians are most dangerous. ”

Democracy Watchers | Wall Street Journal Editorial

“We will put the problem more bluntly. Mr. Trump's suggestion that his Attorney General prosecute his defeated opponent is the kind of crude political retribution one expects in Erdogan's Turkey or Duterte's Philippines. ”

Democracy Watchers | Aziz Huq, Frank and Bernice J. Greenberg Professor of Law, The University of Chicago Law School

“Something to watch out for going forward would be overt and high-profile efforts to politicize prosecutions and investigations. Official attacks on specific media, such as the slander directed at the New York Times’s Bret Stephens, are also a concerning trend. I would pay attention to public opinion on democracy and toleration of political difference, which has been slipping on both sides of the aisle. ”

Help Protect Democracy

History has shown that the best way to protect democracy is by standing united in its defense. Donate to help us to scale up our efforts to educate, advocate, organize, and litigate on behalf of the values we all hold dear.

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Be an informed American.

An engaged and informed public is at the heart of American democracy. Sign up to receive updates that will keep us all informed about the threats we face and how we can fight to protect our democracy together.