UC Berkeley’s Institute of Government Studies (IGS) held a presentation and panel last week to discuss recent poll results on issues such as rising polarization, immigration raids across the country, the upcoming referendum on redistricting and recent challenges to voting.
One of the panelists, IGS Co-Director and Political Science Professor Eric Schickler, discussed IGS poll results from June. The poll asked voters how they felt about the current state of democracy in the U.S.
The results showed that “64% of registered voters believe that democracy is under attack, and 26% believe that it is being tested,” said Schickler. “Voters who are worried about the state of American Democracy have more and more episodes to point to.”
The IGS poll from August asked voters their opinions on the redistricting proposition. About 48% of people statewide said they would vote yes, said Schickler, adding that it gives Democrats reason to be cautiously optimistic.
“The main challenge for Democrats and their messaging is to convince their constituents that redistricting is a problem they should care about,” said Schickler. “As Prop. 50 has to do with national institutions and national outcomes, this must be framed as a check on corruption.”
Panelists also discussed recent challenges to voting, including immigration raids and an increase in political violence. Catherine E. Lhamon, the executive director of the Edley Center of Law & Democracy at UC Berkeley, stated that a pro-democracy agenda must revolve around voting access.
“This is a very polarized time. We have low confidence in our democracy. People don’t feel like their vote matters. We need to change that,” said Lhamon. “We need people to be confident in our democracy and their participation in it.”
Angélica Salceda, the director of the ACLU’s Democracy, Speech & Technology Project, suggested that many voters don’t feel comfortable voting in person. She emphasized that not everyone feels free to participate in the democratic process.
“People consider threats to themselves, such as ICE raids, before going out to vote,” said Salceda. “In California, some people might opt to receive ballots in the mail. However, on a national level, this has a major impact on who votes.”
Before concluding the event, the panelists asserted the importance of engaging with their communities through events like the IGS panel.
“I’m hoping for more robust conversations like this,” said Lhamon. “I want people to talk about what they believe in, because that’s what democracy is built on. We need to be in active conversation with each other. It matters.”