Libraries in the 2024 Party Platforms

Public policies, laws, and budgets come from the combined efforts of the political parties in power, the social and business interests that prevail upon them, and the signs of the times. Understanding these elements is an essential part of responding to challenges, increasing influence, and countering the current narratives if they do not support your profession or your institution.

The 2024 Presidential Election Cycle provides a view into the building blocks of a given party’s policies, prose, and promises—the party platform.

The party platforms are available online. They vary in length and structure, from the 10-page Libertarian Party Platform and the approximately 181-page Green Party Platform (approximate because a PDF is not available) to the 19-page Republican Party Platform and the 91-page Democratic Party Platform. The Green and Libertarian platforms can be tracked to longstanding positions on core issues, while the Democratic platform still includes President Joe Biden’s name due to the timing of his decision not to seek reelection. The Republican platform represents the party’s first official platform since 2016.

Here at Libraries2024 from EveryLibrary, we want to highlight the platform positions as they relate to fundamental library issues—censorship; curriculum; higher education; mentions of IMLS and libraries; open-source software and copyright; prisons: rehabilitation and education; privacy and artificial intelligence; and school/campus safety. This is a collection of “mentions” and does not include commentary, letting the words of the parties speak for the parties.

Censorship

Democratic Party Platform

  • “And, where MAGA extremists are politicizing our classrooms, banning books, and trying to erase history, we are fighting back, including by appointing a federal coordinator to address the threat these bans pose to students’ civil rights. We’re also investing in recruiting and training teachers from all communities, including in partnership with HBCUs, MSIs, and TCUs; and helping them to get the pay that they deserve. It matters to children when they see someone who looks like them at the front of a classroom.”

The Green Party Platform

  • “Since governments too often have an interest in controlling the flow of information, we must constantly guard against official censorship. In our society however, large corporations are a far more common source of censorship than governments. Media outlets kill stories because they undermine corporate interests; advertisers use their financial clout to squelch negative reports; powerful businesses employ the threat of expensive lawsuits to discourage legitimate investigations. The most frequent form of censorship is self-censorship: journalists deciding not to pursue certain stories that they know will be unpopular with the advertisers.”
  • “Oppose censorship in the arts, media, press and on the Internet.”

The Libertarian Party Platform

  • “We…hold that where governments exist, they must not violate the rights of any individual: namely… the right to liberty of speech and action—accordingly we oppose all attempts by government to abridge the freedom of speech and press, as well as government censorship in any form…”
  • “We support full freedom of expression and oppose government censorship, regulation, or control of communications media and technology. Language that is perceived to be offensive to certain groups or individuals is not a cause for any legal action. Speech that is not literally a threat of aggression or violence is not in itself aggression or violence and can never be used to justify aggression or violence. Individuals are responsible for their own reactions to speech. We favor the freedom to engage in or abstain from any religious activities that do not violate the rights of others. We oppose government actions that either aid or attack any religion.”

The Republican Party Platform

  • “Republicans Will Dismantle Censorship & Protect Free Speech: We will ban the Federal Government from colluding with anyone to censor Lawful Speech, defund institutions engaged in censorship, and hold accountable all bureaucrats involved with illegal censoring. We will protect Free Speech online.”

Curriculum

Democratic Party Platform

  • “Democrats value the humanities, arts and art education for developing imagination, creativity, innovation, and critical thinking, and for building bridges within and between our communities. We will promote arts funding and education—and we will invest in the arts and humanities accordingly. Democrats will fund the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and art and music education in public schools. Democrats know that federal grants for cultural organizations, artists, scholars, library systems, museums, and state and local governments only strengthen our communities and our cultural heritage.”
  • “We’re also boosting investment in STEM education and workforce training programs for women and at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority Serving Institutions, to make sure the clean energy and manufacturing jobs of tomorrow are open and accessible to communities that have been too often left out in the past.”
  • “Democrats will fund the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and art and music education in public schools.”


The Green Party Platform

  • “We support a rich milieu of art, culture, and significant (yet modestly funded) programs such as the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities.”
  • “Promote a diverse set of educational opportunities, including multilingual education, continuing education, job retraining, distance learning, mentoring and apprenticeship/vocational programs. Provide resources for career counseling. programs.”
  • “Include curricula focusing on civil rights history, actions, and advances, and how current law can be used to achieve personal civil rights. Teach all students about white supremacy and intersectionality.”
  • “Educate students in grade school and higher education with courses in the environmental sciences, with a focus on the hands-on practice of Conservation Agriculture…and other courses that include a comprehensive curriculum on climate change, biodiversity, and other planetary boundaries and environmental concerns. Focus on education through a general immersion in nature to understand, hands-on, the intricate dependence of humanity upon the natural world.”

