Washington:
Concerns have been raised about the fragility of the world’s oldest democracy.
American voters are growing anxious about the upcoming presidential election amid concerns about political violence, attempts to overturn election results, and broader implications for democracy.
Forty percent of registered voters are “very” or “extremely” concerned about violent attempts to overturn election results, according to a poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Answered.
These concerns are due in part to Republican candidate Donald Trump’s continued claims of election fraud and predictions that he can only lose if the election is rigged.
Nearly 90% of registered voters think the loser of the presidential election should concede once states finish counting their votes and legal issues are resolved. But only one-third of voters expect President Trump to accept the results and concede.
That being said, Democrats and Republicans have very different views on President Trump’s willingness to concede. About two-thirds of Republican voters think President Trump will concede, while only one in 10 Democrats agree. Conversely, nearly 8 in 10 voters, including a majority of Republican voters, believe Harris will accept the result and concede if she loses.
As far as democracy is concerned, Democrats and Republicans are divided. About half of voters think Mr. Trump will weaken democracy “a lot” or “somewhat”, and 40% say the same about Ms. Harris.
Unsurprisingly, there are deep ideological divides among Americans, and one reason for such stark differences is that Democrats and independents rate themselves as “a lot” or “quite a lot.” The attack on the U.S. Capitol on March 6th. Donald Trump is to blame.
Apart from the January 6th attacks, there are many other factors at play in American ideology. Very important is the use of the Electoral College to elect the president instead of the popular vote.
As the country teeters on the brink of uncertainty, the outcome of this election will have implications far beyond the ballot box, shaping American democracy and ordering global influence at the same time.
