Elections
Voting access, administration, certification, redistricting.
70/100
14d +3.7Today's assessment
D2
U.S. democracy is at acute.
Acute backsliding; constitutional risk; EIU 'Hybrid Regime' band. Six lanes — elections, institutions, civil liberties, violence, information, and economy — are scored daily from primary legal records, watchdog and academic data, and corroborating reporting.
Updated How is this scored? →
The six lanes
Where the strain is showing
Institutions
Courts, civil service, separation of powers, oversight.
60/100
14d +8.5Civil Liberties
Speech, assembly, protest, due process, minority rights.
0/100
14d flatViolence
Political violence, intimidation, paramilitary activity.
67/100
14d +1.2Information
Press freedom, disinformation, government transparency.
4/100
14d -5.3Economy
Independence of regulators, kleptocracy risk, market trust.
67/100
14d -0.5Latest events
What changed in the last 72 hours
Civil LibertiesSevere
In ‘Tacones: The Sins of the Father,’ an ICE raid changes everything - DC Theater Arts
ICE enforcement [workplace_raid]. <a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipAFBVV95cUxOMzVXMTN2X0kyU0UtWEIzdTBGZmR6d2Y0UXFKZ1hDdUVka3BXOGtXdEdJTlFTYzBJR215dUgxQzRsUlBfZ25wNkVQZ1V4ZTRTc2ZHMl9xRm9zbzk0NlRyaDRKTnFYNUlKMVlKdTA5cWlHN01yWDBTckdhZGNEZVFhR3h6TzEtdnNRMkNsbDYxQ1Q5dXIwdl9rZ2VTc2VUUXQ3QWxGdA?oc=5" target="_blank">In ‘Tacones: The Sins of
-3.5
Civil LibertiesSevere
American teen who posted ‘ICE raid’ videos sees mother deported - WKRG
ICE enforcement [workplace_raid]. <a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikgFBVV95cUxNNkdfM0ZsLTd6MExKeUNQcjEzQmdSQUxYdU5zVzlMelpiNTVGRFZlNERTUDJhRkdlYi03QWMyTUtsNVF0TEF1Y3RzTkJvRGgtWjNvMFpIeDJIMHdVQk5fS2EzY0VoakF0dUVBVk53RUIxWVJQZlcwa3BLRE1BMTFZRDViU2lZRXc5ckZnWVBiZzYxd9IBqgFBVV95cUxQVFl4M180OW9ENWU4dDhDelNUN0liS2JVXzVCSnQ4RHY2NWhBTmF3M1d5WT
-3.5
Civil LibertiesNotable
A judge's personal nightmare: 'ICE tricked us and grabbed our foster son' - Detroit Free Press
ICE enforcement [ice_general]. <a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi0wFBVV95cUxNQ0xUSFZSZkVkc0o0NjR6Rm5JNWgzWE1WZ3BESnRqNTFKS0FZemJXSnlGOFlYRmlqM1ZCbVR2a09HMU40X2MyMmtSaVFqdmo2eTFlcVI5d1ZMZ1FGNC12TTVWNFhTWkRJWGNHRi1XOVpzbnE5eGYxbUxpOFNBYmxIOFlLSUlEdC02WnFCWVQ1QUk0cFdsUWMtSUl1UjZpa3NvQk0wdDlqQUFIV1k3b29CaEtaMHRxMjhoZDN3VjVQdUJtcTd0QVhoel
-0.5
InformationSevere
Final rule: Revision of Freedom of Information Act Regulations
Agencies: Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board — The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board or Board) is issuing this final rule to update its regulations under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The Board replaces its existing FOIA regulations with this rule, which streamlines the language of several procedural provisions; updates procedures consistent with current technology; incorporates changes required by amendments to the FOIA under the OPEN Government Act of 2007 and the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016, and developments in case law; and conforms to Department of Justice guidelines for agency FOIA regulations. — [topic:freedom of information+agency:epa]
-2.0
InstitutionsSerious
GAO: K-12 Education: Actions to Improve Oversight of Key Federal Programs and Address High Chronic Absenteeism
What GAO Found All states that receive funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) are required to develop statewide accountability systems. Thirty-six states have chosen to include indicators related to chronic absenteeism in their statewide accountability systems. ESEA also has certain chronic absenteeism reporting requirements for all states, regardless of whether a state includes chronic absenteeism in its accountability system. In 2026, the Department of Education discontinued its most comprehensive monitoring of ESEA’s programmatic and f [gao:fraud, waste, or abuse]
+0.7
Civil LibertiesNotable
ICE officer who shot Venezuelan man wasn't wearing body camera, sources say
ICE enforcement [ice_general]. The ICE officer who shot a Venezuelan delivery driver was not wearing a body camera at the time of the shooting, sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News.
-0.5
Close to home · New Jersey
What's happening in NJ right now
Civil LibertiesNotable
N.J. priest who ministered to detainees at ICE’s Delaney Hall drowns in El Salvador
ICE enforcement [ice_general] [NJ]. Fr. Alex Gaitan, coordinator of the Newark Archdiocese's immigrastion ministry and a pastor at St. Joseph's Church in Jersey City, was in the Central American country for a meeting with fellow members of the Claretian Catholic order.
-0.5
InstitutionsNotable
Newark mayor’s suit against feds tossed — but there’s still one way to save it
NJ government [RESTORATION] — marker: \b(?:court|lawsuit|complaint|filing|brief|petition)\b. The mayor has one final chance to keep his lawsuit alive after a federal judge's ruling.
+1.0
InstitutionsNotable
N.J. just made it easier for renters to slash their energy bills with plug-in solar panels
NJ government [EROSION] — marker: nj_general_erode. Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed the Garden State Balcony Solar Act, which removes key barriers for renters who want to use portable solar energy.
-0.5
Edited from Leonia, NJ. The Delaney Hall hunger strike, ICE facility oversight, and state-level pushback get extra attention on ICE Watch and Local NJ.
Editorial posture
Major media is corroboration, not the verdict.
Democratic backsliding is documented in court filings, agency orders, and academic indices long before it dominates a news cycle. Democracy on the Line weights those primary sources highest. Wire services and national dailies appear here as confirmation, never as the trigger for a severe alert.
Read the full methodology →Institutions, 14-day
14d ago60today