Strengthening American Democracy Through Public Administration

• Author: Charles True Goodsell
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/02750740221098348
• Published date: 01 August 2022
• Date: 01 August 2022
• Subject Matter: Articles

Strengthening American Democracy

Through Public Administration

Charles True Goodsell

1

Abstract

America’s precious democratic form of government is under severe threat. An attempt to sabotage the fair election of a new

president has been committed and could easily be reattempted. Meanwhile , a war is being fought that clarifies a global struggle

between autocracy and democracy. Despite our field’s reputation for political neutrality, its institutions can be used to

strengthen our democracy against its opponents.

Keywords

administration, democracy, administrative agencies, election security

Introduction: The Setting

Survival of our democratic form of government is now before

us. A reckless and uninformed demagogue was able to attain

the presidency for one term in the midst of unusually chaotic

social conditions. During and following his years in office,

Donald J. Trump has succeeded in transforming most of

the Republican Party into a personal cult. The result is a poi-

sonous anti-democratic force planted at the heart of the polit-

ical system. It rejects traditional norms, tramples on vital

institutions, and ignores core principles.

At the same time, the environment surrounding our

elections has grown ominous. A deadly pandemic, with

it erratic comings and goings and corresponding ups and

downs and restrictions on freedoms, poses particularly

harsh pressures on any democracy. Another current hard

blow on self-government is the constant lies and myths

injected into the body politic by the social media; how

can a democracy function without knowing the truth?

Added to this situation is yet another source of havoc,

sharp increases in violent crime; not a day goes by

without active shooters gunning down shoppers, minori-

ties, cops, rock fans, or school kids. Countless gun safety

bills are introduced, but the National Rifle Association

never lets them pass.

Fear and polarization ripping the social fabric at home was

accompanied in 2022 by Vladimir Putin’s premeditated inva-

sion of democratic Ukraine. Even though a steady diet of tele-

vised bloodshed has brought most Americans together in

support of President Zelensky, the Trump cult insists his gov-

ernment is filled with Nazi thugs, making dictator Putin their

champion. The times, in short, are not conducive for our

democracy—it may even be dying.

The Elections Problem

At the core of democracy is an honest majority-win election

as the key arbiter of political power. An extremist minority

rump of voters and representatives must not be allowed to

block this goal. At the national level, replacing the

Electoral College is the most important forward step. This

is not an original idea; since 1800 over 700 proposals have

been made to reform or abolish this institution. The

concept of the direct popular vote with universal suffrage is

already operative in the vast majority of elections across

the federal system, with contests for President and Vice

President being the sole exception. The result of this excep-

tion has been five minority presidents over time, with Bush

II in 2000 and Trump in 2016 the most recent.

What is offered here is an explicit design for how direct

elections could safely work—not only for occupants of the

White House but all candidates, including at the state and

local level and the Congress. This need is immediate, in

that Trump’s lingering appeal could allow his Republican

allies to raise enough money from rallies and dark PAC’s

to win crucial posts such as mayors, governors, and secretar-

ies of state. Using that power to appoint voting registrars and

election administrators could set the stage for manipulating

race outcomes contrary to what a fair election would

1

Center for Public Adm Policy, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg,

USA

Corresponding Author:

Charles True Goodsell, Center for Public Adm Policy, Virginia Polytechnic

Institute, 509 College View Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA.

Email: goodsell@vt.edu

Article

American Review of Public Administration

2022, Vol. 52(6) 403–408

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/02750740221098348

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