Q&A: When it comes to democratic backsliding, our federalist system is a two-way street

As the 2026 midterm elections approach, the signs of democratic backsliding are everywhere across the U.S. political . Troubling signs include the Trump administration's demand for state voter roll data and interference with mail-in voting, the pressure it applied to Georgia election officials to reverse Joe Biden's victory in that state in the 2020 election and, of course, extreme partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts.