It's the System Stupid: The Path Forward for Texas Democrats

🗳️ Texas at a Crossroads: Disillusioned young voters & the need for change. How can Dems unrig the system, reimagine democracy, & inspire progress? Check out this op-ed from Karthik Soora for insights!

https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/its-the-system-stupid-the-path-forward


Texas stands at a crossroads. As we approach the 2024 elections, our young voters - a force poised to represent nearly half of the voting-age populace (46% of the voting-eligible population next year will be either Gen Z or Millennials) - are unmistakably disillusioned. What they feel is not just disillusionment but a growing sense of alienation from a system that sidelines them. For Texas Democrats, these feelings are both a challenge and an opportunity to mobilize.

An October 2022 New York Times poll sheds light on this sentiment. An alarming 68% of voters believe our federal government only works for powerful elites, leaving ordinary folks in the shadows. Over 56% of 18-29-year-olds feel that our democratic institutions are too polarized to solve issues. And perhaps most concerning, over 71% of all voters view democracy itself as under threat, with corruption fingered as the principal culprit. (Texas itself went unpolled, but doubtless, similar sentiments prevailed.)


These figures underscore a profound message: to reinvigorate the political landscape and ignite the passion of these voters, we must start by "unrigging" the very foundation of our democracy and reimagining a new system that can actually work and deliver concrete legislation that moves society forward.