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Students Strengthening American Democracy
LDAD is working to bring the cause of democracy to campuses across the country through a student-led initiative, Students Strengthening American Democracy.
We are facing one of the most consequential times in American history. At stake? Democracy.
American democracy is in grave danger. For years, actions by the federal government have weakened core constitutional principles, and states have passed laws that have moved them closer to autocratic forms of government than democratic governance.
As imperfect a form of government as democracy may be, it is the cause of our generation to ensure that we not only protect democracy from autocratic rule, but that we seek to strengthen it at every opportunity.
It is no secret that college students are passionate about addressing social issues ranging from gun violence and mass incarceration to climate justice and wealth inequality. And yet, in 2022, the national youth voter turnout was just 23%.
We must do better.
We know that many younger voters are disillusioned with the state of American Democracy. This disillusionment is understandable. Congress has been in gridlock and has failed to produce much-needed change. Moreover, because of systemic barriers to the right to vote, election results represent the desires of only a portion of the population.
These challenges are symptoms of a system where democracy has been under sustained attack and too few of our leaders have stood in its defense. Students across the country can make the reality of democracy match its fundamental ideals of freedom, equity, and justice.
Students Strengthening American Democracy helps college students across the country take action in the following ways:
Sign the Student Pledge
The student pledge demonstrates a commitment to vote, as well as a commitment to volunteer or intern at an organization devoted to the ideals of democracy.
The Pledge is in two parts. First, signers agree that, at some point during their undergraduate experience, they will volunteer or work for an organization protecting and improving democracy.
The second part of the Pledge is a commitment to vote in federal, state, and local elections, the most fundamental value in our democracy and the key to producing meaningful change in government laws and policies.
Volunteer or Intern for a Pro-Democracy Organization
By pledging to engage with a pro-democracy organization, students are committing to take actions that can make a difference, whether it be an internship or just a few hours of volunteering at a poll station during an election.
LDAD will help connect students with opportunities to engage, and will track nonprofit, nonpartisan, and pro-democracy organizations that students can contact for potential internship opportunities. Organizations that would like to be included can contact: students@LDAD.org.
Start a Chapter at Your School
Join our student-led drives to enlist students – with the support of faculty and administrative leaders – to pledge engagement with pro-democracy organizations and to vote. We'll offer you resources, mentorship, and whatever else you may need to make an impact.
Email us at students@ldad.org if you are interested in starting a chapter on your own campus.
Student Resources
The following articles and other resources were selected by student leaders to demonstrate how advancements in civil rights and social justice are dependent on a strong democracy. These articles are offered for additional background reading and represent the perspectives of the cited sources only; they are not provided as official organizational opinions of Lawyers Defending American Democracy or the student initiative of Students Strengthening American Democracy. You may recommend articles on democracy by emailing hello@LDAD.org.
Marching Towards Autocracy – How States are Failing Democracy
Resource • 2023–2024
The State of Black America 2023: Democracy Under Siege
National Urban League • Apr 9, 2024
Biden highlights the connection between rejecting democracy and race
The Washington Post • Jan 9, 2024
Democracy for Black Americans in Under Attack
Associated Press • Apr 16, 2023
Is democracy failing and putting our economic system at risk?
Brookings • Jan 4, 2022
Seven Steps Populists Worldwise are Taking to Undermine Democracy
The GroundTruth Project • Oct 17, 2019
US Should Protect Voters Ahead of 2024 Election
Human Rights Watch • Nov 2, 2023
Understanding Democratic Decline in the U.S
Brookings Institute • Oct 17, 2023
The Roberts Court's Overprotection of Free Speech and the Perfect Storm with Social Media
Gary J. Simson • Dec 15, 2023
Democracy and climate change
Yale Climate Connections • Jul 7, 2022
Election Laws Disproportionately Disadvantaging Racial Minorities, and the Futility of Trying to Solve Today's Problems with Yesterday's Never Very Good Tools
Gary J. Simson • Aug 19, 2021
How Voters and Civil Rights Advocates Can Prepare for the Upcoming Election Season
Legal Defense Fund • 2023
Williams Institute at UCLA: Democratic Backsliding and LGBTI Acceptance
UCLA Williams Institute • Sept 2023
U.N. warns that runaway inequality is destabilizing the world’s democracies
The Washington Post • Feb 11, 2020
Make democracy work better for the climate
Inter-Parliamentary Union • Aug 24, 2023
Abortion Legislation is a Democracy Issue
League of Women Voters • Mar 21, 2023
Democracy and the Challenge of Climate Change
International IDEA • Mar 2021
How Targeting LGBTQ+ Rights Are Part of the Authoritarian Playbook
Human Rights Watch • Sept 6, 2022
Maintaining Democracy is Crucial for American Economy
Forbes • Oct 19, 2022
The American Dream is dying, and it’s taking democracy with it
The Washington Post • Mar 5, 2021
Social Media Platforms Assemble Influence Army in D.C.
Issue One • Jan 30, 2024
How Social Media Helped Organize and Radicalize America's White Supremacists
Pacific Standard • Aug 15, 2017
Discourse: Dissent, Disagreement and Democracy
Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics • Feb 2024
AI and Its Implications for Democracy
Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics • Dec 2023
The End of Democratic Capitalism?
Foreign Affairs • Aug 2023
Battleground 2024: How Swing States Changed Voting Rules After the 2020 Election
Voting Rights Lab • Oct 2023
#StopTheSteal: Timeline of Social Media and Extremist Activities Leading to 1/6 Insurrection
Atlantic Council's DFRLab • Feb 10, 2021
State Legislatures' Lack of Representation Threatens Freedoms
National Partnership For Women and Families • Nov 2023
Democracy, Race and Gun Violence in America
Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics • Apr 26, 2023
Bots Are Destroying Political Discourse As We Know It
The Atlantic • Jan 7, 2020
Why the Climate Crisis Demands Democracy Reform
Brennan Center for Justice • Jul 1, 2021
Voting Laws Roundup (2023 In Review)
Brennan Center • 2023
Remarks at the 2022 Copenhagen Democracy Summit
Barack Obama • June 10, 2023
Democratic Vulnerabilities
American Democracy Collaborative • Jan 2022
A Democracy Crisis in the Making
Protect Democracy • Dec 7, 2023
The Burning of Democracy: A Banned Book Discussion
National Hispanic Media Coalition • Nov 24, 2023
The Ominous Cloud of Gerrymandering Hovering Over the 2024 Election
National Association of Social Workers • 2024
