A Strong Midterm Turnout Suggests Democracy’s Demise Rumors Were Perhaps Premature
Warnings Before Election Day
Before the midterms, a global index described the condition of American democracy as undergoing its sharpest deterioration in the country’s history. Election-related court cases also raised concerns about the use of unproven claims to affect voting.
In October, Judge David O. Carter stopped the Justice Department from directing California to separate ballots cast by 20,000 people suspected of being noncitizens. He said the list behind the allegations was unreliable and warned that discounting votes could put democracy at risk.
A Midterm Test For Democracy
The election was widely viewed as a verdict on Trump and a test of the country’s democratic resilience. Turnout ranked second among midterms over more than a century, and Republicans, including Trump, accepted the results.
In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom was declared the winner of a close Senate race last week. The result brought no challenge or protest, despite the state’s longstanding Republican leanings.
Scholars Disagree On The Threat
Political scientists Steven Levitsky and Lucan A. Way argued in October that the United States was moving toward a mild form of authoritarianism. They pointed to Trump’s pressure on law firms and news organizations, prosecutions of political opponents, attempts to channel donations to his super PACs, and mid-decade redistricting efforts.
Kurt Weyland, a government professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said Trump had crossed democratic norms but had not transformed the government into an authoritarian system. He argued that laws and traditions protecting free expression and civil society had blocked many of Trump’s initiatives.
What The Result Does Not Settle
A single election cannot resolve every concern about democratic health. The article notes that Trump’s aggressive use of presidential authority and his family’s self-enrichment have strained democratic traditions.
Still, the midterms showed that voters could reject the administration and that election results could be accepted. The significance, the article argues, lies in the popular will prevailing, rather than in which party won.
Key points
- Midterm turnout was the second highest in more than a century.
- Republicans accepted the results, including the close Mississippi Senate outcome.
- Scholars differed over whether Trump was steering the country toward authoritarianism.