Restoring Losers’ Consent: A Necessary Step to Stabilizing our Democracy
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Get in Loser, We’re Going to Vote: A Policy Study on Losers’ Consent
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Introduction
Earning the consent of the governed is a foundational principle of American government. In practical terms, the “governed” includes two perspectives: electoral winners and losers. Getting the consent of the latter is essential to maintaining stability and peace, and it is no easy task. And as evidenced by the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, securing losers’ consent has become more tumultuous today than at any point since the Civil War. This study investigates the way “losers” offer their consent, how they have increasingly withheld consent in recent elections and what can be done to stabilize our democracy by securing greater consent from losing voters.