New York Times Raises U.S. Autocracy Index to Level 3 Over 2026 Election Interference
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 20
New York Times Raises U.S. Autocracy Index to Level 3 Over 2026 Election Interference
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 20
Summary
Level 3 now marks the Times editorial board’s “manipulating the law to stay in power” category, citing Trump’s actions around the 2026 midterms since returning to office in January 2025.
Those actions include pressing Republican-led states for new gerrymanders, backing voting restrictions and amplifying false voter-fraud claims, including a July 16 White House address devoted to them.
Constitutional scholars and democracy experts told the board they fear federal agents could be used to intimidate voters in Democratic-leaning areas and that Trump could again pressure officials not to certify results.
The board said the gerrymandering drive alone has likely tilted the fight for House control by at least 2.5 percentage points toward Republicans, even without more extreme intervention.
This is the fourth version of the Times’s 12-category autocracy index, first published in October 2025, and it warns that successful interference in 2026 could embolden further unconstitutional moves in 2028.