Democracy Dies in Darkness
Imperfect Union

American democracy is cracking. These forces help explain why.

Behind the sense that the political system is broken lies a collision between forces both old and new

17 min
(Video: Illustration by Courtney Beesch/The Washington Post; animation by Emma Kumer/The Washington Post)

In a country where the search for common ground is increasingly elusive, many Americans can agree on this: They believe the political system is broken and that it fails to represent them.

They aren’t wrong.

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