Weaponizing “Integrity”: When Power Masks Itself as Protection

“Democracy isn’t protected by restriction — it’s protected by radical inclusion. When power demands proof of belonging, we rise to remind the world: every voice is sacred, and every vote is a thread in the fabric of justice.” — Mary Coughlin

On March 25, 2025, a new executive order was signed under the banner of “preserving and protecting the integrity of American elections.”

Sounds noble, right?

But read past the title — and what you find is not protection. It’s restriction.
Not preservation — but a calculated erosion.
Not democracy fortified — but democracy redefined.

As someone who has spent a lifetime advocating for trauma-informed, developmentally supportive care — for babies, families, clinicians, and systems — I recognize the patterns. When power cloaks itself in the language of safety and integrity, we must pause. Because what’s often being protected… isn’t people. It’s control.

And that distinction matters.

What’s Really Happening Here?

This executive order is not a neutral administrative directive. It’s a sweeping reconfiguration of how we define eligibility, access, and validity in the electoral process.

Under the guise of upholding federal law, it invokes foreign examples to justify domestic overreach. It weaponizes outlier data and unfounded fears about non-citizen voting to pave the way for:

• Strict documentary proof of citizenship just to register

• Federal scrutiny of voter rolls in ways that disproportionately impact communities of color and naturalized citizens

• Punitive withholding of funding for states that fail to comply

• National policy shifts that cast doubt on mail-in ballots, late-arriving votes, and the very tools we’ve relied on to make voting accessible

It’s voter suppression dressed in regulation. And it’s trauma by a thousand paper cuts.

Why This Matters — Especially Through a Trauma-Informed Lens

When we talk about trauma-informed systems, we talk about:

• Safety — not just physical, but emotional, psychological, and cultural

• Voice and choice — not just in theory, but in practice

• Equity — not just in policy, but in lived experience

• Trustworthiness — not performative, but embodied

This executive order violates all four.

It seeds fear, especially in communities that already face structural marginalization.
It diminishes autonomy by making civic participation more difficult, more surveilled, more contingent.
It undermines trust in democratic processes and institutions.
It says, you are not welcome here unless you prove otherwise.

And if you’ve worked with trauma — you know what happens when people are told that their belonging is conditional.

Let’s Be Clear: This Isn’t Just About Voting

This is about who gets to belong in the story of America.

This is about whether we see governance as a means of control or a vehicle for care.
Whether we believe our systems exist to protect the powerful or to serve the people.

This is about remembering that democracy is developmental — it grows only when nurtured, when tended with transparency, equity, and accountability.

And it’s about reclaiming the truth that access to participation is not a loophole. It’s a lifeline.

So What Do We Do?

We stay awake. We get loud. We teach.

We weave a different story — one where integrity doesn’t mean exclusion, and security doesn’t mean surveillance.
We equip ourselves and our communities with knowledge.
We talk about this not in sterile legal terms but in human terms — about what it feels like to be erased, and why that matters.
We resist attempts to mask oppression as protection.

And we remind ourselves that trauma-informed care is not just for hospitals or classrooms.
It’s a blueprint for how we build every system — including our democracy.

Final Reflection:

If you're reading this, you're likely someone who cares deeply — about justice, about humanity, about healing.

So here’s your invitation:

🖋️ Reflect: Where in your life or work are you seeing power disguised as protection?

🎙️ Speak: How can you use your voice, platform, or position to challenge policies that perpetuate harm?

⚡ Act: What one thing can you do this week to make democracy more accessible for someone else?

Because this moment isn’t just political. It’s personal.

And we get to choose — every day — whether we uphold systems of harm… or lead the movement to heal them.

With fierce love, sacred resistance, and an unshakable belief in We the Future,
Mary

P.S.: We the Future isn’t just a tagline — it’s a call to reclaim what democracy was meant to be: of the people, for the people, and with the people. If this stirred something in you, follow the thread. Share the message. Add your voice to the weave.

🔗 Take Action: Join the REIMAGINE Movement

This isn’t just a moment — it’s a movement.
If you believe in trauma-informed governance, radical belonging, and reclaiming democracy from the ground up, We the Future is your space.

🧵 Read The People’s Declaration
✍️ Add your signature and stand in solidarity
🤝 Join the virtual town hall on Patriot’s Day, April 19 2pm EDT
💌 Receive updates, reflection prompts, and ways to get involved

👉 Explore We the Future
👉 Sign The People’s Declaration

Because democracy isn’t a relic — it’s a living promise.
And we are its future.