It’s been a summer of withdrawals and recalibrations in the NYC mayoral race. Candidates have stepped aside, leaving voters with a new, sharper field. For many, that might feel like progress — a simpler choice, a clearer race. But it’s also a reminder of how much of our political process still happens without the public’s direct hand in it.

Anytime you propose changing the way political information is organized, skeptics rightly ask tough questions. Does it distort democracy? Does it favor one side? Can it actually make a difference?

There’s no such thing as neutral design. Every system has an architecture — and today’s platforms are built for profit, not democracy. The real question isn’t whether political discourse should be engineered. It’s who it should be engineered for.