Is democracy on the midterm ballot?
Politicians and voters seem to have different ideas about what's under threat


President Biden recently warned American voters that democracy is on the midterm ballot. "In our bones, we know democracy is at risk," Biden said in the speech. He cited acts of political violence and election deniers as imminent threats. Others have echoed his concerns on the campaign trail, though polls suggest voters might not be all that concerned.
What are the issues that Biden claims threaten the future of democracy, and how will they impact the midterm elections? Here's what you need to know:
What are politicians saying about the threat to democracy?
During his speech at Washington D.C.'s Union Station on Nov. 2, Biden implored American voters to stand united against the threat that election deniers pose, describing the U.S. as a nation with its transitions of power under threat. "It's estimated that there are more than 300 election deniers on the ballot all across America this year," Biden said. "We can't ignore the impact this is having on our country. It's damaging, it's corrosive, and it's destructive."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Biden didn't name Donald Trump directly, instead calling him "the defeated former president" while blaming him for perpetuating "dangerous" theories. He called the group of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 "an enraged mob that had been whipped up into a frenzy by a president repeating over and over again the Big Lie that the election of 2020 had been stolen."
Other Democratic leaders have echoed Biden's sentiments while making their closing pitches to voters ahead of Election Day. Former President Barack Obama, for example, warned Arizona voters at a rally in Phoenix that if they voted for election deniers, "then democracy as we know it may not survive." His comment appeared to be a reference to Republican Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who has refused to commit to accepting the ballot results if she doesn't win.
What do Republicans think about the claims?
Republicans aren't buying it, instead flipping the focus onto Biden's responsibility for the state of the economy. In response to Biden's speech, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel said, "President Biden is trying to divide and deflect at a time when America needs to unite — because he can't talk about his policies that have driven up the cost of living."
In a statement, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called the president's speech "desperate and dishonest." She added that "Joe Biden promised unity but has instead demonized and smeared Americans while making life more expensive for all."
Is misinformation on social media fueling the fire?
Some experts are focused on social media as the epicenter of the proliferation of election-related misinformation and conspiracy theories. Tufts University dean Bhaskar Chakravorti, who studies technological change and society, says the spread of misinformation will play an essential role in the upcoming midterms and the 2024 election. He warns, "The single galvanizing narrative is that the 2020 election was stolen."
Misleading claims about mail ballot security, rumors about non-citizens voting, and stories about ballot locations being moved are spreading on various social media platforms ahead of Nov. 8. In response, some of the companies have implemented new measures to remove false information from their platforms; Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said in a statement that "we've been applying [the] lessons" of hundreds of prior elections "to strengthen our preparations."
Critics, though, say that the sheer number of false claims in circulation indicates tech companies are falling short. Jon Lloyd, the senior adviser at the nonprofit Global Witness, says popular social media companies "are still simply not doing enough to stop threats to democracy." His organization recently published a report highlighting TikTok's failure to remove advertisements with misleading election information.
A report from the Center for American Progress warns that after the spread of voter fraud conspiracies in 2020, "considerable threats to the democratic process remain, including the refusal to certify election results, increased voter intimidation, and abuse of electoral laws." While they clarify that social media companies are not the cause, "they have allowed their platforms to be easily abused to carry out those attacks."
What do voters think?
Recent polls suggest that while voters agree that threats to democracy exist, it's not the most pressing issue this election season. A recent New York Times/Sienna College poll found that 71 percent of all voters surveyed said democracy was at risk, but only 7 percent deemed it the country's most critical problem. The top two voter concerns were the economy, at 26 percent, and inflation, at 19 percent.
Voters also seemed split over what they considered legitimate threats to the future of democracy. Republicans overwhelmingly identified Biden, mainstream media, the federal government, and mail-in-ballots as threats. Democrats mainly cited Trump, while others pointed to the Supreme Court and the Electoral College, per the Times. However, 11 percent of voters said that government corruption, in general, was the issue — more than those who named either Trump or Biden. A further 50 percent believe the American political system is "too divided politically to solve its problems."
Nate Cohn, a political analyst for the Times, supposes that some voters might have a different view of threats to democracy than politicians. "For some of these voters, the threat to democracy doesn't seem to be about the risk of a total collapse of democratic institutions or a failed transition of power," he said. "Or they may not view the threat as an emergency or a crisis yet, like being on the brink of sustained political violence or authoritarianism."
The New York Times/Siena College poll surveyed 792 registered voters nationwide via telephone from Oct. 9 to Oct. 12. The margin of error was +/- 4 percent.
Update Nov. 23, 2022: This story has been corrected to amend the spelling of Tufts University.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
Book review: 'Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus' and 'When the Going Was Good: An Editor's Adventures During the Last Golden Age of Magazines'
Feature The college dropout who ruled the magazine era and the mysteries surrounding Jesus Christ
By The Week US
-
Not invincible: Tech burned by tariff war
Feature Tariffs on Asian countries are shaking up Silicon Valley, driving up prices and deepening global tensions
By The Week US
-
Fake AI job seekers are flooding U.S. companies
In the Spotlight It's getting harder for hiring managers to screen out bogus AI-generated applicants
By Theara Coleman, The Week US
-
Voting: Trump's plan to overhaul elections
Feature Trump signed an executive order requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship and cutting federal election funding for states that use mail-in ballots
By The Week US
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff
-
Is this the end of democracy in Turkey?
Today's Big Question President Erdoğan's jailing of political rival a 'decisive moment' that moves country toward full-fledged autocracy
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK
-
Romanian democracy: no place for the 'TikTok messiah' Calin Georgescu
Talking Point State is 'fighting back' against poster boy for right-wing conspiracists
By The Week UK
-
Refusing to submit
Opinion Why it's crucial to fight Trump and Musk
By William Falk
-
Generation Z: done with democracy?
Talking Point Allure of authoritarianism is no surprise when young people have grown up in a democracy 'that seems unable to deliver its basic functions'
By The Week UK
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK