How Domestic Migration Keeps Changing American Politics
Population migration out of the South proved to be a major force for national political realignment in the 20th century. But as the recent Democratic breakthrough in Georgia seems to indicate, it is...
View ArticleThe Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of California’s Direct Democracy
While majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents in California agree that the state’s system of direct democracy is a good thing, they also agree that it needs some fixing, especially to...
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Not Your Average L.A. Mayor Voter Guide
As the primary election for Los Angeles’ next mayor nears and narrows, Zócalo, together with Creating Our Next L.A., convened a panel to answer the question on every Angeleno’s mind: “What Do We Want...
View ArticleA Tale of Two Venezuelan Diasporas
American media covers only two types of the 7 million-plus immigrants who have left Venezuela in the past decade. The first consists of the refugees and asylum seekers who walked across the border...
View ArticleJimmy Carter’s Pragmatic Path to Power
Former president Jimmy Carter, who will be 99 this Sunday, October 1, was only 46 when he first popped up on the national political radar. After declaring in his 1971 inaugural address as governor of...
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Why A Vote on Establishing an Independent Sikh State in Punjab Is Coming to...
On January 28, Californians will finally get to cast ballots in a historic vote on whether to create a new independent country. Why is this the first you’re hearing of this election? Because the only...
View ArticleIn Dhaka, the Roadblocks to Democracy Are Roadblocks
It’s election season in Bangladesh—the roads are closed, vehicles are burning, and the threat of violence is close. As I write these sentences, the country’s chief opposition party—the Bangladesh...
View ArticleStop Trying to ‘Save’ Democracy
Please don’t save democracy. If you’re a politician—stop promising to save it. Please! Stop even trying. Because you can’t. Democracy isn’t something you save. The sooner we stop talking about saving...
View ArticleCould This New Democratic Tool Make Californians Vote Smarter?
Californians vote on many ballot measures, but we almost never participate in significant public debates and discussions about the measures’ contents and impacts. This isn’t simply a result of apathy...
View ArticleWill Young Americans Finally Rock the Vote?
Twenty years ago, I published Taking Back the Vote: Getting American Youth Involved in Our Democracy. The book grew out of a personal passion: Once my oldest child was able to cast a ballot, I became...
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