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By Aboubakr Barry, Chief Executive Officer, Results Associates, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Aboubakr Kaira Barry CFA — Results Associates
Former President Trump spent the last two years attempting to subvert American democracy. On Tuesday, during the 2026 midterm elections, voters stood up to him with determination. In response to the president’s multiple attempts to manipulate the elections—through extreme partisan gerrymandering, false allegations of voter fraud, and coordinated efforts to block mail-in voting—tens of millions of Americans pushed back by turning out in massive numbers to reject the Republican Party that had become his accomplice. The Democrats regained control of the Senate and are on track to win the House of Representatives. This repudiation was powerful enough to transcend the usual polarization: Republicans suffered defeats even in traditionally conservative strongholds such as Kansas, Kentucky, Iowa, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas. Many independent and moderate Republican voters now view this second term as a clear failure. This outcome restores an essential institutional counterbalance to the authoritarian drift of the executive power. Starting in January, the new parliamentary majority will have the necessary prerogatives to investigate constitutional violations and propose alternative legislation. Although significant structural challenges remain and attempts at destabilization are still foreseeable, the republican and constitutional system has held strong.
The Three Pillars of Institutional Resistance
Beyond citizen mobilization, three groups of actors played a decisive role in preserving democratic regularity:
1. **Election Officials and Administrators**: Subjected to relentless pressure and recurring conspiracy theories, election inspectors and officials from both political sides performed their duties with integrity. Several prominent figures rejected the Justice Department’s demands for the transmission of confidential personal data (dates of birth, driver’s licenses, and portions of Social Security numbers). Among them, Republican Lieutenant Governor of Utah, Deidre Henderson, Democratic Secretary of State of Michigan, Jocelyn Benson, and Republican Secretary of State of West Virginia, Kris Warner, defied federal lawsuits and succeeded. This stance demonstrates the effectiveness of American federalism, which constitutionally entrusts the conduct of elections to the states.
2. **Legal Experts and Civic Organizations**: In response to presidential decrees aimed at complicating voter registration and restricting the distribution of mail-in ballots through postal services, civil society increased litigation efforts. Organizations such as the Brennan Center, the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, and Common Cause, supported by several state attorneys general, compensated for the timidity of some private firms by rigorously bringing litigation before the courts.
3. **Federal Judges**: In the face of intimidation attempts, federal trial judges—appointed by both Democratic and Republican administrations—upheld constitutional law. Twenty-seven consecutive rulings rejected requests for voter lists from the administration. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court confirmed in September the ban on postal services obstructing mail-in voting, reminding of the existence of strict constitutional limits. These results affirm that the ultimate power to choose leaders remains in the hands of the citizens. However, citizen and institutional vigilance must remain intact until the final certification of all results and the official swearing-in of elected officials.
