Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Students enrolled in our course are encouraged to write for the course blog, and to read and comment on posts from students at other participating universities. The blog offers students the opportunity to analyze current events through the lens of the theory and case studies they engage with through the course.

These are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Trump’s Press Ban and The Courts Response

Access to unbarred media is fundamental to maintaining the integrity of a democratic country. Without independent media, the stream of information to voters is disrupted making people's understanding of their political environment inaccurate. If the media...

Trump’s Use of the SAVE Database May Threaten Democratic Participation

On Friday, September 25th, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to make use of the Department of Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to screen state voter lists for possible noncitizens temporarily. The...

The Press and the Limits of Presidential Power

On September 25, 2026, The Atlantic published Quinta Jurecic’s article, “The Two-Year Temper Tantrum to Come,” about President Donald Trump’s recent fight with the White House press. Just one day earlier, a federal judge had ordered the White House to restore access...

Fighting for Redistricting Reform in 2024

Oct 10, 2024 | Ohio State University

In the heart of a pivotal election season, I had the opportunity to attend a redistricting reform meeting hosted by Common Cause Ohio. With the stakes at an all-time...

Populism and Gender: What’s the correlation?

Oct 10, 2024 | Brown University

It is no secret that populists — charismatic, strong-willed, and skilled at agitating a base — are increasingly consolidating political power. Today’s headlines are riddled...

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Reshuffle Is Step Away From Democracy

Mar 27, 2020 | American University

The recent resignation of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and the ensuring political turmoil in Malaysia is a step backwards for the country’s democracy. Indeed, initial indicators are...

Within the past decade states across the US have increasingly pushed for voter ID laws in an attempt to minimize voter fraud. This seems optimal, however voter fraud has not been proven to be a...

Sanders and Trump, The peoples’ party?

Mar 23, 2020 | Georgia State University

https://medium.com/@marcushjohnson/bernie-sanders-and-donald-trump-are-two-sides-of-the-same-coin-a862b80762e7 Both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders run on populist’s platforms that claim to be in...

Is There Still Value to Model United Nations?

Mar 21, 2020 | Suffolk University

Why do young people have the lowest voter turnout rates for all ages? Are school systems at fault? Should parents be doing more to educate their children? Nobody is necessarily at fault, but...

Gerrymandering Takes Part in Eroding Our Country’s Democracy

Mar 21, 2020 | Georgia State University

"Of all times to abandon the Court's duty to declare the law, this was not the one. The practices challenged in these cases imperil our system of government. Part of the Court's role in that system...