Use it or lose it: The urgent case for civic engagement

Democracy is demanding. It does not care how busy you are or how undecided you might be. If you want to keep it, you must work for it, just as every generation before ours has done.

Vermonters know this well. As a relative newcomer, I have been impressed by our communities’ spirited engagement in civic issues large and small. What a joy to see my Pomfret neighbors decide for themselves each March how our town is governed, to observe firsthand as votes are meticulously counted, and to watch residents across Vermont often question (and occasionally overrule) the decisions of their elected representatives.

But when an extraordinary thing works well for a while, it becomes easy to forget the thing is extraordinary at all. We face that risk today.

The American Bar Association’s Task Force for American Democracy recently called upon attorneys and others to defend the virtues of democracy and the rule of law in the United States (tinyurl.com/2j4ahs9y). Such an urgent appeal is unusual for this normally staid organization. As an attorney, I have thought about why Task Force members — experts in law, government, and history — took this step, and how I and others can rise to the occasion.

It is clear these are not ordinary times and that ordinary measures will not suffice. We all must redouble our efforts and answer the call as best we can. Democracy (government by all of us) and the rule of law (equal accountability of all of us) are on the decline in the United States and around the world. In the era of skippable ads and emojified shorthand, it may seem quaint to devote the time and effort necessary to reverse this trend. And with the instant feedback and validation of modern media, it can be difficult to know how best to respond or even whether to engage at all. Why risk public criticism or a ballot box defeat when more comforting content is only a few clicks away? Self-determination is not inevitable and the alternatives are inevitably worse. The direct participation of town meeting, the transparency of election administration, and the right to question official actions — indeed, the ability to question officials at all without risking persecution or imprisonment — these are not the norm, certainly not globally and not even in all corners of the United States where barriers to voting can be tall and disfavored voices gerrymandered into silence.

But there is something special about Vermonters — a palpable sense of civic duty and a stubborn refusal to take good things for granted that have sustained democracy and the rule of law here, even as they have eroded elsewhere.

How can we continue this work? Participate. Not just occasionally or when convenient, but consistently and often. Cast a ballot (or raise a hand) on election day, volunteer at the polls, and speak out on matters of public importance. Write a letter to the editor or a listserv post. Email or call elected representatives (most of them love to talk). Support candidates who support and defend democracy. Run for office.

Good faith, honest engagement in democratic institutions is the surest way to prevent them from falling into disrepair or, worse, out of reach. The rights to speak, petition, vote, and be heard are only as effective as our willingness to exercise them ourselves and to respect others when they do the same, especially when doing so is inconvenient or uncomfortable.

We are fortunate beyond measure to have had democracy and the rule of law preserved and entrusted to us by those who came before. Now it is our turn.

Benjamin Brickner is a Pomfret resident, practicing attorney, and chair of the Pomfret Selectboard.

BENJAMIN BRICKNER