Now that the midterm elections are over, many pundits are pivoting to the 2020 presidential race, but there is an exciting underlying trend taking place in America that will probably impact our country well beyond the next major election. That trend is the rise of a new generation of “democracy entrepreneurs.”
Democracy entrepreneurs use creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial techniques to make our civic life more participatory, inclusive, equitable, and just. Like private-sector entrepreneurs (who play a vital role in renewing our economy) and social entrepreneurs (who tackle social issues such as climate change, poverty, and education inequity), democracy entrepreneurs are disruptive leaders who are inventing new solutions to pressing challenges in our democracy. As such they are working on a range of issues.
Recently, March For Our Lives demonstrated that high school students can be important democracy entrepreneurs. Others include New Politics, which supports military veterans and civilian service leaders who want to get into politics; Ballot Ready, which provides information on candidates for local and state elected offices; Jolt Texas, which brings more Latinos into politics; Voters Not Politicians, which sparked a grass-roots revolution in Michigan to stop gerrymandering; and Issue One, dedicated to political reform. There are many others as this movement keeps growing.
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