As the world’s oldest democracy, America has long been held up as the standard to which other countries aspire. Yet, the reality is that many observers of democracies across the world do not place the United States among the strongest democracies in existence today; some have characterized it as “deficient” and “flawed.” Is it possible that the only form of government America has ever known could fail?

Three engaging and enlightening sessions examined trends that brought us to this point, the events of January 6, 2021, and the lingering harm they’ve inflicted on our democracy, what states are currently doing to make elections freer and fairer—or less so—and how we can move toward a healthier, more successful democracy.

StraightTalk is carried out annually in partnership with OLLI@Furman.