I don’t think there is evidence supporting this conclusion.
> People are not created equal, no matter how tightly you shut your eyes and how loudly you chant.
And yet they have equal rights, including the same right to influence political decisions, which is clearly not being respected.
> the same voting rights is maladaptive to civilized society.
Democracy requires an informed electorate. That’s why public schools exist and why they should be well (and equally well) funded, without some schools being privileged by donations that’ll only exacerbate unequal rights to education.
Exactly, which is why the right is defunding and attacking public education with every fiber of their being.
There's a showstopping exploit in American representative democracy, and they finally found it. "I love the poorly-educated (... and I will work hard to increase their numbers.)"
If there was a central lesson of the twentieth century, it's that the chasm between the haves and have-nots cannot be closed without doing more damage than simply allowing it to exist. People are not created equal, no matter how tightly you shut your eyes and how loudly you chant.
Meanwhile, the central lesson of the twenty-first century is beginning to come into focus: giving smart people and stupid people the same voting rights is maladaptive to civilized society. You can forget any notion of progress while this state of affairs prevails; just ask your local Trumpers. Does this refute democracy? Very well, then, it refutes democracy.
I'm not super optimistic on either front, I guess. Optimism simply requires too much denial. Preservation of equal opportunity is likely to be the best goal we can aim for.