I Bought a Pricey Plane Ticket in Hopes of Voting for a United Taiwan

But Now There’s No Viable Party I Can Support

I’m 72 years old, but recently I made a rookie mistake. I believed that Taiwanese politicians, when they signed an agreement, would honor that agreement and seek unity.

Forgive me for the long story that follows, but this is a small country that produces a lot of long stories.

The story starts with me wanting to vote. While Taiwan’s people live all over the world, you can only vote in person, on the exact day of the election.

I’m Taiwanese and live in Taipei, but travel the world as a democracy activist. I …

by Sam Chang | January 10, 2024

A tight crowd of men and women, some sitting down, some standing. Political banners and pictures are seen above the people.

In Dhaka, the Roadblocks to Democracy Are Roadblocks

As the Election Looms in Bangladesh, Blockades Are More Than a Metaphor for the Obstacles Facing Voters

by SAYKOT KABIR SHAYOK | January 4, 2024

It’s election season in Bangladesh—the roads are closed, vehicles are burning, and the threat of violence is close.

As I write these sentences, the country’s chief opposition party—the Bangladesh Nationalist Party …

How Poland’s Opposition Won an Unfair Election

The Civic Coalition Is Proof That a Highly Motivated and Well-Organized Campaign Can Win—Even Against a Ruling Party That Cheats

by Alexander Sikorski | January 3, 2024

On a blustery day in early October 2023, half a dozen volunteers stood outside a street market in Łódź, Poland’s fourth largest city, handing out flyers, stickers, and cherry cakes. …

2024 Will Be the Biggest Election Year in World History

And That’s Not Good News for Democracy

by Joe Mathews | January 2, 2024

2024 will be the biggest election year in history. Some 4.2 billion people, or more than half of humanity, live in the 76 countries that are scheduled to …

The Case for Taking Trump Off the Ballot

Call it the ‘Democratic Self-Defense Exception’—Blocking Candidates Who Undermine the Constitution Is Our Responsibility

by Joe Mathews | December 19, 2023

I was in favor of keeping Donald Trump’s name on the presidential ballot in California.

Until I went to Berlin this fall.

At a Saturday conference on German election law—if you haven’t …

On a Rocky Hill in Athens, a ‘Democratic Odyssey’ Begins

Could a European People’s Assembly—Politician-Free and Chosen by Lottery—Become a Permanent Branch of Government?

by Joe Mathews | October 31, 2023

Democracy was first built on a lot of loose rock.

Can democracy now be rebuilt on that very same ground?

Recently, I spent a long afternoon on a dusty and rocky Athens …

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