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.
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2026 has brought continued challenges to democratic institutions as the United States approaches the midterm elections, including partisan efforts to redraw congressional districts, renewed claims of widespread election fraud, and consequential Supreme Court rulings on presidential power and voting rights. Against this backdrop, we continue our research examining how political scientists, the American public, and forecasters assess both the current state of American democracy and its future trajectory. Although our survey results indicate persistent serious concerns, experts perceive a partial democratic rebound since the low points of Donald Trump’s second term.
The results were collected as part of Bright Line Watch’s 29th survey of 568 political scientists (referred to as experts; fielded July 10–27, 2026) alongside a representative sample of 2,750 members of the American public (fielded July 13–27).
August 2026
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