Opinion: America’s pro-democracy movement

It’s growing. It’s winning. And the country very badly needs it. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Monday, November 12, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [David Leonhardt] David Leonhardt Op-Ed Columnist First, the latest California wildfires are horrifying to watch. The death toll is rising, and thousands of buildings have been destroyed, along with large swaths of natural habitat. The fires are the result of two dangerous trends, [explains Grist’s Eric Holthaus]( more people moving to fire-prone areas and hotter, drier weather — in part thanks to climate change — that helps fires grow. Another midterm winner. You know what did very well on election night last week? Democracy. A handful of states approved pro-democracy measures, often by wide margins. These measures are expected to make voter registration easier, reduce gerrymandering and give back the franchise to people with past felony convictions. These ideas are popular with liberals, centrists and a good number of conservatives too. And progressive activists have come to understand that this issue needs to be one of their top priorities. If the quality of our democracy doesn’t improve, many other policy priorities could be impossible to achieve. I think the United States finally has the pro-democracy movement that it needs — a movement not only to fight back against efforts by Republican leaders to make voting harder but also to go on the offensive. [My column today]( is about that pro-democracy movement and what should come next for it. A couple of my own priorities are universal voting by mail and a voting age younger than 18. What democratic changes do you think are most important? Drop me an email with your thoughts, at leonhardt@nytimes.com. On the same topic: Although the election is still too close to be called, Utah may join the list of states that have restricted gerrymandering through last week’s ballot initiative. The initiative holds a narrow lead in the latest vote count, [writes Ben Lockhart of The Deseret News](. Two other important outcomes would be losses of anti-voter officials in Arizona and North Carolina. And both may happen, Daniel Nichanian notes ([here]( and [here](. Nichanian, a political scientist, wrote [a voting-rights manifesto]( for Vox in 2016 that remains relevant. If you want to go deeper into this topic, check out “[An Uncivil War]( a new book by Greg Sargent of The Washington Post, whom I frequently quote in this newsletter. Sargent argues that the Trump presidency has created a terrible threat to American democracy — but has also roused people to fight back against that threat. Count the ballots. The most immediate threats to democracy are in Florida and Georgia, where it remains unclear whether the states are counting all of the ballots cast in this year’s elections. Yesterday, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a lawsuit in Gwinnett County, Georgia, because of uncounted absentee ballots. “Many of these ballots are from Black, Latino and other voters of color,” [writes Kristen Clarke]( president of the committee. The full Opinion report from The Times follows. [America Needs a Bigger House]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD To better represent the country, Congress must add many more seats. From Our Columnists [Let the People Vote]( By DAVID LEONHARDT America finally has a pro-democracy movement — and it did very well at the polls last week. [You Have a Right to Weariness]( By CHARLES M. BLOW The struggle for goodness and decency is an eternal struggle, not a seasonal one. [Democrats Can’t Play It Safe. They Need Inspiring Candidates.]( By STEVE PHILLIPS Learning the right lessons from the 2018 midterms is key for the party as it looks ahead to the 2020 elections. [Saudi Arabia Is Misusing Mecca]( Christina Hägerfors By KHALED M. ABOU EL FADL In the aftermath of the Jamal Khashoggi murder, the kingdom has exploited the podium of the Grand Mosque in Mecca by using its imams to praise, sanctify and defend the rulers and their actions. Contributing Op-Ed Writer [How to Rake Leaves on a Windy Day]( By MARGARET RENKL After the elections, a red-state liberal ponders futility — and against all odds, arrives at hope. Veterans Day, 2018 [Remembering the Forgotten War]( By HAMPTON SIDES Technically, Korea wasn’t even a war. But that doesn’t mean we can ignore the veterans who fought in it. Sunday Review [By Protecting Veterans’ Health, You May Protect Your Own]( By SUZANNE GORDON V.H.A. doctors care for some of America’s most vulnerable. They are not “bad apples” who “rob us or cheat us.” Listen to [“The Argument” podcast]( every Thursday morning, with Ross Douthat, Michelle Goldberg and David Leonhardt. ADVERTISEMENT LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here. Sunday Review Op-Ed Columnist [Who’s the Real American Psycho?]( By MAUREEN DOWD Trump’s bad, but don’t beatify the other malefactors. Op-Ed Columnist [A Defeat for White Identity]( By ROSS DOUTHAT What the midterms tell us about racial backlash and economic populism. Contributing Op-Ed Writer [Be Afraid of Economic ‘Bigness.’ Be Very Afraid.]( By TIM WU In the 1930s it contributed to the rise of fascism. Alarmingly, we are experimenting again with a monopolized economy. [Why Do You Keep Dreaming You Forgot Your Pants? It’s Science]( By ALICE ROBB Where your brain goes when you’re asleep helps you when you’re awake. [Why I Dread Returning to an American Public School]( By FIROOZEH DUMAS In Germany, my daughter’s school offered circus lessons. Now I’ll have to sell wrapping paper to keep the gym lights on. More in Opinion [A Blue Wave in Kansas? Don’t Be So Surprised]( By SARAH SMARSH If the Electoral College is the barometer, this state is deep red. But it’s the only one that has elected three female Democratic governors. SPORTING [I Miss Northwestern Football’s Losing Tradition]( By CARMEL MCCOUBREY My college was usually on the bottom of the Big Ten. When I think of the players’ futures, I wish it still was. We’ve got more newsletters! You might like Frank Bruni’s newsletter.  Go beyond the headlines and behind the curtain with Frank Bruni’s candid reflections on politics, culture, higher education and more every week. [Sign up for Frank Bruni’s email.](  ADVERTISEMENT letters [Advice for the Democrats After the Midterms]( “Change is incremental and takes hard work,” one reader notes. HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [leonhardt@nytimes.com](mailto:leonhardt@nytimes.com?subject=Opinion%20Today%20Newsletter%20Feedback). 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