U.S. News & World Report: Can Democracy Survive Coronavirus?

04.3.2020 / By Susan Milligan
U.S. News & World Report: Can Democracy Survive Coronavirus?

Some communities, such as those on Native American tribal lands, aren't as well-served by the U.S. postal system, and mail-in ballots should include pre-paid postage so citizens don't have to pay for the right to cast a ballot, says Karen Hobert-Flynn, president of Common Cause. But she's for any idea that "makes sure there's fair and safe voting for all." "Even as we are worried about this public health threat, we need to remember that it can't distract us from the ways we can fight it," Hobert-Flynn says. "That means we have to come together locally, nationally and internationally to stop the spread (of the virus) and part of that is ensuring our democracy continues to function."

STATE PRIMARY ELECTIONS have been delayed, and experts fret about how to hold a credible and accessible general election in November. Congress is out until at least April 20, and many state legislatures have suspended their sessions. Government buildings are closed. The Trump administration wants “emergency” powers to allow suspects to be detained indefinitely, while abroad, world leaders are using the pandemic to seize more power.

The novel coronavirus has already claimed the lives of more than 50,000 people worldwide. Will democracy be the next casualty?

Crises often lead governments to take extraordinary measures, whether it’s increasing security, expanding surveillance and other government powers or limiting rights citizens had come to take for granted. But the global pandemic presents risks to democratic institutions unprecedented in modern times, experts say, whether it’s unsavory leaders using the virus as an excuse to demand more authority or civically inclined officials struggling to figure out how to keep democratic institutions going without endangering public health. …

Abroad, democracy-watchers are looking anxiously at Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban – notably, a dissident when Russian communists controlled his country – has been given new powers by parliament that effectively let him rule by decree. Orban now also has the ability to impose harsh penalties for free speech and those who violate quarantine rules.

In the nominally democratic Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered police to shoot dead anyone “who creates trouble” during the lockdown in Luzon, the nation’s most populous island. Israel recently assumed the right to gather personal information, including cellphone location data, of those diagnosed with the virus or suspected to have it.

In the United States, such drastic measures have not occurred, and legal and political experts don’t expect the government to try. But there are other threats to democratic institutions here that could curtail citizens’ rights or undermine public faith in America’s elections, they warn. …

Some communities, such as those on Native American tribal lands, aren’t as well-served by the U.S. postal system, and mail-in ballots should include pre-paid postage so citizens don’t have to pay for the right to cast a ballot, says Karen Hobert-Flynn, president of Common Cause. But she’s for any idea that “makes sure there’s fair and safe voting for all.”

“Even as we are worried about this public health threat, we need to remember that it can’t distract us from the ways we can fight it,” Hobert-Flynn says. “That means we have to come together locally, nationally and internationally to stop the spread (of the virus) and part of that is ensuring our democracy continues to function.”

 

See More: Voting RightsVoting & ElectionsCOVID-19