More than half of the Republican candidates for public office deny the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, according to a recent article published by the Washington Post. 

When else in modern American history has the majority of candidates from a major political party outright refused to accept the legitimacy of a sitting president? 

I will not flirt with the notion that there is any veracity behind this lie. The 2020 presidential election was the most secure election in American history, period. Instead, this article will focus on the consequences of Trump’s “Big Lie,” and the danger it poses as the midterm elections near. Democracy is in jeopardy.

Trump’s “Big Lie” propagates that the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election are fraudulent and, therefore, Donald Trump is still the rightful president of the United States. When he lost his bid for reelection, Trump began perpetuating rumors of “ballot altering,” voting booth “glitches,” and “fake votes” to cast doubt on the results of the 2020 election. 

It is my deepest dissatisfaction to inform you that Trump’s efforts managed to convince as much as 70% of Republican voters that the election was “stolen.” 

The ramifications of Trump’s success in bolstering his claims have been – to use one of Trump’s favorite words – huge. It is this very lie that led to the infamous attempted coup d’état on Jan. 6, 2021. 

The world stood shocked as armed militias, self-described Nazis, white supremacists, and other supporters of Trump breached the U.S. Capitol with the intention to prevent the certification of the 2020 election results. 

What’s more disturbing is that, in his capacity as president of the United States of America, Trump told the very people who gave the blood-curdling chant “hang Mike Pence,” that he loved them and that they were “very special.”

Insurrectionists came from all fifty states to prevent the peaceful transfer of power and murder the vice president and members of congress, all because of the “Big Lie.” 

This is, perhaps, the greatest threat to American democracy since the Civil War – and it came from the president directly.

Make no mistake, the greatest threat to democracy is not Donald Trump, but the people that support him. 

Trump has crafted a cult-of-personality that is unmatched by any other American president. His supporters are so wholly devoted to him that they have become blinded to logic and reason. It doesn’t matter to them how many times he lies, contradicts himself, or fails to fulfill his grandiose promises; they still adore him. 

Trump has planted hatred into the minds of so many Americans. It is both remarkable and terrifying at how effective he is in mobilizing his supporters. 

These people are the reason why so many Republican candidates, many of whom certainly know better, have chosen to propagate the “election fraud” lie.

Now, the “Big Lie” looms like the sword of Damocles, waiting to strike at our democracy again. Two hundred and ninety-one Republican candidates have affirmed Trump’s lie. Even worse, the majority of them are forecasted to win. 

The Republican Party is set to have a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Should this occur, the Republicans will choose a new Speaker of the House, giving them considerable leverage over another contested election. 

Could this be the end of democracy in America? 

I think it is no stretch of the imagination to assume Trump will run for president again in 2024, and the Republican Party will support him. 

If he loses the general election again, I have no doubt Trump will attempt to leverage the GOP’s predicted control of the House to undermine the election. 

To those of you who disagree I must ask you: do you really believe a man who has spent the last half-decade convincing millions of Americans that many of the free press publications are “fake news,” was impeached twice and incited a coup would be above undermining a free and fair election for the second time? 

For the first time in many of our lives, whether the results of a presidential election will be upheld is uncertain. 

America is standing at a precipice. Donald Trump, Republican midterm candidates, and the woefully large percentage of voters who still believe Trump’s infectious deceptions threaten to silence the voice of the American people. 

We must do all we can to preserve democracy. We can no longer take our constitutional rights and assurances for granted. 

Please, vote to protect democracy. Make your voice heard while you still can.