Democracy Might Feel Discouraging Right Now, But We Don't Have To Let It Paralyze Us.
Across the country, sparklers danced while families and friends gathered for backyard barbecues to mark our nation’s 250th birthday. For many, this was a simple celebration, but for others like me, this milestone was a moment of reflection. It’s easy to celebrate freedom and democracy when we are looking at fireworks, but it feels much harder in our everyday lives.
Many people feel like their voices don’t matter, and that our political and economic systems are failing them. According to a 2026 Navigator report, 87% of Americans say our democracy is broken. A recent Pew Research survey shows that nearly 60% of adults believe America’s best days are behind us. A troubling 64% of Americans polled by Reuters/Ipsos agree, worrying that our democratic system is in serious danger of failing.
We feel it in our own neighborhoods, too. At one of our Community Power Building Workshops this year, Community Engagement Coordinator Julius Irving asked participants a simple question: How do you truly feel about voting? The room landed in the same place the national polling does, with people feeling discouraged, unconvinced, and tired of waiting for a system to notice them.
That discouragement is a real threat. When people stop believing their voice counts, they stop showing up. And when they disengage, politicians have less incentive to meet the diverse needs of the people they represent, making it much harder to hold them accountable. In the end, the system stays exactly as broken as it was. But while the national numbers paint a grim picture, we believe the real battle for democracy happens right in our neighborhoods.
Building Community Through Civic Engagement
We host Community Power Building Workshops in local neighborhoods, mobilizing people who have historically been left out of the conversation, particularly those impacted by felony disenfranchisement, to become active leaders and engaged voters in their own communities. We meet people where they are, share tools to make democracy work for them, and help them reclaim their political voice.
Here’s why this work matters:
Closing the representation gap. In Florida alone, nearly a million citizens can't vote because of past convictions, and nearly 730,000 of them have already completed their sentences. Despite a 2018 ballot initiative that promised to restore their voting rights, a 2019 legislative maneuver effectively reversed it. On top of that, voter turnout in lower-income households consistently lags behind wealthier ones. This gap leaves marginalized communities without a voice, stripping them of the power to elect officials who champion critical support like housing assistance, job training, and education.
Restoring hope. Disenfranchisement is one of many ways our system pushes people with felony records to the fringes and signals to them that they don't matter. We connect personal experiences of injustice to a larger plan for systemic change, restoring hope that change is possible for those living on the margins.
Building trust. Real change doesn't come from a single election or a well-placed ad. It comes from neighbors talking to neighbors. That's why we do this work face-to-face, led by facilitators with lived experience, meeting people where they are, breaking down silos and building real power in historically excluded communities.
True democracy thrives when all of us can participate fully, but as the data shows, most of us feel like our systems are failing. Your investment today powers the deep, community-led work that turns cynicism back into hope and reminds us what we can achieve together. Please consider donating to keep this work going.
