Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked attack against Ukraine has triggered a forceful and blistering response from the global community that has united our allies against the Russian leader’s brutality. His decision to invade a free and sovereign nation was a reckless miscalculation, but it reveals a larger gambit we must confront in the ongoing fight against tyranny.
Putin is betting that America no longer has the resolve to defend democracy abroad or stem its hemorrhaging at home. At this pivotal moment in history, it is vital that we prove him and other authoritarians wrong.
Putin’s invasion follows an increasingly brazen pattern of behavior designed to undermine Western democracies and expand Russian influence. That includes his own meddling in our 2016 and 2020 elections, where he weaponized disinformation to fan partisan flames. He’s escalated his assault by starting a senseless ground war in Europe.
This threat to our global security did not happen overnight. Democracy itself has been in a recession for 16 consecutive years, according to a recent study by Freedom House. Putin thinks his brand of authoritarianism is winning, but he has underestimated the resolve of Ukraine’s people as well as the United States and our NATO allies. That’s why it’s imperative that we defend democracy with even greater resolve and unity. Our elected leaders — Republicans and Democrats alike — must resist partisan impulses at this dangerous moment.
What’s important for Americans to understand is that the loss of democracy doesn’t require a military attack or invasion. It can happen by the slow and systematic erosion of democratic norms. Often, the erosion of democracy happens from within when political parties radicalize or seize control of institutions like the judiciary or election apparatus. We have seen this occur in recent years in places such as Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has eroded civil liberties, manipulated national elections, and reshaped the government under his rule since returning to power in 2010 after refusing to concede following an unsuccessful reelection bid in 2002. The loss of democracy doesn’t require a military attack or invasion. It can happen by the slow and systematic erosion of democratic norms.
It would be naïve to think we don’t face similar threats to American democracy, when an organized effort has been underway since 2020 to sabotage future American elections.
This plot includes stripping election officials of their power and placing it in the hands of partisan politicians, installing election deniers in key political positions including secretaries of state, exploiting vague and outdated laws such as the Electoral Count Act so the will of the voters can be overturned, and even threatening the lives of poll workers and their families.
Fortunately, there is an emerging bipartisan consensus in Congress that we can do more to protect our elections.
For starters, we should update the Electoral Count Act during this Congress to prevent members of Congress from overturning the results of fair and accurate elections for partisan reasons. Neither a Democratic or Republican vice president should determine the outcome of a presidential election; that’s a decision made only by American voters.
But we shouldn’t stop there. Congress can go further by passing expanded protections for election officials, poll workers, and their families, and we can finally deliver consistent and necessary funding to states and localities to ensure they have the resources they need to carry out safe and credible elections so that private philanthropy doesn’t step in again to fill the gaps, which is what happened in 2020.
Democracy is not guaranteed — it is fragile and ours to lose. Every generation of Americans must tend to it and fight for it when under attack — as well as build a more perfect union with a stronger and more inclusive democracy. Because if history is our guide, once freedom is lost, it is almost impossible to get back.
The Ukrainian people have shown courage and tenacity to the world by standing their ground, fighting for their fellow citizens, and sacrificing their lives for democracy. Their spirit and determination remind us of American soldiers waging a Revolutionary War against a more powerful army, and winning their freedom. We’ve kept our democracy for nearly 250 years. Let us work together again to strengthen it so that we may remain a shining city on a hill.
About the writers: Zach Wamp is a former Republican congressman from Tennessee, and Tim Roemer is a former Democratic congressman from Indiana. They are both members of the National Council on Election Integrity and co-chairs of Issue One’s ReFormers Caucus.
