They Don’t Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy

In this urgent and hard-hitting analysis, Harvard law professor Lessig (Fidelity & Constraint) dissects the causes, consequences, and possible remedies for the crisis of “unrepresentativeness” facing American democracy. The sources of government dysfunction, Lessig writes, include voter suppression laws; gerrymandering; the “fraught” design of the Senate, which gives outsize power to less populous states; the Electoral College; and “money in politics.” The problems aren’t just with “them” (politicians, power brokers), however; they’re with “us” (American voters), too: technology- and market-driven changes in the media landscape, especially the advent of cable TV and the rise of the internet, have left the voting public “divided and ignorant” on policy and therefore “incapable as citizens,” according to Lessig. In the book’s second half, he proposes a series of fixes. Some, such as ranked-choice voting, seem sensible; others, including “democracy coupons,” in which every citizen would be given a stipend to contribute to political candidates as they see fit, appear complicated and expensive to institute, especially in the current political climate. But Lessig’s call for a “slow democracy movement” to create better informed voters resonates, and he lists many examples of citizen movements that have achieved their goals. This bracing report on the state of American politics offers valuable insights for the 2020 elections. (Nov.)