At a time of potential danger to American democratic norms and institutions, it is more urgent than ever for scholars to highlight the risks to our system of government. In this spirit, Bright Line Watch brings together a group of political scientists to monitor democratic practices, their resilience, and potential threats.
Featured report
From Convictions to Elections: U.S. Democracy Amid Legal Turmoil
In most presidential election years, late spring and early summer provide a relatively quiet interlude between primary season and the party conventions. This year, however, the conviction of former President Donald Trump on 34 felony counts and a series of landmark Supreme Court decisions could reshape both the upcoming election and American democracy itself. In this context, we fielded parallel surveys of 557 political scientists from June 20–30, 2024 and a representative sample of 2,775 Americans from June 20–27. Given the importance of precisely measuring GOP perceptions of topics such as the 2020 election and prosecutions of Trump, the public survey included an oversample of Republicans. It is, however, weighted to be representative of the American public as a whole.
July 2024
Bright Line Watch in the media
by Philip Bump at The Washington Post, 7/11/2024
by Philip Bump at The Washington Post, 7/01/2024
Why Voters Are Worried About Democracy, In Their Own Words by FiveThirtyEight Politics, 5/16/2024
Trump says some migrants are ‘not people’ and warns of a ‘bloodbath’ if he loses by NPR, 3/17/2024
by Ronald Brownstein at The Atlantic, 8/02/2023
by David Schribman at The Globe and Mail, 8/02/2023
by John Cassidy at The New Yorker, 7/31/2023
Liars lose and deniers are denied. In the midterms, democracy comes out ahead by Mark Z. Barabak at Los Angeles Times, 11/22/2022