The stresses and strains on US democracy, building over decades, have reached an apex with the upcoming presidential election in ways that are unprecedented and daunting. Real fears of voter suppression, unfounded suspicions of voter fraud, and the effects of disinformation hover over November 3, 2020. Genuine uncertainty characterizes what may follow. Will the results be accepted? Will a transition be orderly if the incumbent loses? In recent years, the SSRC Anxieties of Democracy program has been preoccupied with the long-term fracturing of the democratic status quo, and what can be done to both secure and deepen democracy in ways that serve …

In conversation with SSRC president Alondra Nelson and Anxieties of Democracy program Advisory Committee co-chairs John Ferejohn (New York University) and Deborah Yashar (Princeton University) Watch the Roundtable About the Roundtable The stresses and strains on US democracy, building over decades, have reached an apex with the upcoming presidential election in ways that are unprecedented and daunting. Real fears of voter suppression, unfounded suspicions of voter fraud, and the effects of disinformation hover over November 3, 2020. Genuine uncertainty characterizes what may follow. Will the results be accepted? Will a transition be orderly if the incumbent loses? In recent years, …