Shortly before his death, political scientist V.O. Key Jr. drafted a manuscript in which he expounded what he admitted a “perverse and unorthodox argument,” and in my mind an immensely uplifting one. Percolating for years inside academic circles was this disheartening idea that most citizens were ignorant of politics. Leading scholars, acquaintances of Key, had recently collected opinion data showing that average Americans espoused apathetic feelings towards public affairs and possessed minimal knowledge about how our government functions. They therefore concluded these voters incapable of acting responsibly and brandished them disaffecteds for all eternity. Key offered the contrarian take that “voters are not fools” given two factors: the “clarity of alternatives presented” and “character of the information available.”

Western culture is facing a crisis of citizenship. Our respective republics are divided, our institutions distrusted. And to make matters worse, we are unprepared to face these glaring realities because routine elections have somehow produced heads of state reflective of bad impulse and ill intention. Instead of repairing bent and broken bonds, strongmen have sprouted up to cut all collective cords. How can we possibly inform ourselves, fulfill the imperative of responsible electorates to cast decisions in line with national interest rather than singular benefit? Well, no matter how imperfect the information inspiring our consensus and no matter how inattentive our average citizen, all of us must make a good-faith effort.

We must scrutinize what we hear and welcome debate. Informed citizenship demands elected officials reimagine what government can be. To transform the image of government and nourish optimism in demoralized citizens should stand high on the priority list of every political communicator. “Open government” advocates took to doing something similar two decades ago. While not outwardly focused on repairing our depleted civil society, by channeling our common expectation that government proceedings be accessible and available for analysis into advocacy, they committed a great public service. THOMAS digitized legislation for public examination and OpenSecrets publicized financial contributions to campaigns. Open data policies enacted domestically have enabled media outlets to pursue investigative leads that led Congress to inquire into alleged corruption, and upon confirmation, dirty officials to step down. Look no further than Scott Pruitt for proof that such initiatives are worthwhile.

Our crisis of citizenship should inspire politically-minded people to reflect back to great literature. V.O. Key remains correct. Although sometimes we get fooled into thinking it, voters are not fools. They make rational decisions based on available insights. For voters to make better-informed electoral decisions persons of influence must ensure that principles of open government embed deeper within our political culture. I haven’t given up hope for us. Neither should you. So long as laws allow us to peek behind the curtain, the arc of our universe will continue bending towards justice.