The Republican Party Platform

  • “Knowledge and Skills, Not CRT and Gender Indoctrination: Republicans will ensure children are taught fundamentals like Reading, History, Science, and Math, not Leftwing propaganda. We will defund schools that engage in inappropriate political indoctrination of our children using Federal Taxpayer Dollars.”
  • “Promote Love of Country with Authentic Civics Education: Republicans will reinstate the 1776 Commission, promote Fair and Patriotic Civics Education, and veto efforts to nationalize Civics Education. We will support schools that teach America’s Founding Principles and Western Civilization.”
  • “Overcome the Crisis in Liberal Arts Education: Republicans support the restoration of Classic Liberal Arts Education.”

Higher Education

Democratic Party Platform 

  • “Democrats are also working to make college more affordable, and to relieve the crippling burden of student debt, which disproportionately falls on students of color… “
  • “For young people just heading to college now, we’ve already secured the largest increase in Pell Grants in a decade, and we’ll further expand these grants to 7 million more students, and double the maximum award by 2029. We’ve invested a record $16 billion in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); and we’re working to subsidize tuition at all Minority Serving Institutions for anyone whose family earns less than $125,000 a year.”
  • “Four-year college is not the only pathway to a good career, so Democrats are investing in other forms of education as well, including career and technical education. The Administration is expanding job training partnerships that connect high schools, local businesses, and labor unions to prepare students for good jobs in high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand industries. It’ll make trade school and community college free for every American. And it’s making record investments in registered apprenticeships – which already train more than one million Americans a year across industries, including cutting-edge industries.”


The Green Party Platform

  • “Provide free college tuition to all qualified students at public universities and vocational schools. Abolish all student and parent loans taken out to finance post-secondary and vocational education.”
  • “The Green Party supports equal access to high-quality education, and sharp increases in financial aid for college students.”
  • “Oppose military and corporate control over the priorities and topics of university academic research.”
  • “Expand opportunities for universal higher education and life-long learning.”


The Libertarian Party Platform

  • “We support ending federal student loan guarantees and special treatment of student loan debt in bankruptcy proceedings.”


The Republican Party Platform

  • “Accessible Higher Education To reduce the cost of Higher Education, Republicans will support the creation of additional, drastically more affordable alternatives to a traditional four-year College degree.”
  • “Make Colleges and Universities Sane and Affordable: Republicans will fire Radical Left accreditors, drive down Tuition costs, restore Due Process protections, and pursue Civil Rights cases against Schools that discriminate.”
  • “Prepare Students for Jobs and Careers: Republicans will emphasize Education to prepare students for great jobs and careers, supporting project-based learning and schools that offer meaningful work experience. We will expose politicized education models and fund proven career training programs.”

IMLS/Library Mentions

The Democratic Party Platform

  • “America is a great nation in large part because of the power of the arts and humanities that’s embedded in the DNA of America. The Administration has taken historic action to support the arts, helping libraries, theaters, concert halls, and other venues stay afloat during the pandemic. The Administration has strengthened the National Endowment for the Arts, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.”
  • “Democrats will fund the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and art and music education in public schools. Democrats know that federal grants for cultural organizations, artists, scholars, library 62 systems, museums, and state and local governments only strengthen our communities and our cultural heritage.”

The Green Party Platform

  • “We support public funding for the development of living-wage jobs in community and environmental service. For example, environmental clean-up, recycling, sustainable agriculture and food production, sustainable forest management, repair and maintenance of public facilities, neighborhood-based public safety, aides in schools, libraries and childcare centers, and construction and renovation of energy-efficient housing.”

The Libertarian Party Platform

  • We support the rights recognized by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, property, and communications. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure should include records held by third parties, such as email, medical, and library records.”

 

Open-Source Software/Copyright

The Green Party Platform

  • “The Green Party opposes patenting or copyrighting life forms, algorithms, DNA, colors or commonly used words and phrases. We support broad interpretation and ultimate expansion of the Fair Use of copyrighted works. We support open source and copyleft models in order to promote the public interest and the spirit of copyright.”
  • “Open-source software is necessary to achieve personal, cultural, and organizational security in the face of technological threats brought by corporations and individual criminals.”
  • “Government has a vital role in breaking up software monopolies, not so much by filing antitrust suits, but by buying nothing but open systems. The U.S. Government and the larger states are buyers large enough to influence the computer and software systems through their purchasing. It should be illegal for a government agency to create and store information vital to its operations in a format it doesn't control. Governments should always consider storing information with open-source software and in-house staff instead of only commercial systems, vendors and software. One way to achieve this would be to add a virtual bid for in-house open source deployment whenever a software purchase goes out for bid.”
  • “The Green Party supports protection of software (free or proprietary) by means of the copyright. We strongly oppose granting of software patents. Mathematical algorithms are discovered, not invented, by humans; therefore, they are not patentable. The overwhelming majority of software patents cover algorithms, and should never have been awarded, or they cover message formats of some kind, which are essentially arbitrary.”

