Declining Civility and Growing Political Violence at the Local Level: A Threat to American Democracy

Abstract

Over the last few years, the American polity has abandoned civility and increasingly resorted to anger, vitriol and violence rather than dialog to share their problems and express differences. Dr. Michael McCullough, a psychology professor at the University of Miami, argues civility is crucial for maintaining orderliness in a society wherein the absence of civility there is anarchy and disorder — resulting in a broken society (Gutierrez 2018). In a 2019 survey, 93 percent of Americans identified incivility as a problem and 68 percent as a major problem (Shandwick 2019). Local officials work at the level of government most connected to the people they serve, and with that comes great honor but also great challenge. In today’s hostile political climate, local officials have been increasingly exposed to uncivil incidences that have escalated into harassment, threats and violence (Table 1). A recent report by the National League of Cities (NLC) indicated that 81 percent of surveyed local public officials have experienced harassment, threats and violence, with social media, other online forums and city meetings (in-person or online) being the most common venues local officials endure this behavior (Anthony et al. 2021). NLC also reported that 87 percent of surveyed local public officials have observed an increase in attacks during their time in office (Anthony et al. 2021). Multiple local officials surveyed by NLC anecdotally shared that while harassment, threats and violence had been heightened for a few years, this behavior got dramatically worse since the start of the pandemic (Anthony et al. 2021). The harassment, threats and violence local officials endure most commonly manifests online or at public meetings (Anthony et al. 2021). In Georgia, Karen Watkins, Gwinnett County School Board’s vice chair, received threats during a public meeting in May over the school board’s masking requirements where she was told that her constituents “are coming for [her]” (Kamenetz 2021). However, these incidences have increasingly moved from city and town halls to the front lawns of local officials. Also in Georgia, two local election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss were pressured to make false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. After refusing to lie, a far-right media outlet spread conspiracies about the two women that resulted in a mob surrounding their house (Szep and So 2021). While many local leaders believe that the surge in harassment, threats and violence they