Kevin Elliott
@kjephd.bsky.social
Political theorist studying democracy, ethics, & institutions. Author of Democracy for Busy People (https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo194847654.html); more at kevinjelliott.net. Generally poasting my way through this thing
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Kevin Elliott
@kjephd.bsky.social
· Jun 24
New article out from me, in which I consider: what if I'm wrong about everything re: what's important for a flourishing democracy?
I use a recent book attacking institutions & advocating disintermediated localism to explore the limits of my view.
Get it free here: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
I use a recent book attacking institutions & advocating disintermediated localism to explore the limits of my view.
Get it free here: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
Alarmingly relevant new paper out in @apsrjournal.bsky.social by Turku Isiksel and @tompepinsky.com. They take on the question of whether citizens of authoritarian states should vote in their often unfair elections, & find reason to do so.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
![Voting in Authoritarian Elections
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 March 2025
TURKULER ISIKSEL
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and
THOMAS B. PEPINSKY
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Abstract
Democratic theorists hold that voting contributes to some political good: individual and collective autonomy, equality, justice, pluralism, stability, better policies, and many others. But elections are common under authoritarianism, and empirical research finds that holding elections can stabilize authoritarian regimes. This creates what we term the democrat’s dilemma, where citizens who vote in authoritarian elections may bolster the regimes they wish to unseat, even when they cast a vote for the opposition. We identify three major ways of thinking about the democratic value of electoral participation—justice-based, epistemic, and proceduralist approaches—and use them to examine the complex moral considerations that confront voters in authoritarian regimes. We contend that authoritarian elections’ residual democratic value can justify voting, even when doing so could further entrench the autocrat. Our argument also implies that the democratic principles that justify voting in authoritarian elections oblige citizens to choose the most democratic alternative.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2c4hmyxdfk4aky3jeoulhog5/bafkreig6uaxlnavb3rnzc65gpm4f7rlwassqjaqgx5spnhay25qlar6h2y@jpeg)
January 30, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Alarmingly relevant new paper out in @apsrjournal.bsky.social by Turku Isiksel and @tompepinsky.com. They take on the question of whether citizens of authoritarian states should vote in their often unfair elections, & find reason to do so.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Repression rises & intensifies; talk of a retreat in Minneapolis or a defeat of the regime appears to have been premature
“Agents can identify people on the street through facial recognition, trace their movements through license-plate readers and, in some cases, use commercially available phone-location data to reconstruct daily routines and associations.” All surveillance tools people have pushed back on for ages…
DHS ramps up surveillance in immigration raids, sweeping in citizens
The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis is providing insights into the surveillance technologies the government is using in its mass deportation campaign.
apnews.com
January 30, 2026 at 4:15 PM
Repression rises & intensifies; talk of a retreat in Minneapolis or a defeat of the regime appears to have been premature
If the stairs aren't hard, have you even done leg day
January 30, 2026 at 3:08 PM
If the stairs aren't hard, have you even done leg day
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
The fact that the cases are meritless actually makes them MORE effective for intimidation. Prosecuting actual criminals sends no broader message. They’re saying: “Piss us off and we’ll find some bullshit reason to tie you up in court whether or not we have any chance of making it stick.”
January 30, 2026 at 2:11 PM
The fact that the cases are meritless actually makes them MORE effective for intimidation. Prosecuting actual criminals sends no broader message. They’re saying: “Piss us off and we’ll find some bullshit reason to tie you up in court whether or not we have any chance of making it stick.”
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Now that all of the pieces in our symposium in honor of Kirstie McClure are available online from Philosophy and Global Affairs, here's a little thread with each of the pieces. (1/8)
January 30, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Now that all of the pieces in our symposium in honor of Kirstie McClure are available online from Philosophy and Global Affairs, here's a little thread with each of the pieces. (1/8)
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Such a good thread. The upshot is that, contra the model where constitutions are solid stable bulwarks *against politics,* we must see them as in constant flux, with any stability itself a product*of politics*. The law won't save us. We can only save ourselves.
But all that political insecurity is the point: the American Constitution is in constant flux. It's a product of constitutional & quotidian politics; it's constantly being reproduced or altered. The upshot? Your liberty & rights are NOT secured by any constitutional text, but merely by politics.
January 30, 2026 at 12:42 PM
Such a good thread. The upshot is that, contra the model where constitutions are solid stable bulwarks *against politics,* we must see them as in constant flux, with any stability itself a product*of politics*. The law won't save us. We can only save ourselves.
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Some context for the FBI search of a WaPo reporter's home, from last May: "Press freedom in the U.S. now falls in line with developing countries, such as Gambia, Uruguay and Sierra Leone."
