The faculty and staff of Stanford's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), as well as the undersigned alumni of the Fisher Family Summer Fellows Program (FFSF, formerly known as the Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program, DHSF), demand the immediate and safe release of our friend and colleague, Jesús Armas, who has been kidnapped by agents of the Venezuelan government.

Jesús has bravely worked with the opposition to promote fair elections and uphold democracy in Venezuela. His abduction is a blatant act of repression aimed at silencing his vital work for freedom and justice.

We call on the Venezuelan government to release Jesús immediately and urge the international community to condemn this attack on democracy and human rights. Jesús inspires us all, and we stand united in solidarity with him and his fight for a brighter future for Venezuela.

Signed,

Tatevik Matinyan, Armenia (DHSF 2022)

Daria Minsky, Belarus (DHSF 2022)

Mariana Mello, Brazil (DHSF 2022)

Tainah Pereira, Brazil (DHSF 2022)

Assefa Getaneh, Ethiopia (DHSF 2022)

Zurab Sanikidze, Georgia (DHSF 2022)

Gabriel Reyes Silva, Guatemala (DHSF 2022)

Ritu Sain, India (DHSF 2022)

Aida Aidarkulova, Kazakhstan (DHSF 2022)

Carol Kiangura, Kenya (DHSF 2022)

Jacqueline Akinyi Okeyo Manani, Kenya (DHSF 2022)

Ainura Usupbekova, Kyrgyz Republic (DHSF 2022)

Alaa Al Sayegh, Lebanon (DHSF 2022)

Jad Maalouf, Lebanon (DHSF 2022)

Natasha E. Feghali, Lebanon (DHSF 2022)

Mariela Saldivar Villalobos, Mexico (DHSF 2022)

Bulgantuya Khurelbaatar, Mongolia (DHSF 2022)

Sarita Pariyar, Nepal (DHSF 2022)

Dr. Babatunde Omilola, Nigeria (DHSF 2022)

Daniel Alfaro, Peru (DHSF 2022)

Andréa Ngombet, Republic of Congo (DHSF 2022)

Jamus Lim, Singapore (DHSF 2022)

Anchal Baniparsadh, South Africa (DHSF 2022)

Geline Alfred Fuko, Tanzania (DHSF 2022)

Ornella Moderan, Togo (DHSF 2022)

Denis Gutenko, Ukraine (DHSF 2022)

Nariman Ustaiev, Ukraine (DHSF 2022)

Yulia Bezvershenko, Ukraine (DHSF 2022)

Rayhan Asat, Uyghur human rights lawyer / USA (DHSF 2022)

Tien Trung Nguyen, Vietnam (DHSF 2022)

Brett Carter, Assistant Professor, University of Southern California; Hoover Fellow, Stanford University; Affiliate, CDDRL, Stanford University, USA

Biljana Spasovska, Executive Director, BCSDN, North Macedonia (FFSF 2024)

Sunny Cheung, Hong Kong (FFSF 2023)

Hector Fuentes, Visiting Scholar at CDDRL, Venezuela (FFSF 2024)

Erik Jensen, Affiliated Faculty, CDDRL, USA

Khatia, Former member of the Parliament, Georgia (FFSF 2024)

Mykhailo Pavliuk, Chernivtsi Oblast Legislature, Ukraine (FFSF 2023)

Alice Siu, Deliberative Democracy Lab, USA

María Ignacia Curiel, Researcher at Poverty, Violence and Governance Lab, CDDRL, Stanford, USA 

Thao Dinh, Coordinator of Civil Society Forum, Vietnam (FFSF 2024)

Tem Fuh, Project Manager, Institute for Security Studies, Kenya (FFSF 2023)

Dagva, Open Society Forum, Mongolia (FFSF 2024)

Margaret Levi, Senior Fellow, CDDRL, USA

Halyna Yanchenko, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Ukraine (FFSF 2023)

Iaroslav Liubchenko, Head of the Department on Building Integrity in The Defence and Security Sector at the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, Ukraine (FFSF 2023)

Nora Sulots, Communications Manager, CDDRL, USA

Cristofer Correia, Voluntad Popular, Venezuela (FFSF 2023)

