In the era of Trump, there have been countless attempts to explain the conservative voting habits of small town America. Many rely upon taken-for-granted notions of rural backwardness, overrepresenting the views of the most extreme. In the Daily Yonder’s recent podcast series, “Backroad Ballots: Rural Politics in 2024,” we sought to deconstruct oversimplified narratives about voters in America’s countryside. We asked rural scholars and organizers who the rural voter is, what she cares about, and how to strengthen democracy for rural communities.

We compiled our conversations into four episodes to arm listeners with a nuanced framework for understanding the lead-up to the 2024 election in rural America. Beyond asking about what’s at stake, though, we also asked each guest to envision the country’s democracy in an ideal future:

“What’s one thing you would see in an America where rural people are more engaged and better represented?”

Anthony Flaccavento, co-founder of Rural Urban Bridge Initiative: If five or ten years from now we were in a better place, part of it would be that rural people and the things we do – our occupations – feel and really are respected beyond our communities.

And, that city people and suburban people not only have more respect for rural people, rural values, rural occupations, farming, whatever, but also recognize much more than they do now the interdependence, that cities and suburbs absolutely need healthy, functioning rural places. Those of us who live in towns, cities and suburbs depend on rural people for most of our life. Our food, our fiber, our energy, our materials, etc., etc., etc. So, the one thing would be this greater acknowledgement of that: the interdependence. And with that, a respect for rural people and rural values.

Annie Contractor, policy director at Rural Organizing and the RuralOrganizing.org Education Fund: I think I want to reject the premise that rural folks are not engaged. I think people everywhere are really engaged. When folks find that the work they do kind of goes into a black hole, they put their energy into something else, where it’s gonna have more impact. People in lots of rural communities are doing work, to create visions, to engage in planning processes, to create a sense of community around them.

Read the full article about strengthening rural democracy by Julia Tilton at The Daily Yonder.