‘Unlike anything we’ve seen’: the unprecedented risks facing US democracy

From attacks on election officials to politicizing election boards, threats to the voting system are deeply worrying

Hello, and Happy Thursday,

For some year-end reporting, I've been talking with folks about how 2021 exploded as the year American democracy came under siege. It's unlike anything we've ever seen," David Becker, an election administration expert and the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, told me.

The Atlantic profiled Crystal Mason, the Texas woman sentenced to five years in prison for using a provisional ballot in 2016. Mason's case, the profile points out, shows the devastating consequences of unfounded claims about fraud.

BuzzFeed News has a great look at how election deniers are going door to door in some places across the country.

Texas restarted an effort to remove non-citizens from its voting rolls, sparking concerns officials may be targeting eligible voters.