Mandate For Democracy Reform
In response to Lee’s earlier question about whether the Democrats might be able to persuasively claim an election mandate for reforms to the system if they win big tonight, the answer is, well, it’s complicated. Let’s start with the obvious — it’s hard to expect a party coming off of a big victory to invest its energy in, or rally its supporters around, changes to the rules they just won under.
On the other hand, the reforms in H.R. 1 (that Democratic-sponsored House bill to expand voting rights) are likely to be quite popular — even beyond Democrats. Americans want to see campaign spending reined in, and their growing sense of dissatisfaction with the political system might make the public more amenable to structural improvements in our democracy.
That said, it’s worth noting that when we have seen major expansions of enfranchisement and democracy, as with the 19th amendment or the Voting Rights Act, these changes came about because of decades of work by activists, with elected officials coming in toward the end of the process. I say that because Democratic officeholders might want to be careful in claiming a mandate for such changes and taking credit for them.