What Happens When Reform Fails

How Democracies Fall Apart Slowly—Then All at Once

Most people think democracy collapses with a bang. They picture tanks rolling down streets or political opponents thrown in jail. In real life, that is rarely how it happens.

In modern democracies, collapse often comes quietly. It shows up in courts that stop challenging bad laws. It looks like government agencies working for big businesses instead of citizens. It shows up when elections keep happening but no longer affect who holds power.

This kind of collapse is legal. It comes in small steps. If leaders and citizens stop fixing problems, democracy slowly breaks down. It does not fall to pieces overnight. It erodes like a bridge that nobody repairs.

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I. The Myth That It Cannot Happen Here

Many Americans think our democracy is permanent. They believe the Constitution locked everything in forever. That is not how it works.

Democracy is like a car. You have to fix it and check the brakes, or it stops working. If you ignore it, it crashes.

History gives us clear warnings.

• Germany before World War II: Germany was a democracy before Adolf Hitler took power. He became Chancellor through legal steps, not violence. Once in charge, he changed the laws to give himself control.

• Hungary since 2010: Hungary’s leader, Viktor Orbán, used legal reforms to control courts, elections, and the media. Hungary still holds elections, but opposition parties have little real power.

In both cases, people believed their system would protect them. They were wrong.

The most dangerous idea in a democracy is the belief that it cannot fail.

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II. What Collapse Actually Looks Like

When democracies break down, it rarely looks like a Hollywood movie. It comes through slow rule changes and weakening of important protections.

In the book How Democracies Die, political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt name four early warning signs:

• Refusing to follow the rules of democracy, like rejecting election results.

• Claiming opponents are not legitimate.

• Tolerating or encouraging political violence.

• Restricting the rights of critics, the press, or other watchdogs.

In practice, this can mean leaders who question vote counts, attack the press, or treat dissent as betrayal. It often happens through small changes to laws or court rulings.

This is how collapse works. Leaders bend the rules until the rules no longer matter.

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III. How It Is Already Happening in the United States

You do not have to look far to see these warning signs. They are here now.

• Voting Is Getting Harder:
  After the 2020 election, 147 members of Congress voted to overturn official results. Since then, 19 states passed 34 new laws that make voting more difficult. These include stricter ID rules, limits on mail-in ballots, and giving one political party more control over election oversight. This can make it harder for students or working people to vote, especially if they live away from home.

• Courts Are Less Able to Protect Democracy:
  In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder. The same day, some states began restricting voting rights. In 2023, the Court in Moore v. Harper rejected a legal theory that would have given state legislatures unchecked power over elections. That case should never have made it that far.

• Emergency Powers Are Not Going Away:
  After the 9/11 attacks, laws like the PATRIOT Act expanded government surveillance. These powers were supposed to be temporary, but most remain in place. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Title 42 allowed border agents to expel migrants without hearings. Even after the health emergency ended, many of these powers remained.

• Police Powers Are Growing:
  After the 2020 protests, cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta increased police budgets by over 500 million dollars combined. Despite public calls for reform, many police departments expanded their use of military-style gear. More than 40 percent of large cities used tear gas on protesters in 2020.

These are not future risks. They are things happening right now.

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IV. What Happens When Reform Stops

Democracy does not require perfection. It does require leaders to listen and respond when people demand change.

When governments stop listening, public trust starts to die. Over time, people give up trying. That is when bad actors move in.

Here are three examples of reforms that stalled or failed in recent years:

• Campaign Finance Reform: The last major law was passed in 2002. In 2010, Citizens United v. FEC gutted it by allowing unlimited corporate spending in elections.

• Redistricting Reform: In 2021, federal efforts to end gerrymandering failed, even though around 70 percent of Americans support it.

• Judicial Term Limits: Despite strong public support, Congress cannot agree on setting term limits for federal judges.

When reform fails, democracy becomes a performance. People vote, but nothing changes.

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V. Collapse Thrives on Apathy

Most authoritarian governments do not win by force. They win when enough people stop caring.

Collapse feeds on three things:

• Cynicism: Thinking “all politicians are corrupt” so there is no point in trying.

• Disengagement: Believing “nothing ever changes” so you may as well tune out.

• Distraction: Focusing on political gossip instead of real issues.

These attitudes make sense when reforms fail over and over. People feel like they are protecting themselves by stepping back.

But when you stop paying attention, you make it easier for bad leaders to act without being challenged.

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VI. Why This Matters to You

This is not just about history books or politics class. Democracy affects your life.

It decides if you can vote easily. It shapes the rules around student loans and college funding. It influences healthcare, climate policies, and civil rights.

Social media plays a role too. You may see viral posts claiming elections are rigged or politicians are all corrupt. These stories make people give up on voting or activism, which only helps those in power stay there.

But democracy still works when people engage. Young people have already driven real change. Examples include the March for Our Lives movement, youth-led climate protests, and voter drives on college campuses.

You do not have to save the world alone. You just have to show up.

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VII. Where Reform Still Works

There are real success stories.

• Maine adopted ranked-choice voting. This reduced “spoiler” candidates and helped elect leaders with broad support. Voter turnout rose by six percent.

• Michigan ended gerrymandering. In 2018, voters passed a measure giving redistricting power to an independent citizens’ group.

• New York City created participatory budgeting. Local residents now help decide how millions of dollars in city funds are spent.

These reforms prove change is possible when people demand it.

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VIII. Fix the Brakes Before We Crash

It feels easy to believe things will fix themselves. They will not.

Democracy does not protect itself. People protect it.

If we wait too long, the system will break down past the point of repair. The choice is not between starting a revolution or doing nothing. The real choice is between caring enough to engage or letting the system rot.

You do not need to be an expert. You do not need to run for office. You just need to show up, pay attention, and speak out when it matters.

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Sources:

• Levitsky, Steven, and Ziblatt, Daniel. How Democracies Die. 2018.

• Shelby County v. Holder, 570 U.S. 529 (2013).

• Moore v. Harper, 600 U.S. ___ (2023).

• Brennan Center for Justice. "Voting Laws Roundup 2021."

• The Marshall Project. "How Police Departments Got Billions After George Floyd’s Death."

• Maine Department of the Secretary of State. "Ranked-Choice Voting in Maine."

• Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. Official Website.

• NYC Civic Engagement Commission. "Participatory Budgeting."

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