Michael A. Chihak: Our democracy is under attack

Is democracy in the United States threatened?

Those who answer no refuse to see reality. Those who say yes are experiencing it for themselves, right here in Tucson and Arizona.

Awareness does not have to take us to the barrios of Los Angeles or Chicago, the Smithsonian Institution’s museums or Harvard Square. Democracy is threatened right here, in state voting booths, on Tucson’s streets and in our neighborhoods. Here’s how:

• Southern Arizona’s U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva hasn’t been sworn into office nearly four weeks after winning the election. Why? House Speaker Mike Johnson rejects the most fundamental tenet of democracy — free elections. He is anti-democratic at his core.
• White House officials want the University of Arizona to surrender self-governance on campus and in classrooms by signing onto a “compact” that espouses the wannabe-authoritarian president’s anti-democratic agenda.
• UA President Suresh Garimella showed his lack of democratic bona fides in April. He quickly abandoned diversity, equity and inclusion on campus with a phony claim of “a responsibility to comply with the laws and guidelines that apply to our public university.” No laws required ending DEI, and guidelines are just that.
• Arizona Republican leaders want to overturn Proposition 211, which won 72% of the statewide vote in 2022. It requires entities spending more than $50,000 on campaigns for statewide offices or $25,000 on local campaigns to reveal the sources of donations of more than $5,000. Democracy is transparent; opposing it is anti-democratic.
• Arizona requires proof of citizenship for voter registration and presenting ID to vote. The rules hit the elderly and minorities – especially Indigenous people – the hardest, taking away the single most fundamental right, voting, and thus they are undemocratic.
• Two-time election loser Kari Lake denies results of the last three general elections. She lost the governor’s race in 2022 and the U.S. Senate race in 2024 and says the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Those are knowingly false attacks on voters and thus on democracy by someone with considerable, though waning, influence.
• Masked, anonymous officers now appear in Tucson and Phoenix. They are victimizing undocumented people, legal residents and U.S. citizens with wrongful arrests, detentions and deportations; racial profiling and lack of due process; detainee maltreatment. These actions are autocratic and anti-democratic.
• Arizona Senate Bill 1164 would require local law enforcement agencies and officers to cooperate with U.S. immigration officers. The Legislature passed it this year; the governor vetoed it. The proposal may reappear on the 2026 ballot. U.S. law is clear: immigration is in federal jurisdiction. State involvement is unconstitutional and thus anti-democratic.
• The First Amendment, foundational to democracy, protects people speaking freely, especially those opposing the government and political leaders. Why then was Gerald Bourguet, a Phoenix sports reporter, fired after calling a right-wing leader a bigot? It’s an anti-democratic irony that Bourguet was fired for comments about a free speech advocate.
• Speaking of the First Amendment, Arizona laws allow book banning, mostly in public schools. Many books were banned under the 2010 law that made illegal the Mexican American Studies program in the Tucson Unified School District. The law was declared unconstitutional. In other words, it and the book banning were undemocratic.

As is evident, attacks on democracy abound. We must protect it and our freedom by staying informed and active. Read or watch the news, talk to family and neighbors. Maintain a sense of community as fulfillment of our “we the people” democracy. Be vigilant for proposed laws and actions that are anti-democratic and be prepared to take a stand for democracy and freedom.