In past US general elections, about 60% of the eligible population voted, and while this may be the year that changes, it’s been shown that democracy is suffering globally – with total declines not just in participatory voting, but in political rights and civil liberties. This leaves us wondering, do we truly yearn for democracy? Are elections our only avenue for democratic participation?

This week we are joined by the indomitable Astra Taylor who reminds us that “elections matter, but they are not synonymous with democracy”. As we find ourselves in the thick of an overloaded election year; we’ve all been thinking about what voting does and doesn’t accomplish, or whether or not it inadvertently upholds the system driving our demise? Is voting simply harm reduction at best? How can we engage in democratic processes beyond the ballot box?

Astra Taylor is a filmmaker, writer, and political organizer. She is the director of three acclaimed philosophical documentaries: What Is Democracy?, Examined Life, and Zizek!, all of which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Taylor is the author of the American Book Award winner The People’s Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age, she has written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, The London Review of Books, The Guardian, and many other outlets. Her latest book – Democracy May Not Exist, but We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone – is just out in paperback and audiobook. Named a “New Civil Rights Leader” by the LA Times, she co-founded the Debt Collective, a groundbreaking membership organization that has won over a billion dollars of debt relief for poor and working people. 

In conversation with Astra, we explore the messy and difficult endeavor that is democracy, why voter suppression has become so rampant, the anti-democratic nature of debt, and how we can create more democratic spaces in our everyday lives. We invite you to join us this week as we explore this highly contested topic at the ballot box and beyond. 

♫ Music by Tan Cologne and Leyla McCalla

Episode References & Recommendations

Democracy May Not Exist, But We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone by Astra Taylor

The Insecurity Machine by Astra Taylor

Time’s Up for Capitalism. But What Comes Next? by Astra Taylor

The Debt Collective

‘I Refuse Not to Be Heard’: Georgia in Uproar Over Voting Meltdown

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