Editor’s note: Final installment in a series on proposed reforms to build a better democracy in Chattanooga, in Tennessee and beyond.
In the wake of Tennessee’s mid-decade redistricting — a racist gerrymander depriving Memphis, a majority Black city, of any meaningful federal representation — there is no denying, especially if other Republican-controlled states follow suit, that what is left of our democracy is at a crisis point.
After President Donald Trump is gone from power and leaves us to piece together the civic fabric that he and his MAGA movement have torn apart, what happens in the following years will be crucial in determining if American democracy survives or if some form of authoritarianism takes its place.
If we are to continue this venture of self-governance, a transformation of our political system cannot be a mere proposition up for debate, but a mandate for any future Congress with Democratic majorities.
In this series, we’ve outlined some reforms that can build a democracy more representative of the public and more responsive to its needs.