THE FIRST STEP WE CAN ALL TAKE

JUST BECAUSE THE LEADING MAN COMMANDS center stage, through all the acts of comedy and tragedy and farce, does not mean he gets to decide how the play turns out. Every year, come November, the audience becomes the actor. Young and old, red and blue—the stage is yours.

The most fateful question in any election cycle is not who’s ahead; it’s who shows up. In 2014, the midterm mood was so lukewarm that turnout was the lowest in 72 years. But it appears that this year just might be different. Let’s hope this is true, but not just because of who could win, control the Hill, approve the next Justice, partner with or police the President. Social scientists charting the health of America’s democracy see a series of threats ranging from distrust