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 attacks, from at home and abroad, on our right to free, fair, and fully informed self-government. Together, armed with our Constitution and the rule of law, we can fight back and protect our democracy from those who would do it harm.
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Taking on the Threat
As Americans, we have strong tools rooted in our Constitution and system of checks and balances to prevent our democracy from declining into a more authoritarian form of government. With experience upholding the guardrails of democracy in the American government, and working with experts who study the rise and fall of democracies around the world, we’ve identified key areas of risk that need our immediate attention.
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We're in this together.
History has shown that the best way to protect democracy is by standing united in its defense. Your contribution will help us to scale up our efforts to educate, advocate, organize, and litigate on behalf of the values we all hold dear.
“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. ”
“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. ”
“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. ”
“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. ”
“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. ”
“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. ”
Latest Updates
Bipartisan coalition letter in support of Security from Political Interference in Justice Act of 2019
Dear Senators and Representatives: The Department of Justice’s stated mission is to “ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.” This essential function, which goes to the heart of public trust in the federal government, can be satisfied only when the Department operates free of political…
Protect Democracy Part of Bipartisan Coalition Supporting Bill to Secure DOJ from Political Interference
Similar legislation passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2007 by a vote of 14-2 Washington, DC — Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, Kamala Harris, and Richard Blumenthal, and Representative Hakeem Jeffries proposed legislation to help restore the longstanding norm of Department of Justice (DOJ) independence. The Security…
Protect Democracy Endorses Bill To Create a Federal Commission on Reparations
In Solidarity with the African American Community on Juneteenth, Protect Democracy Endorses H.R. 40 To Create a Federal Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals Slave traders first brought enslaved Africans to what is now Florida in 1565. In 1619, Virginians imported enslaved Africans to Jamestown. From then…