This is Part 1 of a six-part series leading to Thrive: United for Democracy and Global Action, a virtual conference sponsored by the Charter for Compassion and Actionable Innovations Global on March 4–5,
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
Why We Are Writing This Series
At the Charter for Compassion, we are launching this six-part series because democracy—something many of us grew up assuming would always be there—is under strain across the globe.
Today, more than 70% of the world’s population lives under authoritarian or semi-authoritarian rule. Even in long-established democracies, trust is fraying, civic participation is declining, and fear and polarization are replacing dialogue. Too many people feel powerless, overwhelmed, or disconnected from public life,
When we talk about democracy eroding, we’re not talking about a hypothetical. We’re talking about lived experiences and measurable shifts in civic life around the world.
When people stop voting because they feel it doesn’t matter
For decades, voter turnout has been one of the most revealing indicators of democratic health. In the 2024 elections in the United States, approximately 49% of eligible voters participated in the presidential election — the lowest turnout in a modern-era U.S. presidential race. Globally, turnout varies widely: the Netherlands often sees participation above 80%, while Bolivia and Honduras sometimes struggle to reach even 60% because of political disillusionment and mistrust.
These numbers matter because low turnout doesn’t just reflect apathy — it reshapes power. When large portions of the population disengage, policy priorities shift toward the interests of the few rather than the many. In several U.S. localities, officials have reported that races are decided by fewer than 10% of eligible voters, meaning a tiny slice of a community determines outcomes that affect everyone.
This isn’t “neutral”: it distorts representation.
When lies travel faster than truth
We’ve all heard of “fake news,” but the consequences are now tangible. Consider a false internet rumor from recent years that surged across social platforms claiming immigrants in a U.S. city were eating pets to scare locals — a story that had no basis in fact yet was shared millions of times and cited by local officials before being debunked.
Similarly, the much-debunked “Pizzagate” conspiracy from the 2016 U.S. election cycle alleged a child trafficking ring operating out of a pizza restaurant in Washington, D.C. Despite having no evidence, that lie was spread widely enough to lead one man to enter the restaurant with a loaded weapon, putting lives at risk.
These examples illustrate a new reality: falsehoods travel faster than facts, especially in emotionally charged political environments, and they poison our collective ability to make decisions based on shared understanding.
When fear replaces responsibility — a case from Minnesota
In early 2026, Minnesota became a flashpoint for how fear and power can clash in a democracy. After a highly controversial law enforcement operation involving hundreds of federal immigration agents, 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis during a protest — an event that ignited national outrage and protests in multiple states.
Following that incident, the state of Minnesota launched a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, arguing that the operation of ICE agents was unconstitutional and dangerously escalated tensions in communities.
Thousands marched in protest, expressing deep distrust of federal enforcement measures that many felt targeted immigrant communities unfairly and undermined civil liberties.
What this episode illustrates is a dangerous substitution: instead of approaching public safety through shared responsibility and law governed by due process, parts of the political environment leaned into fear, force, and confrontation. When fear becomes the dominant civic emotion, democratic norms can erode swiftly.
Why This Matters to Us — On the Ground and Around the World
Let’s take the bullets you saw earlier and give each a real-world soul:
• Concentration of Power
In nations where power becomes concentrated in a small executive or ruling party, democratic checks weaken. For example, in Hungary and Poland over the past decade, constitutional reforms have shifted judicial oversight and media freedom into the orbit of the governing party — raising concerns across Europe about democratic backsliding.
• Erosion of Trust
In Brazil, recent elections were followed by widespread claims of fraud from political figures despite a lack of evidence. Massive protests, counter-protests, and divisions over basic facts have weakened trust in institutions meant to safeguard elections.
• Exclusion of Voices
Across many African democracies, youth engagement on platforms like TikTok and WhatsApp is sky high — yet young people often report feeling politically invisible, with policies set by older generations that don’t reflect their lived realities. This disconnect erodes the sense that democracy is for everyone.
• Civic Fatigue
In countries as varied as Lebanon and India, prolonged political crisis leads to apathy and fatigue. Citizens feel caught in endless waves of protests, counter-protests, and political stalls — leading many to withdraw rather than engage.
In each case, the same theme emerges: democracy remains fragile when people feel alienated from it, or when the mechanisms of democracy are used more to amplify fear than to solve shared challenges.
A Reflective Question
Where in your own community, workplace, or family have you witnessed fear or mistrust crowd out shared responsibility or dialogue?
What could change if you approached that moment with curiosity instead of certainty?
One Small Action for the Week
Choose one:
Attend a local city council meeting or school board forum — even online — and listen to voices you don’t usually hear.
Identify two facts from a recent political claim that you suspect might be misleading, and trace their sources to verify them.
Meet a neighbor with a different background or political view and ask them what they hope democracy will mean for their future.
Small actions practiced consistently are the building blocks of healthy democracy.
What’s Next
Part 2: The Moral Roots of Democracy
Next week in the series we’ll explore why democracy is not just a system of rules, but a moral practice rooted in human dignity, empathy, and shared responsibility.
Stay with us on this journey. Democracy isn’t just a concept — it’s a practice that needs you.
Join us at the Thrive Conference: https://events.ringcentral.com/events/thrive-2026-united-for-democracy-and-global-action/registration
Submit a proposal here: https://form.jotform.com/GrayLucy/thrive-conference-proposals