At the time, as I reflected on the many economic and social issues we could and should address, the idea of promoting civility in governance seemed somewhat irrelevant. It felt obvious to me that we already need to be civil to do this work effectively, and that it need not be a primary focus in the face of more pressing challenges. However, as I’ve observed increasingly extreme rhetoric, sound bites overtaking policy understanding, disagreement pursued merely for political gain, and the rise in political violence, I’ve come to appreciate the brilliance of Elgie’s strategy. By striving to be civil and thoughtful in how we communicate, we create space for meaningful discussion, find common ground, and foster real change.
An example of this kind of space is the work I did this year as an NCSL Youth Justice Fellow. While a few members of the 17-person task force were from relatively purple states, the vast majority came from deep blue or deep red states. Yet, we worked relatively seamlessly, recognizing that, despite our ideological differences, we all aimed to use best practices and evidence-based approaches to develop policies that would work for our respective states’ juvenile justice systems. Although Pennsylvania seemed to face some of the greatest gridlock and partisanship on this issue compared to states with strong majorities, as Senator Larson from North Dakota observed, “there is always someone to fight with, but there is also someone to get along with too.” While it is somewhat disheartening that Pennsylvania lags behind states like North Dakota and Montana in reforming our systems, I find hope in the ability to engage in meaningful policy discussions with people whose worldviews differ drastically from my own—and hope that this experience will help me build bridges and gain support from members of the House in pursuing these reforms.
Many of our younger neighbors have never lived in a time when policy was the main driver of change. Instead, they’ve grown up in the shadow of sound bites and social media shaping both discussion and disagreement. Unlike me, many are coming of age in an America without a flawless record on the peaceful transfer of power. Occasionally, when I speak to high school and college students about the motivations behind the content people create and share online, I’m often struck by the limited awareness of the “why” behind those shares—and the importance of exercising personal responsibility before amplifying potentially false or intentionally inflammatory information.
Given the current situation, I believe restoring civility in our systems of government is essential to the survival of our democracy. The tribalism we see today, coupled with a lack of meaningful communication, is deeply detrimental. While there is nothing wrong with disagreeing, standing by your values, or defending your rights and the rights of others, our debates are often distorted by the perception that people are far more polarized than they truly are—or that only one group has worthwhile ideas. As a country, we must move beyond this mindset and find ways to engage thoughtfully and respectfully.
With the rise of political violence, I believe that Senator Sims’ project is relevant and critical. All forms of violence, whether political, ideological, or domestic, must be condemned in every sense of the word. Unfortunately, the amount of political polarization has risen to levels where political violence has resulted. Data collected between 2016 and 2024 showed that attacks and plots targeting individual officials, judges, and candidates, as well as government employees, have increased by more than 1000% compared to the two preceding decades tracked in the CSIS dataset. These numbers do not include the assassinations and attempted assassinations that have occurred over the past 18 months.
Polling shows that the majority of people, irrespective of political persuasion, believe that politically-motivated violence is a major problem in the United States. Political violence has been driven by three factors, including polarization, exacerbation and exploitation of current polarization, and intense disillusionment with the political system. One of the ways we can undermine the progression of political violence is to commit ourselves to civility to ensure we do not exacerbate or exploit polarization.
CSG asked members to consider taking a pledge to serve with civility, which I did, and I have asked some of our local elected officials to do so as well. Here is the pledge.