| | | Just Vote Harder Won't Work This Time
Christopher Armitage
Sep 15, 2025
There's a particular kind of tragedy in watching intelligent people apply yesterday's solutions to today's crises. Across America, millions of well-meaning citizens are responding to the capture of our democratic institutions by participating harder in those same institutions. They register voters. They donate to campaigns. They share infographics about the importance of midterms. They do everything right according to the civics textbook, not recognizing that the textbook describes a system that no longer exists.
The federal democracy you learned about in school, where votes translate to representation, where representation shapes policy, where policy reflects majority will, has been replaced by something else entirely. Not through coup or revolution, but through methodical institutional capture.
The Supreme Court didn't suddenly become ideological; it was purposefully stacked through stolen seats and manufactured vacancies. Congress didn't accidentally become unrepresentative; it was gerrymandered into minority rule with surgical precision. The feedback loops that democracy requires haven't broken down; they've been deliberately severed.
The facts tell their story. In Wisconsin, Democrats win 54% of the statewide vote and get 36% of the legislative seats. In the Senate, states representing 41 million fewer Americans control half the chamber. Since 2000, Republicans have won the popular vote once but appointed five Supreme Court justices. These aren't anomalies or rough patches. They're features of a system working exactly as it's been redesigned to work.
Let me be clear about who I'm addressing. The "vote harder" advocates aren't naive. They're often brilliant, dedicated people who've studied history and know that voting... |
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