La Corte de Apelaciones de Arizona desestimó recientemente un caso presentado por el candidato republicano a fiscal general de Arizona, Abraham Hamadeh, el supervisor republicano del condado de Cochise, Tom Crosby, y un votante independiente que quería descertificar los resultados de las elecciones generales de 2022. Los expertos advierten ahora que con las muy disputadas elecciones presidenciales de este año, es probable que continúen los cuestionamientos a los resultados. Steven Levitsky, profesor de gobierno de la Universidad de Harvard, dice que la disfunción de la democracia estadounidense y la erosión del discurso civil son motivo de grave preocupación.

"Hay muchas fuentes de disfunción en la democracia estadounidense, pero creo que la principal amenaza en este momento es que uno de nuestros dos partidos principales se ha alejado de las reglas democráticas del juego," enfatizó el entrevistado.

Levitsky menciona que la democracia no puede sobrevivir si solo un partido se compromete a respetar los ideales democráticos. Añade que todos los partidos deben aceptar los resultados de las elecciones, rechazar el uso de la violencia política y estar dispuestos a romper con grupos violentos o antidemocráticos. Los expertos argumentan que las soluciones a corto plazo incluyen más inversiones para salvaguardar la administración electoral, pero también piden más soluciones a largo plazo, como reformar la forma en que las empresas se relacionan con la política estadounidense.

Levitsky indica que Estados Unidos es lo que él llama la "democracia más contramayoritaria" del mundo. Explica que es la única democracia establecida donde las minorías partidistas pueden frustrar y, a veces, incluso gobernar a las mayorías. Le recuerda a la gente que, a pesar de que el expresidente Donald Trump perdió el voto popular en 2016, aun así llegó a ser presidente. Y el partido que obtuvo menos votos en el Senado obtuvo el control.

"Ese presidente y ese Senado nombraron y confirmaron a tres jueces de la Corte Suprema, lo que significa que, si fuéramos como otras democracias establecidas y los partidos con más votos obtuvieran más poder, tendríamos una votación de 6-3, mayoría liberal en la Corte Suprema hoy. Así de fuera de control están nuestras instituciones," insistió Levitsky.

Más del 80% de los estadounidenses sienten que los funcionarios electos no están en contacto con sus necesidades y deseos, según Pew Research Center. Sólo el 4% de los estadounidenses piensa que el sistema político del país está funcionando extremadamente o muy bien.

Apoyo para esta historia fue proporcionado por la Carnegie Corporation of New York


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Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has seen the last few bills of the 2025 legislative session cross his desk and as the ink dries, policy experts reminded Montanans some bills will face the courts before they take effect.

Gianforte signed Senate Bill 490, which changes the Election Day cutoff for same-day voter registration from 8 p.m. to noon. It also eliminates early registration the Monday before Election Day, shifting the deadline to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Zuri Moreno, state legislative director for the advocacy group Forward Montana, said the change especially affects Montanans who drive long distances to vote.

"We've already heard from the courts that you're not supposed to mess around with same-day voter registration," Moreno pointed out. "It just takes away that opportunity for working folks and young folks and rural people across the state."

Montana's Supreme Court ruled last year banning same-day voter registration is unconstitutional. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the decision.

Laws passed this session may still be challenged in court, including those centered on the LGBTQ+ community, which was targeted by at least 23 bills. Moreno noted the "community really showed up this session."

"We saw so many folks sharing personal stories and public testimony, so many folks showing up for lobby days and rallies," Moreno recounted. "Thousands of people engaged in the legislative process, which is essential."

In a win for renters, Gianforte also signed House Bill 311 , which requires rental application fees to be returned to people who do not end up signing a lease.

During every big election, tens of thousands of California voters make a mistake on their mail-in ballot and often get differing advice on how to fix it, depending on who they ask. A new bill aims to standardize the response.

Assembly Bill 1072 would require the Secretary of State and county elections officials to come up with clear answers, applicable statewide.

Kim Alexander, founder and president of the California Voter Foundation, said the problem causes widespread delays in counting.

"In Orange County in the last election, officials had to duplicate over 40,000 ballots," Alexander pointed out. "There are other reasons why ballots have to be duplicated, but the primary one is that the voter made a mistake filling out their ballot, indicated a different choice, and it has to be remade."

Common mistakes include accidentally filling in the wrong bubble, signing the witness signature box or signing their spouses' envelope. If there is time, the county will often send a new ballot.

Alexander noted a common set of instructions should be posted on the website of the Secretary of State and every county registrar.

"They are instructed, typically, to cross out the choice and fill out the choice that they preferred and draw an arrow to it or circle it to indicate that is their intent," Alexander explained. "What they should not do is initial it, and sometimes voters think that's what they should do."

The outlook for the bill is good. It is currently on the consent calendar for the Assembly Appropriations Committee.


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An Indiana debate over history and power is growing. Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith recently defended the Three-Fifths Compromise in a social media video. The compromise counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxes.

Beckwith called it a "great move" for America at the time, and praised the group WallBuilders, describing them as the "gold standard" for teaching U.S. history.

The Indiana Citizen investigated both claims. Publisher Bill Moreau called on Hoosiers to pay attention.

"We have been working on a project since the first of the year that we called: 'One Heartbeat Away: Do Christian nationalists have an agenda for Indiana?' Lt. Gov. Beckwith is literally one heartbeat away from being governor," he said.

If Beckwith became governor, he could shape education policy. That includes choosing textbooks. The Indiana Citizen's report found WallBuilders promotes views rejected by most historians. Some Hoosiers agree with Beckwith and say his views reflect America's religious roots.

Moreau encouraged Hoosiers to stay informed and take a closer look at the history Beckwith promotes.

"Understand what Lt. Gov. Beckwith said about the Three-Fifths Compromise," he added. "How he attributes that analysis to this group called WallBuilders - which he considers to be 'the gold standard for learning the real history of America.'"


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