The efforts and lie’s by former President Trump and his supporters have set a dangerous trend in motion throughout the nation of a refusal by many to accept the results of our elections which have been declared “the most secure in American history”. Locally, this can most notably be seen with former La Plata County GOP chairwoman Sheli Shaw refusing to certify the results of the 2023 election. 

Based on research and polling, our democracy is in grave danger. A Pew Research Center poll found that a “...significant majority (63%) express little to no confidence in the future of the U.S. political system”. Research has indicated however that Americans dissatisfaction with democracy is wide ranging and is the result of perceived election fraud, inequality in our government or gerrymandering and other forms of “cheating”. 

One particular cause for the lack of confidence in American democracy is the constant gridlock that is seen in Washington DC. It often takes an eternity for laws to be passed and things to get done and the political theater is unending. Research indicates that Americans are sick of the inaction on a variety of different issues with a recent poll form the Economist/YouGov organization finding that “...nearly one-third of those 18 to 29 agree that democracy is no longer a viable system and that America should explore alternative forms of government to ensure stability and progress.”

The We The People Initiative will seek to research, educate and inform elements of American politics and society that can be shaped and changed to better benefit our democracy. 

We will seek to promote this research to reach a wider audience in an effort to highlight the flaws in our institutions, and how we can strengthen our democracy to prevent a repeat of the January 6th domestic terrorist attack and the efforts by former President Trump to circumvent the will of the voters. 

As President Joe Biden so wisely said, “...you can't love your country only when you win."