The historic elections taking place this November will not just decide what candidates win or lose, or even “just” what policy directions our states and country will take. They will also be a test for democracy itself.
I served as Secretary of the State in Connecticut during the 1990s, and we had our share of close elections and controversies. But the job of election officials is far harder today. The rise of Super PACs, the hyper-partisanship, the sheer volume of negativity, and the new efforts to complicate the system and discourage voters with restrictive laws are all challenges. And now, most dangerously, with the possibility of widespread efforts to interfere with people attempting to vote (as Demos and Common Cause discuss in a recent report) election officials will have their hands full this election season.
