“Battling Democracy’s Decline” Provides Tools for Moving the Nation Forward

New book examines America’s civic history and ways to engage citizens beyond voting

ATLANTA (November 21, 2008) - The new book Battling Democracy’s Decline examines the history of American civic participation, explains its current decline and proivides real world (personal) examples of what inspires people to action. First-time author Michael Mills completed a graduate thesis on inspiring youth civic engagement, worked on political campaigns, launched a non-profit to improve civic participation, built grassroots support for various policy issues and most-recently, was a public affairs executive with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc – each experience providing unique insight into why America might be raising its voter turnout but is in dire need of citizen action beyond Election Day. The historic election of Barack Obama, the state of the economy and global conflicts require an active and engaged citizenry, and this book provides the tools to ensure Americans can participate fully.   

Battling Democracy’s Decline is a combination of theory, history and “how to,” which makes the content accessible to everyone from high school students to civic scholars. This book is a must read for non-profit leaders, elected officials, students and citizens wanting to make a difference in their organization, community and country.

“Michael Mills is a leader in civic engagement and his thoughtful reflections on citizen participation are borne from personal experience, careful study and his unyielding commitment to our democracy,” said Mark Gearan, president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges and former director of the Peace Corps during the Clinton Administration. “At a time when some may question the relevance of an engaged citizenry, Michael Mills issues a call-to-arms and lays out the critical nature of America at a crossroads.”

Battling Democracy’s Decline points to a number of negative indicators of American civic health even in the face of incrementally-increasing levels of volunteerism and voter turnout. Case studies used throughout provide a number of positive lessons and ensure readers that the problem of declining participation can be solved if we instill a sense of civic responsibility in our communities and work together to understand the issues and build accountability for participation. The book provides insight into the following topics:

• Politics has become increasingly partisan and bitter and many Americans feel that real discussions of issues are subverted because of negative attacks or are controlled by special interest groups
• Institutional barriers make government seem unwelcoming and cumbersome, turning people away from the process
• Personal obstacles exist that create challenges to active civic participation. Many Americans feel they lack non-partisan, unbiased information to make decisions and do not know where to begin engaging with government 
• America’s families are pulled in countless directions and the civic process takes a back seat 
• Television and the Internet also play critical roles in our collective civic decline

According to Mills, “America is at a crossroads. We’re evenly divided but deeply disengaged. The situation presents a unique opportunity to drastically change the state of civic participation because people do care and they do want to be involved in the political process. They are thirsty for leaders who will rise above rhetoric and partisanship to talk honestly and openly about the issues and challenges that face us as a nation. They will rally behind people who invite them into the process by making the debates and institutions of government accessible and meaningful,” Mills said. “Each of us must take part. We all must be leaders in our own right. By working together we can reap the benefits and the boundless opportunity available in our country, and I am optimistic we will get there,” Mills concluded.

Finally, the book outlines the basic tools needed for taking part in the civic process, including:

1. Become educated about issues and government operations and share the information with others 
2. Build coalitions of people (“finding others”) to bring about change
3. Get to know our elected officials because they want and need citizen input (especially at the local and state levels where there is less support staff) 
4. Take action: put the knowledge and relationships developed through active civic engagement to work for our families, neighborhoods, country and world

Mills brings a wide-array of political, grassroots, public policy and civic initiative experience to this book. His work in the trenches has provided keen insight into the current state of American civic participation, how we arrived here and real world examples of what inspires people to action.

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Battling Democracy’s Decline is available for sale ($19.95) online at Michael’s site and Amazon.com, among other locations.

What others are saying about the author and the book
“Michael gives us hope that our citizens will once again realize that participation is vital to our future. His point of view comes from political, corporate and grassroots organizations and he’s aware of the power that media and communications hold in mobilizing us to act. In his work with one of the biggest and most controversial corporations in America he has avoided becoming cynical; rather, he sees the glass half-full and full of juice! The same business principals of scale that make the corporation successful can be used here, convincing great numbers of people to make small changes and win out over seemingly immovable obstacles.”

Linda Woodworth
Director, Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta

“Michael Mills sends a clarion call to Americans, seeking to motivate us in ways that will benefit our country. This book is truly a wake-up call for present and future political leaders and for citizens who want to make a difference.”

Honorable Lewis Massey
Former Secretary of State, Georgia

About the Author
Michael Mills is a small business owner and civic activist. His previous professional and leadership roles in the civic space include recently serving as a regional director of public affairs for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. In this role he managed community building activities, philanthropic giving and was a media spokesperson, all geared towards shaping the company’s brand locally.

Mills founded the non-profit, Coalition for a Voting America in 2000 to improve long-term civic participation. Central to this work was his graduate thesis on improving youth voter turnout, which identified barriers to civic participation and solutions that impact all citizens. He also managed the 2002 Georgia campaign of Vote for America, which helped to raise metro Atlanta’s electoral participation by more than seven percent from 1998.  

Mills has a proven track-record of building grassroots and legislative support for issues and initiatives ranging from health care to the environment, including serving as a strategist for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Clean Water Initiative, which was the basis for the North Metro Atlanta Water Planning District. The Public Relations Society of America and the International Association of Business Communicators recognized his work in 2000, with several awards. Mills also worked for former Georgia Secretary of State Lewis Massey and was press secretary on Mark Taylor’s successful campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 1998.

In his spare time, Mills chairs the Board of YES!Atlanta and is a past board member of Communities In Schools of Georgia, the Georgia Breast Cancer Coalition, Vote for America-Georgia and the League of Women Voters of Georgia. Mills’ awards and recognition include 2006 Outstanding Atlanta, Georgia Trend magazine’s 2001 list of “40 Under 40,” Georgia State University Communications Department “alumni of the year” in 2002 and 2001 Leadership Buckhead graduate. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Hobart College and holds a master’s in communication from Georgia State University. He resides in Midtown Atlanta.

Visit Michael’s site for more author information and the latest news about civic participation.