Democrats Lift 2020 Democracy Rating to 60 as GOP Election Confidence Drops to 58%
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 20
Democrats Lift 2020 Democracy Rating to 60 as GOP Election Confidence Drops to 58%
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 20
Summary
Bright Line Watch found Democrats now rate U.S. democracy in 2020 at 60 out of 100, up from the 52 they gave it in 2020 itself.
The report ties that shift to “democratic nostalgia” during Trump’s second term, when researchers say he has faced fewer constraints and pushed harder against political norms.
Public views overall stayed flat at 52, but the partisan gap narrowed as Republicans’ current democracy rating fell from 64 earlier this year to 59 last month while Democrats’ rose from 45 to 50.
Republicans’ confidence that November midterm votes will be counted as intended dropped to 58% from 70% in roughly five months, while Democrats’ rose to 66%, a split the authors link to Democrats’ improving midterm prospects.
Election confidence among the general public still trails political scientists, who rated confidence in national elections at 82%.