Democracy in the United States shows sharp decline ahead of upcoming midterms
Independent research institutes say U.S. democratic health has deteriorated sharply as the country approaches the next midterm elections.
Several independent think tanks report that the United States is experiencing a rapid erosion of democratic standards. The V-Dem Democracy Report indicates this year’s drop is the steepest in the dataset’s history, pushing the nation’s score back to levels last seen in the mid-1960s. That period coincided with major civil-rights protests and the recent extension of voting rights to minorities.
Why it matters
A sharp drop in democratic standards signals potential instability and challenges to fair governance.
In this story
democracymidterm electionsV-Dem reportdemocratic declinecivil rightsvoting rightsglobal trend
