American democracy is in crisis. A majority of Americans of all political views agree about this. But they do not agree on much else — and therein lies the country’s problem.
More than half of Trump voters continue to say they believe that there was extensive fraudulent voting in 2020 — a false claim that has motivated candidates to run for office and Republicans in state legislatures to try to pass measures making it harder to vote and asserting partisan control over election infrastructure. Nearly two-thirds of Democrats, meanwhile, consider the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol to be an attempted coup, according to a recent NPR/Ipsos poll. Only 11 percent of Republicans do.
The notion of a democracy in peril, and the arguments about what should be done about it, also reveal deeper, and often deeply personal, divisions among Americans: about who we are as a country, and who is entitled to what kind of power in it.
As we head into another election season shaped by these arguments, we would like to hear from you. What most concerns and confounds you about the state of American democracy? How do those issues affect you in your daily life, your community and your relationships, at a time when the personal is political and vice versa?
For example:
What role could misinformation and disinformation play in the outcomes of future elections?
Is the current voting process favorable for a majority of Americans?
How has polarization affected the election process?
How has mail-in voting affected the election process?
We want to hear about your experiences and your questions, which we may address in coming articles. Share them using the form below. A reporter or editor may follow up with you to hear more. We won’t publish any part of your submission without contacting you first.
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