Stephen Stedman, Senior Fellow, CDDRL, Stanford, USA

Sally Abi Khalll, Oxfam, Lebanon (FFSF 2023)

Ivetta Sergeeva, Postdoctoral Fellow, CDDRL, Russia

Valentin Bolotnyy, Kleinheinz Fellow, Hoover Institution, USA

Gulsanna Mamediieva, Georgetown University, USA (FFSF 2023)

Tamar Khulordava, Former MP, founder of Egeria Solutions, Georgia (FFSF 2023)

Francis Fukuyama, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and Director, Ford Dorsey Masters in International Policy, Stanford, USA

Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian, Director of Social Inclusion at the Organization of American States, USA (DHSF 2021)

Sophie Richardson, Visiting Scholar, CDDRL, Stanford University, USA

Diego Zambrano, Professor of Law, Stanford Law School, USA/Venezuela

Beatriz Magaloni, Graham H. Stuart Professor, Political Science and Senior Fellow, FSI, Stanford University, USA and Mexico

Didi Kuo, Center Fellow, CDDRL, USA

Dinsha Mistree, Affiliated Researcher, CDDRL; Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, USA

Evan Mawarire, Senior Fellow, USA (DHSF 2018)

Raihana Maqbool, Independent Journalist, India (DHSF 2021)

Alon Tal, Visiting Professor, USA/Israel

Nikita Makarenko, Independent Journalist, Uzbekistan (DHSF 2021)

Ghina Bou Chakra, Amnesty International, Lebanon (FFSF 2023)

Alberto Díaz Cayeros, Senior Fellow, CDDRL, Stanford University, USA / Mexico

Aisha Yesufu, Citizens Hub, Nigeria (DHSF 2021)

Gillian Slee, Gerhard Casper Fellow in Rule of Law, CDDRL, USA

Victor Spinu, Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Republic of Moldova (FFSF 2024)

Denis Gutenko, AirLittoral Cofounder, Ukraine (DHSF 2022)

Ali Carkoglu, Political Scientist, CDDRL Visiting Scholar, USA

Jamie O'Connell, Lecturer in Residence, Stanford Law School and Affiliated Scholar, CDDRL, USA

Ruben Mascarenhas, National Joint Secretary, Aam Aadmi Party, India (FFSF 2023)

Kumi Naidoo, Payne Distinguished Lecturer, 2023-25, USA / South Africa

Mary-Therese Heintzkill, Program Manager, CDDRL, USA

James Fearon, Professor, Stanford University, USA

Kim Juárez Jensen, Poverty, Violence, and Governance Lab, USA

Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow, Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Stanford University, USA

Manasi Subramaniam, India (FFSF 2023)

In a REDS Seminar co-sponsored by CDDRL and The Europe Center (TEC), Cornell Assistant Professor of Political Science Bryn Rosenfeld explored a compelling question: Why do people in authoritarian regimes take bold political actions — such as protesting, voting for the opposition, or criticizing the government — despite the threat of severe consequences? Her research highlights the role of emotions, particularly anger, in motivating these high-risk decisions and provides fresh insights into the dynamics of dissent under repressive regimes.

Rosenfeld challenged the common assumption that high-risk political activism requires strong organizational ties, such as membership in activist groups or networks. While this holds true in some cases, she argued that recent civic uprisings in authoritarian regimes often involve ordinary individuals — novices with no prior links to organized activism. These participants act despite the threat of repression, presenting a puzzle for traditional theories of political participation.

Central to Rosenfeld's argument is the critical role of emotions in shaping political behavior. Authoritarian regimes often use repression as a tool to silence dissent, but her findings show that this strategy frequently backfires by triggering anger. When people experience acts of repression — such as arrests or violence during protests — they often view these actions as deeply unjust, fueling their anger. This anger reduces fear of risks, shifts focus from personal consequences to collective grievances, and creates a sense of urgency to act. As a result, anger motivates bold political actions like protesting or voting against the regime. In contrast, fear amplifies the perception of danger, discourages action, and reinforces passivity. Rosenfeld’s work demonstrates how anger can transform repression into a catalyst for resistance, showing that attempts to suppress dissent often inspire even greater mobilization.

