Democracy is under attack. It’s a phrase used so frequently by politicians as a rallying cry that it sounds cliché to even evoke it. Yet, a new global analysis of elections makes it clear — the erosion of democracy isn’t just happening here in the U.S., it’s a worldwide trend, and some of the most established democracies are slipping.
A major new report from the University of East Anglia looked at 62 countries that held elections during 2024’s so-called “Super Cycle” — a record-breaking year where 1.6 billion people went to the polls. The results? Eye-opening, and not in a good way for many places once considered examples of democratic stability.
The United States, the United Kingdom, and Mexico all showed significant declines in what researchers call electoral integrity. That means not just how votes are counted — which, to be clear, still scores fairly well in the U.S. — but all the surrounding pieces that make an election free, fair, and truly representative. Think voter access, gerrymandering, campaign finance, media bias, and whether every citizen feels confident their vote matters.
In the U.S., the report highlighted ongoing issues with gerrymandered districts, misleading media coverage, and the outsized influence of money in politics as major contributors to declining voter trust. Britain faced similar concerns, with new voter ID laws that kept some eligible citizens from voting, and an electoral system that allowed one party to secure nearly two-thirds of the seats in Parliament with barely a third of the popular vote.
Globally, 21 countries managed to improve their elections compared to previous years, but 33 experienced setbacks — a worrying trend for global democracy. While places like Iceland, Uruguay, and Finland earned high marks for accessible, well-run elections, others like Syria, Rwanda, and Iran remained at the bottom of the rankings.
The report also makes it clear that even when the mechanics of counting votes are solid, democracy can falter if other parts of the system — like fair campaigning and unbiased media — aren’t functioning.
In short, the takeaway is simple but sobering: Elections are only as strong as their weakest part. And across the world, including right here in the U.S., those weak spots are starting to show. Go beyond the headlines…
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