Image: Hold On by Mary Moynihan

US Democracy, Elections, and the Arts
by Mary Moynihan

Democracy and elections are in the news at the moment. When I started writing this article, Kamala Harris and Donal Trump were battling it out for control of the White House in the United States of America, while in Ireland, the announcement of a general election date was imminent. By the time I finished this article, a date had been set for the next Irish general election: Friday, 29 November, 2024. And the US presidential election had been won by Donald Trump, who has a record of bigotry, misogyny, and racism, and has repeatedly threatened free speech and democracy. People need to work together going forward to ensure that democracy, women’s rights, free speech, and the rights of all communities are respected during his second term.

A healthy democracy is a fundamental part of a free society, of a country where there is openness, accountability, and transparency. In a healthy democracy, there is free debate, space for diverse ideas and opinions to flourish, and the type of growth that promotes change for the better – for all of society, not just a select few. The needs of ordinary citizens are met, taking precedence over the demands of those with money, power, and privilege.

Democracy, unfortunately, continues to be under threat. In many countries around the world, and increasingly in European countries, we are seeing the rise of autocratic leaders elected on populist agendas. What they then do is clamp down on key elements of democracy, especially free speech and the closing down of civic space that is independent and in the public interest. A civic space is where the voices of ordinary citizens are heard and heeded, and there is a balance between the state and civil society. Democracy and a free civic space go hand in hand, with this relationship between the two paving the way for a more equitable and just world.

In a democracy with a healthy civic space, citizens are informed, inspired, and engaged in society, their voices heard. A healthy society supports groups such as trade unions and a range of civil society networks, NGO’s, and organisations that are active and advocate for the rights of ordinary citizens.

But what we are seeing around the world are attacks on those who advocate for the rights of citizens: people who stand up for democracy, better governance, and who protect the environment. Almost a third of the world’s population now live in countries with closed civic spaces, while more and more countries are moving towards closed civic spaces. According to Civicus, a monitor that tracks civic spaces, less than 20 EU countries have open civic spaces. The good news is that Ireland is rated as having an open civic space. Long may that continue.

People have a right to carry out non-violent protest and civil disobedience. There are many issues facing our world today. War is the immediate concern and Smashing Times calls for an end to all forms of violence. In European countries, we are facing the cost-of-living crisis, the housing crisis, rising energy prices, the environmental crisis, the ongoing destruction of nature, and the continuing issue of migration and support for asylum seekers. The latter issue is unfortunately dividing communities, when we should all be working together to support those who need assistance, to provide proper support to those coming into our country and require a better standard of living, as well as to those who are already here. The real issue here is an end to income poverty and closing the gap between rich and poor. Tax wealth, tax the banks, and reduce the burden on those who are earning less.

Elections and the Arts in the United States

When it comes to elections, there are many issues of concern, many of which I have mentioned. And yet, we also need to focus on the arts and support for the arts. In the US, it may be that democracy and free civic spaces are under threat – but so are the arts. What are the policies of Donald Trump in relation to the arts?

During his previous time in office, Donald Trump became the first American president ever in history to propose zero funding for the country’s federal cultural agencies, recommending the termination of funding both for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Each year of his first term as president, he tried to eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts in his proposed federal budget. Thankfully, the agency survived due to bipartisan support in congress. 

The National Endowment for the Arts is the main independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for the arts. It is focused on offering all Americans diverse opportunities for arts participation. It plays a fundamental role in ensuring access to the arts, particularly for those from marginalised or low-income communities.

Now that Donald Trump has gotten back into power, there is no guarantee the National Endowment for the Arts will survive. According to the Arts Action Fund, a non-profit membership organisation with almost 500,000 members, eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts would be a devastating blow to the arts in America.

The Arts Action Fund has done some interesting work on tracking political support for the arts, something that we could develop further here in Ireland. The Arts Action Fund produces what they call ‘Congressional Arts Report Cards’, where they look at and mark or describe the past record of election candidates in relation to supporting the arts. They did this for all of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates in the recent US election. The records show that ‘when Kamala Harris was in the Senate (2017–2020), she received a thumbs-up for her entire tenure and as Vice President, the Biden/Harris Administration (2021–2024) requested increases in funding for the arts and humanities for the last four consecutive years.

It is worth noting that in countries where human rights are denied and where autocracies emerge, one of the first areas they go after is the arts, closing down freedom of expression and independent thinking. According to Artnet, ‘The Republican Party’s official platform has no mention of culture, nor does Project 2025, a Trump administration wish list put together by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank.’ Artnet also states that Trump ‘has a long history of being hostile to the arts’.[1] Going forward, there is also concern over issues of censorship and free speech.

For more than 50 years, the National Endowment for the Arts has expanded access to the arts for all Americans, awarding grants in every Congressional district throughout all 50 states and US territories. The National Endowment for the Arts is also an economic powerhouse, generating more than $600 million annually in additional matching funds, and helping to shape a $730 billion arts and culture industry that represents 4.2% of the nation’s GDP and supports 4.8 million jobs. I think these statistics show the vital role the arts play in American society. To date, the Republican party has not fared well in its commitment to supporting the arts. Going forward, they will hopefully recognise how important the arts are in society and do the right thing. I also hope that the democratic systems of the US will have the strength to protect the human rights of all communities, and to overcome the racism, bigotry, and misogyny that Donald Trump brings to the table.

[1] https://news.artnet.com/art-world/can-art-world-prepare-trump-victory-2549147