Her research is grounded in extensive data collected between 2021 and 2023 in Russia, a period marked by significant political upheaval, including the arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, widespread protests, and the invasion of Ukraine. Through surveys and experiments, she measured participants’ emotions, risk attitudes, and political intentions in response to different scenarios. Participants exposed to information about repression reported higher levels of anger, which translated into a greater willingness to protest or take other political risks. For example, participants in the repression treatment group showed significantly higher risk acceptance scores than those in the control group, highlighting anger’s pivotal role in driving political action.

Rosenfeld’s findings have far-reaching implications. They challenge the assumption that repression is an effective tool for silencing dissent, showing instead that it often fuels resistance by mobilizing anger and encouraging the acceptance of risk. Her work also explains why ordinary citizens — those without activist ties — sometimes take extraordinary risks to stand up to authoritarian regimes. By focusing on the interplay of emotions and risk, Rosenfeld underscores the paradox of repression: rather than quelling dissent, it can inspire ordinary people to take extraordinary risks in the pursuit of justice. Anger, often seen as a destructive force, emerges in her work as a powerful driver of political change.

María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s popular democracy leader, told a Stanford audience that support from the global community and the U.S. is a moral imperative for those protesting Nicolás Maduro’s despotic government.

Machado engaged in a conversation on November 18 with Larry Diamond at an event hosted by the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law. Diamond is the Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. They discussed Venezuela’s current political climate, challenges, and broader strategies for fostering democratic transitions in authoritarian environments.

Stanford, Calif. – August 13, 2024 – America in One Room: The Youth Vote today announced the results of its Deliberative Poll, revealing how first-time voters feel about key issues driving the 2024 Presidential Election: energy and the environment; the economy, AI, and taxes; health care; and democracy and elections, after deliberating with their peers.

A nationally representative sample of 430 first-time voters answered a questionnaire about public policy and voting intention before and after deliberating on the topics. America in One Room: The Youth Vote is a collaboration between Close Up Foundation, the Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, the Generation Lab, Helena, and the Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making at the University of Southern California. Deliberative Polling® is a mechanism through which citizens can address complex issues and the trade-offs they pose in an environment curated for civil and respectful conversation across party lines.

James Fishkin, Director of the Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab, noted: “These young voters came from all over the country, red states and blue states, urban and rural. They learned what the rest of their generation was thinking, connecting across their social media enclaves and political divisions. They listened to each other and determined what they really thought about the issues and the candidates. And they emerged with greater mutual respect for those they still disagreed with. It gave us all a glimpse of the American public opinion of the future.”

The results show dramatic changes in perspectives after deliberation on issues like contraceptive access, increasing the federal minimum wage, repealing the Affordable Care Act, and more. Some of the movements were more progressive, some more conservative. Notable results from America in One Room: The Youth Vote, include:

On energy and the environment, the participants were strongly committed to concerted climate action and, interestingly, became more supportive of American energy independence following the deliberations.

• Following deliberation, there was overwhelming support for the US reaching net zero by 2050, increasing government funding for clean energy technologies and battery storage solutions, and new generation nuclear energy
• At the same time, opposition to banning the sale of new gas and diesel cars also increased across the board after deliberation, from 45% to 59%

Surprisingly, participants’ support for traditionally progressive policies related to the economy, AI, and taxes decreased in many cases.

• Support for increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 dropped 14 points from 62% to 48%
• Support for the government covering the cost of college tuition at public universities for all students who could not otherwise afford it decreased from 66% to 56%
• Support for the federal government’s role in preventing the sale or use of biased algorithms increased from 48.6% to 54.5%

In an election year when health care, and abortion access in particular, have the potential to swing outcomes, results show young people across all political identifications support reproductive health care access and traditionally progressive health care policies.

The proposal that “Congress should pass a nationwide ban on medication abortion” attracted supermajority opposition, rising from 78% to 80% after deliberation

• The majority of Republicans (51%) also came to oppose a national medication abortion ban

Opposition to repealing the Affordable Care Act jumped 20 points, from 52% to 72%

While many portray Gen Z as losing faith in democratic institutions, when polled on democracy and elections following deliberation, the results showed notable increases in satisfaction with democracy. Participants also showed movement on proposals around voting rights and provided a snapshot of support for the Trump and Harris candidacies.

