On the second anniversary of January 6th, our CEO, Daniella Ballou-Aares, shared her thoughts on the state of our democracy and the year ahead. Read her article below and subscribe to our LinkedIn newsletter here.
“Today, on the second anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, I want to share a few brief reflections on what this moment tells us about the state of American democracy.
In short: As we start 2023, I am hopeful about the direction of America’s politics. The most hopeful I’ve been since 2016. The midterm elections proved that election denial is a losing proposition (as deniers lost high-profile races to pro-democracy candidates), critical referendums strengthened voting protections, election and campaign finance reforms continued to win over voters, and independent voters broke for the middle and political normalcy.
And on December 23rd, Congress took another critical step — passing reforms to the Electoral Count Act. This puts in place key provisions to prevent another insurrection. It clarifies that the vice president’s role in counting electoral votes is purely ceremonial, raises the objection threshold from just one member in each chamber to 20 percent of Congress, and requires that Congress accept the lawful slates of electors for each state. Read more here.
The Leadership Now Project is proud to have joined the year-long effort to enact the legislation. In that time, Leadership Now members made the business case for protecting elections, engaged with numerous senators, made our support known in the press and in many on- and off-the-record convenings, and encouraged other business associations to sign on.
As we look to the year ahead, I am hopeful we can take steps to reinvigorate our system while remaining vigilant in responding to potential threats. January 6th reminds us that the risk of political violence persists. And my own memories of that day, when I lived only six blocks from the Capitol, are still surreal. Keeping my daughters playing in the basement while outside sirens blared. How, in the weeks that followed, a green zone was established that ended at my corner. Military vehicles patrolling the streets. They were the sort of scenes I’d observed working in emerging economies, not ones I had ever imagined seeing in my own country.
Preventing another Jan 6th, and making our system more dynamic for the future, is why the Leadership Now Project exists. We hope you will join us in the year ahead in being hopeful, vigilant, and committed to building a stronger American democracy.”