During the 2020 election, liberal pundits and politicians repeatedly warned that democracy was “on the line,” “at stake,” “in peril,” and facing “an existential threat.” There was occasion for the hyperbolic language: Donald Trump and his Republican allies orchestrated an unprecedented assault on the integrity of U.S. elections by, to list just a few examples, promulgating ludicrous lies about voter fraud, obstructing early mail-in voting, encouraging vigilante voter intimidation, and constricting access to polls. But critics risk succumbing to a liberal version of “Make America Great Again” nostalgia if they assume Trump’s departure from office will solve our democratic crisis. His efforts to maintain power built upon a long history of political exclusion and racial subordination in the United States. It is not surprising that politicians, if allowed, would prefer to pick their own voters. The more vexing question is why voter suppression is not more taboo in a country that extols its democratic system as a beacon for the world.

在2020年大选期间，自由主义者和政界人士多次警告说，民主“处于危险之中”，“处于危险之中”，“处于危险之中”并面临着“生存威胁”。有时候会使用双曲线的语言：唐纳德·特朗普和他的共和党盟友精心策划了一场空前的对美国大选完整性的攻击，举了一些荒谬的谎言：选民欺诈，妨碍早期邮寄投票，鼓励警惕的选民。恐吓，并限制民意测验的访问。但是，如果批评家认为特朗普卸任将解决我们的民主危机，他们就有可能屈服于自由派的“让美国再次伟大”怀旧。他维持权力的努力建立在美国悠久的政治排斥和种族从属历史基础上。政客们毫不奇怪，如果允许，宁愿选择自己的选民。更为棘手的问题是，为什么在一个赞扬其民主制度作为世界灯塔的国家中，压制选民不再是禁忌。