Q&A: David Oxtoby’s Top 5 Hopes for the Future of American Democracy

David Oxtoby is the president of the American Academy of Arts, an independent research center convening leaders from across disciplines, professions, and perspectives to address significant challenges. Ahead of CHF’s What’s Next: Democracy program, which discusses the AAA&S report Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century, we spoke to Oxtoby about his hopes for the future of American democracy.

Oxtoby: Our democracy is in a state of crisis. People around the country feel as though our political institutions have become increasingly unresponsive to the American people and increasingly ill-suited for life in the 21st century.

But throughout our nation’s history, the American people have confronted moments of crisis with a spirit of resilience and an openness to reinvention. An essential strength of our constitutional system is its capacity to adapt to new challenges while retaining and improving the realization of core commitments to freedom and equality. Below are five hopes I have for the future of American democracy.

EQUALITY OF VOICE AND REPRESENTATION

Oxtoby: I hope that our democracy achieves equality of voice and representation for all Americans. From the over-sized influence of large donors on political campaigns, to legislative districts intentionally designed to favor the party in power, to electoral outcomes that don’t represent the preferences of the majority of voters, Americans are increasingly frustrated by the rules we use to organize our elections and the composition of our political institutions. I hope that we will adopt changes that stop distorting the playing field and reflect the true will of the American people.

EMPOWERED VOTERS

Oxtoby: I hope that our democracy will empower voters. Americans around the country are frustrated with political maneuvering designed to reduce turnout and diminish the power of ordinary people to influence election outcomes. Too many Americans don’t believe that their vote matters and too many face obstacles that prevent them from voting. I hope that in the future, voting will be made easier for all Americans and come to be celebrated as a right and responsibility that is central to life in a constitutional democracy.

RESPONSIVE POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

Oxtoby: I hope that our political institutions will become more responsive. Beyond voting, we must ensure that the other formal mechanisms of interaction between constituents and those who serve them are designed to be responsive to and encourage widespread participation. I hope that in the future, interactions between elected officials and their constituents will occur in creative, accessible ways that facilitate more and meaningful participation by all constituents and not just those with the loudest voices or the most resources.

CIVIC INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE SUPPORTING THE COMMON GOOD

Oxtoby: I hope that we will create civic information architecture that supports the common good. We’ve seen the ways that social media and other digital platforms have negatively impacted our democracy. What if, in the future, we redesign these platforms and their uses to support, rather than erode, our constitutional democracy and our sense of common purpose?

MUTUAL COMMITMENT AND RESPONSIBILITY

Oxtoby: I hope that ideas about what constitutes a healthy democracy are expanded to include our commitment and responsibility to one another and our common purpose. In this era of profound political polarization, we must find ways to bridge divides, and we must invest in our civic culture and our civic leaders. In moments of crisis, we’ve seen what is possible when Americans come together and are inspired to serve the nation and one another, but that potential often fades with time. I hope that in the future, we will realize that democratic citizenship is a collective, ongoing responsibility. We have a responsibility to our constitutional democracy and to one another to create a better future for all.

Oxtoby: These five ideas I’ve listed are my hopes for a more representative and resilient democracy. But they are not just aspirations: we have the power to make these dreams a reality. Visit www.amacad.org/OurCommonPurpose to learn about how we can reinvent our democracy for the 21st century.

David Oxtoby became the president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in January 2019. A chemist by training, he served as President of Pomona College from 2003 to 2017. Dr. Oxtoby was a Visiting Scholar at the Harvard Graduate School of Education prior to becoming President of the American Academy. Previously, he served as Dean of the Division of Physical Sciences and the William Rainey Harper Distinguished Service Professor of Chemistry at the University of Chicago. Dr. Oxtoby has been the recipient of several fellowships, including from the Guggenheim and National Science foundations. Dr. Oxtoby was elected a member of the American Academy in 2012 and his appointment was announced in December 2018.

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