This episode features Professors Melody Barnes and Laurent Dubois, co-directors of the https://democracyinitiative.virginia.edu/ (Democracy Initiative) at the University of Virginia. This interdisciplinary initiative brings together a diverse range of scholars, government leaders, practitioners and students to study the urgent challenges facing democracy today and advancing its prospects for the future. Nancy, Melody and Laurent discuss the threats to democracy from both Melody’s public policy and government background and Laurent’s historical perspective; the inherent conflict within democracies between disempowered groups voting for change and entrenched interests that seek to restrict access to the ballot; and while we have a lot of work to do, reasons to be optimistic. https://democracyinitiative.virginia.edu (https://democracyinitiative.virginia.edu)