U.S. press freedom falls to historical low
Reporters Without Borders cites economic strains on the media as the biggest driver of press freedom declines globally.
www.axios.com
January 14, 2026 at 3:14 PM
Some context for the FBI search of a WaPo reporter's home, from last May: "Press freedom in the U.S. now falls in line with developing countries, such as Gambia, Uruguay and Sierra Leone."
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
I'll be working on an entry on #Montesquieu for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy in the coming months. If you have any recommendations about secondary readings the biblio absolutely must include (especially French language ones), I'm all ears! #poltheory
January 29, 2026 at 4:59 PM
I'll be working on an entry on #Montesquieu for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy in the coming months. If you have any recommendations about secondary readings the biblio absolutely must include (especially French language ones), I'm all ears! #poltheory
Here's my effortpost of the day, for the evening crowd, icymi:
@tribelaw.bsky.social harshly criticizes Jill Lepore's new history of the Constitution in @nybooks.com. Two thoughts about this important exchange.
1. Tribe is entirely right to fault her for effectively dismissing the unwritten elements of the US Constitution. This the center of his whole critique
1. Tribe is entirely right to fault her for effectively dismissing the unwritten elements of the US Constitution. This the center of his whole critique
Is the Constitution ‘Dead, Dead, Dead’? | Laurence H. Tribe
The difficulty of amending the Constitution does not mean that it is a flawed and outdated relic of a distant past.
www.nybooks.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:42 AM
Here's my effortpost of the day, for the evening crowd, icymi:
Fire this motherfucker and replace him with someone who understands it's not about the status of the infraction but making citizens feel marginally safer & moving their part of the country incrementally back toward constitutional rule of law
January 30, 2026 at 3:38 AM
Fire this motherfucker and replace him with someone who understands it's not about the status of the infraction but making citizens feel marginally safer & moving their part of the country incrementally back toward constitutional rule of law
America: MY ENGINES ARE GOING FULL SPEED ASTERN
January 30, 2026 at 3:28 AM
America: MY ENGINES ARE GOING FULL SPEED ASTERN
I love teaching vets because, among other things, they take higher education in general, and the classes I teach in political theory in particular, quite seriously
January 30, 2026 at 3:25 AM
I love teaching vets because, among other things, they take higher education in general, and the classes I teach in political theory in particular, quite seriously
I'll have you know that it looks like the Melania movie is pushing Hamnet out of my local movie theater, which seems nicely symbolic of our era somehow
January 30, 2026 at 3:18 AM
I'll have you know that it looks like the Melania movie is pushing Hamnet out of my local movie theater, which seems nicely symbolic of our era somehow
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Hard to pick just one devastating stat from this survey but holy shit
January 29, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Hard to pick just one devastating stat from this survey but holy shit
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
frankly I appreciate that they misspelled his name here
First trailer for Darren Aranofsky's new AI animated series 'On This Day... 1776'
• Tells short narrative stories about the Revolutionary War
• Uses Gen AI tools, including tech made by Google DeepMind
• Has SAG voice actors
• Tells short narrative stories about the Revolutionary War
• Uses Gen AI tools, including tech made by Google DeepMind
• Has SAG voice actors
January 29, 2026 at 9:12 PM
frankly I appreciate that they misspelled his name here
That this same poll finds Trump approval at 37%—while approval of his *policies* is at Bush II nadir levels of 27%—reminds us once again that his appeal has little to do w policy.
I'd add that it also suggests a technocratic view of politics as fundamentally about policy cannot make sense of Trump.
I'd add that it also suggests a technocratic view of politics as fundamentally about policy cannot make sense of Trump.
Confidence in Trump dips, and fewer now say they support his policies and plans.
Read more here:
Read more here:
Confidence in Trump Dips, and Fewer Now Say They Support His Policies and Plans
Only 27% of Americans say they support all or most of Trump's policies – down since last year, with the change coming entirely among Republicans.
www.pewresearch.org
January 29, 2026 at 9:13 PM
That this same poll finds Trump approval at 37%—while approval of his *policies* is at Bush II nadir levels of 27%—reminds us once again that his appeal has little to do w policy.
I'd add that it also suggests a technocratic view of politics as fundamentally about policy cannot make sense of Trump.
I'd add that it also suggests a technocratic view of politics as fundamentally about policy cannot make sense of Trump.
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
"Oh yeah I forgot that he was cruel and ignorant and bigoted and unfathomably corrupt and possessing of several untreated mental illnesses that render him unfit for any political office"
We must remind the public every 4 years that they hate Donald Trump because collectively they have no long-term memory.