Prisons: Rehabilitation/Education

Democratic Party Platform

  • “The Administration is improving rehabilitation in jails and prisons and helping people rebuild their lives, an important step in reducing recidivism. It has invested nearly $1 billion in job training, addiction recovery, and reentry services across the country; and expanded access to Pell Grants, so people can earn a college degree while they are incarcerated, starting over with new skills.”
  • “We will support rehabilitation and education, including college programs, for inmates in prison and after their release.”

The Green Party Platform

  • “Ensure prison conditions are humane and sanitary, including but are limited to heat, light, exercise, clothing, nutrition, libraries, possessions, and personal safety.”
  • “Provide adequate academic and vocational education and training to prisoners.”

Privacy/Artificial Intelligence

The Democratic Party Platform

  • “We must do more and update and pass the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, protect student data privacy by ensuring what is collected in schools is only used for education, and update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act to protect personal electronic information and safeguard location information.”
  • “We need to act now and act fast to realize the promise of AI and manage its risks to ensure that AI serves the public interest. Democrats are finding solutions to make sure that as AI’s capabilities grow, we can manage the implications for Americans’ rights, safety and security.”
  • “As AI becomes more prevalent, it’s critical we have the brightest minds working to understand new technologies. The Administration launched an AI Talent Surge to accelerate hiring AI professionals across the federal government, launched a pilot program to enhance successful initiatives for training additional scientists in AI, and created the AI Safety Institute at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to set rigorous standards for extensive testing of powerful AI models to ensure safety before public release.
  • “...establishing new high standards for AI safety and protecting American privacy.”


The Green Party Platform

  • “Recognize that the privacy protections of the 4th amendment extend to the Internet. Demand the elimination of bulk Internet data collection by our government. Fund and promote research into alternate Internet structures that would build in privacy. Hold criminally accountable all government officials, employees and contractors who illegally spy on Americans, and who provide false, misleading or incomplete testimony to Congress about surveillance of American communications by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.”
  • “Grant consumers the right to limit collection and secondary use of personal information by any commercial entity particularly through invasive data collection practices, AI-powered surveillance, and other privacy-violating technologies.”
  • “The Green Party calls for increased protection for user privacy and for accountability on the part of ISPs.”

The Libertarian Party Platform

  • “Libertarians advocate individual privacy and government transparency.”

The Republican Party Platform

  • “We will repeal Joe Biden’s dangerous Executive Order that hinders AI Innovation, and imposes Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology. In its place, Republicans support AI Development rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.”

 

School/Campus Safety

The Democratic Party Platform

  • Gun Safety
    • “Mass shootings at schools, grocery stores, houses of worship, dancehalls, and nightclubs, as well as daily gun violence at home and on streets, devastate American families…Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the first significant federal gun safety law in nearly 30 years.”
  • Campus Safety
    • “To keep students safe on campus, we will work with schools to implement and enforce Title IX and end sexual harassment and assault in our nation’s schools.”

The Republican Party Platform

  • “DEPORT PRO-HAMAS RADICALS AND MAKE OUR COLLEGE CAMPUSES SAFE AND PATRIOTIC AGAIN”


Library professionals and companies that do business with libraries should be aware of party positions, existing laws, and policy proposals. This awareness can help with organizational preparedness and business planning. Library professionals could leverage their collections and their access to information to raise awareness among administrators and board members, alumni and donors, fellow department heads, and researchers.

While “getting political” may be uncomfortable, politics leads to legislation and policies and those laws and regulations may have a direct impact on universities and businesses. The Greek statesman Pericles is quoted as saying, “We do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his own business; we say that he has no business here at all.”  Today, that Pericles quote has evolved into: “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.”


Kathleen McEvoy is a communications expert who has worked with libraries and content/technology providers for more than 19 years. Kathleen has created strategies to address legislation in multiple U.S. states, meeting directly with state executives and legislators about book banning, criminalization, and data security. Kathleen is a senior policy fellow at The EveryLibrary Institute, a board member at EveryLibrary, and is on the executive board of the American Library Association’s United for Libraries division. She is the editor of the Seeing the Whole Board Column in Against the Grain and has keynoted on the legislative and policy issues impacting academia.