This Case Study is part of The Global State of Democracy 2023 Report. 

In light of the upcoming presidential and congressional elections in November 2024, it is critical to examine the hurdles that get in the way of elections’ success as a Countervailing Institutions in the USA. Though Global State of Democracy data shows that the USA remains midrange performing with regard to Rights, in the past five years it has experienced statistically significant decline in its performance in Social Group Equality. Flaws in addressing structural racism and measures that target political equality explain democratic contraction in this dimension.