The following is an excerpt from “Democracy InAction: How Citizen Apathy Threatens America and What We Can Do About It,” published by RealClearPublishing/Amplify Publishing on July 14, 2026. Democracy, as we have seen, puts everyday citizens at the forefront of America’s system of government. Although politicians get all the attention, citizens are the real power brokers in a democracy. It is often said that it is better to be a kingmaker than a king; in democracies, citizens are the kingmakers. Democracy imbues them with the ultimate power to select who represents them and to bring those representatives home when they’ve outlived their usefulness. If people are the ultimate authority, it is incumbent upon them to participate in the exercise of that power. Political scientist Lindsey Corma