Every election is a direct reminder of the power — and complexity — of democracy. This year’s is also an outlet for anxieties, across the political spectrum, about how democracy itself is fairing.

“Democracy and good government” ranked as a top issue for a quarter of the Coloradans who participated in the Voter Voices survey. Moderates and liberals ranked it higher than conservatives, but it made the top three for all three groups.

That umbrella term captures many different concerns. For opponents of former president Donald Trump, the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 continues to loom large and they fear a repeat should he lose again. Among those who identified as conservative in the Voter Voices survey, 60% said they were “not at all confident” that the election would be conducted fairly across the country as opposed to slightly more than 10% of self-identified liberals. (Confidence in local elections was much higher for both groups.)  

Survey respondents who said democracy is their top concern wrote of the country’s polarization, its clashing worldviews, the fear that Trump will act on his threats to turn government against his perceived enemies and, from Trump supporters, the belief that President Joe Biden already has. They worry about increasing political violence. The presidential campaign has been marred by  two attempts to assassinate Trump. Judges hearing cases against Jan. 6 participants have faced waves of threats, as have election officials across the country, including here in Colorado.