68% of Registered Voters Believe Democracy is ‘Extremely Important’

A recent Fox News poll showed that 68% of registered voters believe democracy is ‘extremely important’, and 20% believe it is ‘very important’. The survey also asked: “When you hear about threats to the future of American democracy, [what] does that make you think more about?” Roughly 30% of respondents said, “the end of free and fair elections”, 53% said “the end of certain rights and freedoms”, and 14% chose “both”.

These threats meant different things to different political camps. The MAGA Republican rendering was that the Democrats rigged the 2020 election, and Donald Trump would defend free and fair elections. The Democrat belief was rights and freedoms would be lost in an authoritative Trump second term, and for good reason.

In a recent interview with Time Magazine reporter Eric Cortellessa, Donald Trump said he wants ‘an imperial presidency’ to build migrant detention camps and initiate mass deportations using the US military and national guard; let red states monitor women’s pregnancies and prosecute those who violate abortion bans; control funds appropriated by Congress; fire any US attorney who doesn’t carry out his prosecutorial orders; pardon his supporters who desecrated the Capitol on January 6th; give police and himself immunity from prosecution; and gut the civil service using Schedule F and replace fired staff with those whose only qualification is loyalty to him (see Project 2025).

It seems Trump’s view of a functioning democracy, with civil and political rights, government accountability, and quality of the rule of law, is as nuanced as a sledgehammer.

Joe Holomuzki, Carson City Nevada.