CO-AUTHORED BY AUSTIN BELALI, DIRECTOR OF THE YOUTH ENGAGEMENT FUND AT THE DEMOCRACY ALLIANCE
"Young people feel discouraged and apprehensive about the political process as is, and then they look at the two options in front of us. Nobody has seen an agenda for African-American millennials. I don't think they believe she cares about them," a young African-American man told the New York Times about the presidential election this year.
When it comes to young people, he's not alone. No matter how much outreach a candidate does, or policy proposals offered, many still feel disconnected from the process.
This summer, the Harvard Institute of Politics (IOP) released a survey of young Americans that found millennials' opinions have shifted dramatically in just the eight years since young people came out in record numbers to support President Barack Obama.
In fact, IOP's Director John Volpe says, "that although millions of young Americans were committed to helping renew and rebuild democracy after 2008's historic election, half of millennials now believe that the American Dream is dead, our justice system is biased, and today's politics can't solve the nation's challenges."
The way people think our democracy works these days, and the power it gives to the wealthy and well-connected is playing a big role in this switch. In fact, according to the IOP, millennials see reducing the role of big money in politics as a top issue for them--one that they think is key to addressing all the other big issues we face as a country.
This lack of faith in our democratic institutions by the generation that will be the future of our country will lead to disengagement with the process and hold our country back. That's why when Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton meet for their first debate on September 26th, they must first debate democracy and what they'll do to restore trust in government and encourage more participation in our political process.
Already, both candidates have started to weigh in in different ways.
Donald Trump has openly called our elections "rigged." He says he's running as the anti-establishment candidate promising to shake things up in Washington because he claims he won't be influenced by lobbyists or big donors. Though, he hasn't offered any platform to rein in the big-money system he criticizes.
Hillary Clinton has released a comprehensive money-in-politics and voting rights reform platform. And she has promised to make removing "unaccountable money in politics" a top priority if elected.
At the same time, both candidates have faced questions about their past. Clinton has faced accusations of offering access to her family foundation donors while Secretary of State. Trump, who has bragged about his ability to get politicians to do what they want, has been forced to defend his contributions to state Attorneys General who were considering investigating his controversial Trump University.
In short, both candidates are talking about money in politics and it's a top concern for voters. It's a central theme this election and debate moderator Lester Holt should ask the candidates about what they'll do, in concrete terms, to make our elections work for everyday people.
If we are going to move forward as a country to tackle the most pressing issues of our time--whether you consider that to be the economy, education, racial justice, inequality, national security, climate change, or any other issue--we must first fix our broken democracy and ensure everyday people have a greater voice.
At a time in which many Americans are losing faith in our government and public trust in politicians is at record lows, it's critical that voters hear from our presidential candidates about their take on our democracy and how they plan to restore people's faith in the system.
With two presidential candidates that forward very different views of the world, it's important to start with the fundamentals. They must first debate democracy.