A new theory of democracy that emphasizes equal accountability and explains the crisis of democracy and authoritarianism as a misunderstanding of the popular will Elected authoritarians lead governments that persecute minorities and attack the rule of law—and yet they claim to be democratic, because they hold elections said to represent the will of the people. In this urgent and revelatory book, Minh Ly challenges these authoritarian claims by proposing a new conception of democracy that is based not on a uniform popular will but on equal accountability: the idea that we must be equally empowered to hold our officials democratically accountable. Equal accountability requires the very rights and institutions—from freedom of the press and freedom to protest to independent courts and congressional oversight—that elected authoritarians threaten. Drawing on political thinkers that include Herodotus, James Madison, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, John Rawls, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King, Ly addresses issues that are both piercingly present and historically enduring. He challenges the widespread misconception that democracy is about carrying out the people’s will, as defined by the majority and executed by the president, arguing that this ignores the people’s diversity and enables the stigmatizing of minorities. Ly affirms that we must govern ourselves in a democracy—that we should be the ones ultimately in charge of our government. To be freely self-governing, we must be able to hold our government accountable not only in elections but also in office. Elected authoritarians, Ly contends, actively disempower us by taking away our rights and institutions to hold our government accountable. We must empower citizens with the resources and civic education to demand accountability and to exercise the vital democratic duties of oversight over our officials and solidarity with each other. “The book makes an original, valuable, and important argument about the meaning of democracy and the duties of democratic citizenship. Ly offers a strong antidote to authoritarian populism. Too many political theorists and political scientists, not to mention officials, pundits, and citizens, rely on mistaken premises that Ly deftly exposes and powerfully refutes. Ly’s argument needs to be heard.”— Jamie Mayerfeld, author of The Promise of Human Rights “Scholars too often theorize accountability without any sense of accounts. Representation requires the regular, substantive dialogue between government and governed. In an insightful and innovative processual theory of democracy, Minh Ly has righted our ship and infused accountability with fresh meaning. This is political theory that speaks to political practice, and to our times.”— Daniel Carpenter, Harvard University “Ly’s Answering to Us criticizes popular will theories of democracy and offers a strong and stirring defense of an equal accountability alternative. This powerful book illuminates the essential democratic role of independent institutions, minority rights, and civic duties. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the fate of democracy in our times.”— Anna Stilz, University of California, Berkeley “ Answering to Us is a wide-ranging and profound exploration of the fundamental value of collective self-government and what it takes to have and keep it. Ly’s original argument for democracy as equal accountability draws on an extraordinary mastery of political history, moral philosophy, and empirical social science. The book offers a fresh and compelling positive theory of democracy along with a thoughtful critique of theories and practices that fail to recognize how and why human rights are sustained by civic duties.”— Josiah Ober, coauthor of The Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives “Minh Ly’s Answering to Us breaks new ground in political theory by challenging a core assumption in the field: that the ‘will of the people’ defines democracy. Ly replaces this shibboleth with a powerful conception of accountability, illuminating the essential duties of democratic citizens to oversee their government and prevent abuses of power. Moreover, his innovative framework extends the understanding of human rights beyond national borders. Ambitious, rigorous, and groundbreaking, this is political theory at its best.”— Corey Brettschneider, author of The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It “In Answering to Us , Minh Ly cogently explains how elected authoritarians hide behind the fiction that they are carrying out the will of the people while violating civil liberties, oppressing minorities, and accumulating more power for themselves. This problem, discussed in political writings of the Founders, and before them in ancient Athens, is of pressing importance to America today as the power of the presidency reaches unprecedented proportions. Ly’s book is critical to understanding how dan