Most crucially: Whomever is eventually named at the nominee, it cannot feel like a closed-door decision. It is tempting to restore stability by quickly presenting an heir anointed. But taking this step by end-running around public opinion and voter touchpoints for engagement will only plunge us back into cynical instability. We must be given reason to believe that our voice can and will influence decisions.

If Democrats pursue an open convention: How will public input influence decisions about the eventual candidate? What touchpoints do we as citizens have for engaging and making our preferences heard, well before a vote in November?

This is exciting — and it’s this responsiveness, more than anything, that animated so much of yesterday’s outpouring of excitement and energy, and sense of optimism and relief.

But Democratic leaders have to keep going. Back to design systems for a moment: Design is not simply what users see. It’s a process, tested and refined, for identifying and solving collective problems.

If Democrats align around Harris: How will we know that leadership heard our preferences? How will we know that Harris is listening? What touchpoints do we still have ahead, for making our preferences heard, well before a vote in November?

Similarly, democracy is not simply what voters see on their ballots — at its best, it’s a reliable process, a means, for identifying collective goals, and solving collective problems. A party that wants to encourage a sense of agency and participation in the means must continue to communicate touchpoints for that process

I don’t know if they see the full potential in this moment. I don’t know how committed they are to the opportunity. I hope they are. Whatever’s ahead, it will be messy, risky, uncertain, and possibly chaotic. It has already been sensational, and it will continue to make riveting TV. But, unlike most of the headline-grabbing political scandals over the last decade, this spectacle is, right now, in service of an engaging, agentic, pro-civic purpose: Can we regroup, try our darndest, and figure this thing out together?