January 29, 2026 at 9:00 PM
"Oh yeah I forgot that he was cruel and ignorant and bigoted and unfathomably corrupt and possessing of several untreated mental illnesses that render him unfit for any political office"
"As demand for fossil fuels stagnates or declines, these economies of scale will invert, leaving shrinking user bases to carry growing liabilities, and infrastructure designed for expansion to instead weather contraction."
Fascinating: "We identify a risk of collapses in service availability as specific elements of fossil infrastructures reach what we term 'minimum viable scale,' a level of throughput past which existing physical, financial, & managerial infrastructures can no longer effectively operate as expected."
Fossil energy minimum viable scale
Unseen infrastructural threats to safety and decarbonization may arise as fossil energy systems are phased out
www.science.org
January 29, 2026 at 9:02 PM
"As demand for fossil fuels stagnates or declines, these economies of scale will invert, leaving shrinking user bases to carry growing liabilities, and infrastructure designed for expansion to instead weather contraction."
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Fascinating: "We identify a risk of collapses in service availability as specific elements of fossil infrastructures reach what we term 'minimum viable scale,' a level of throughput past which existing physical, financial, & managerial infrastructures can no longer effectively operate as expected."
Fossil energy minimum viable scale
Unseen infrastructural threats to safety and decarbonization may arise as fossil energy systems are phased out
www.science.org
January 29, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Fascinating: "We identify a risk of collapses in service availability as specific elements of fossil infrastructures reach what we term 'minimum viable scale,' a level of throughput past which existing physical, financial, & managerial infrastructures can no longer effectively operate as expected."
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
So, incredibly, the White House has chosen to escalate in blue Minnesota and retreat in Maine to protect a vulnerable GOP Senator.
It's confirmation that Trump-Vance-Miller view ICE as a partisan govt-backed militia to attack blue America while propping up their regime. 1/
It's confirmation that Trump-Vance-Miller view ICE as a partisan govt-backed militia to attack blue America while propping up their regime. 1/
Maine Senator Susan Collins said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem informed her that ICE will end the immigration enforcement surge in the state.
ICE ending Maine surge, Senator Collins says - The Boston Globe
Collins said in a statement that she had pushed Noem and other Trump administration officials to have ICE “reconsider its approach to immigration enforcement in the state.”
trib.al
January 29, 2026 at 12:55 PM
So, incredibly, the White House has chosen to escalate in blue Minnesota and retreat in Maine to protect a vulnerable GOP Senator.
It's confirmation that Trump-Vance-Miller view ICE as a partisan govt-backed militia to attack blue America while propping up their regime. 1/
It's confirmation that Trump-Vance-Miller view ICE as a partisan govt-backed militia to attack blue America while propping up their regime. 1/
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Great thread for #USgov teachers as well as everyone with interested in living in a constitutional republic. #iteachsocialstudies
@tribelaw.bsky.social harshly criticizes Jill Lepore's new history of the Constitution in @nybooks.com. Two thoughts about this important exchange.
1. Tribe is entirely right to fault her for effectively dismissing the unwritten elements of the US Constitution. This the center of his whole critique
1. Tribe is entirely right to fault her for effectively dismissing the unwritten elements of the US Constitution. This the center of his whole critique
Is the Constitution ‘Dead, Dead, Dead’? | Laurence H. Tribe
The difficulty of amending the Constitution does not mean that it is a flawed and outdated relic of a distant past.
www.nybooks.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Great thread for #USgov teachers as well as everyone with interested in living in a constitutional republic. #iteachsocialstudies
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Sabato’s moves:
GA-Sen to Lean D from Tossup
FL-Sen to Likely R from Safe R
GA-Sen to Lean D from Tossup
FL-Sen to Likely R from Safe R
January 29, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Sabato’s moves:
GA-Sen to Lean D from Tossup
FL-Sen to Likely R from Safe R
GA-Sen to Lean D from Tossup
FL-Sen to Likely R from Safe R
This is a sign of our education system failing since apparently nobody at this company has heard of a calzone
January 29, 2026 at 5:50 PM
This is a sign of our education system failing since apparently nobody at this company has heard of a calzone
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Trump's not the most unpopular president ever (yet!), but he is smashing some records and is in range for more. My look at the numbers. Plus the 40% rule. At GP/BP. goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/trump-unpo...
Trump, Unpopular
Enough to start convincing Republicans that there's a problem.
goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Trump's not the most unpopular president ever (yet!), but he is smashing some records and is in range for more. My look at the numbers. Plus the 40% rule. At GP/BP. goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/trump-unpo...