When asked “How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way democracy is working in the U.S.” overall satisfaction increased an impressive 29 points – from 29% to 58%

• Republicans increased dramatically from 38% to 72%, Independents increased from 24% to 40%, and Democrats increased from 26% to 52%

The proposal to “Restore voting rights to citizens with felony convictions who are not incarcerated” increased overall by a dramatic 19 points from 61% to 80%.

• This was a bi-partisan movement, with Republicans specifically increasing by 17 points from minority to majority support (48% to 65%).

At the end of the event, Vice President Kamala Harris was the choice of 53% of the deliberators, former President Donald Trump was the choice of 27% of the deliberators, and 6% said they would vote for a third party.

“This historic event has something to teach us all. When we take the time to talk to and learn from people with different backgrounds and worldviews, we can build our own confidence in democracy and find agreement in the most unexpected of places,” said Close Up President Mia Charity. “For more than 50 years, Close Up’s work has been dedicated to empowering young people to become engaged citizens. We are excited to partner with Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab this fall to host national deliberations and continue Close Up’s efforts to expand programs and professional development that bring a culture of deliberative dialogue to schools across the country.”

“Everyone likes to speak for young people, but rarely do young people get to speak for themselves,” said Cyrus Beschloss, Founder of Generation Lab. “As we hurtle towards a ground-shaking election, America will begin talking about the ‘youth vote.’ Rather than grab for the stereotype du jour about ‘Gen-Z,’ we must look to serious research like this study as we make decisions and policies for the next generation in America.”

“This event highlighted Gen Z’s acute awareness of AI’s rapid evolution and along with it, significant new ethical challenges,” said Nathanael Fast, Director of the Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making at the USC Marshall School of Business. “Students demonstrated a strong belief that government should play a key role in ensuring AI safety, and their unique perspective on AI and social media reinforce the urgent need to make our tech ecosystem more transparent, inclusive, and democratic.” He also noted, “Participants returned home filled with confidence to drive change within their communities and a renewed trust that public officials value their perspectives. Together, these are profound shifts that pave the way for our country’s future leadership.”

“America in One Room represents the true ‘will of the people,’ and we are working toward a future where this deliberative process plays a much bigger role in how the US and other democracies make decisions,” said Henry Elkus, founder and CEO of Helena, a global problem-solving organization. “Gen Z is often misunderstood as nihilistic and unwilling to compromise, and America in One Room: The Youth Vote showed that couldn’t be further from the truth. It was incredibly inspiring to watch these young, first-time voters disrupt that narrative, discuss complex issues with nuance regardless of their political position, and leave feeling optimistic that they can shape the future.”

The America in One Room project was first deployed in 2019, bringing a representative microcosm of the entire American electorate together in the same location for the first time. As in other Deliberative Polls, the discussions proceeded in moderated small groups with questions from the small groups directed at experts in plenary sessions who answered the participants’ questions. The small group and plenary sessions alternated throughout the weekend.

The executive summary and full results of America in One Room: The Youth Vote’s results are available here. To learn more, visit the America in One Room site.

About America in One Room: The Youth Vote

A1R:TYV is a collaboration between Close Up Foundation, the Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford University, the Generation Lab, Helena, and the Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making at the University of Southern California. Through Deliberative Polling, the experiment provides a unique opportunity to combine the qualitative richness of focus groups and the statistical representativeness of good survey research to meaningfully pulse a demographic that is frequently talked about, but rarely talked to, as they prepare for a historic presidential election.

The third of four panels of the “America Votes 2024” series examined the tension surrounding diversity and inclusion in the upcoming election. Co-moderated by CDDRL’s Mosbacher Director Kathryn Stoner and Michael Tomz, the William Bennett Munro Professor in Political Science and Chair of the Department of Political Science at Stanford University, the panel featured Stanford scholars Hakeem Jefferson, Didi Kuo, Jonathan Rodden, and Anna Grzymala-Busse. The “America Votes 2024” series is co-organized by CDDRL, the Hoover Institution’s Center for Revitalizing American Institutions, and the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences.