V-Dem Institute warns U.S. approaching "Electoral Autocracy" threshold

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Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute’s quarterly update shows United States rapidly approaching threshold for classification as “Electoral Autocracy,” with liberal democracy index falling below critical benchmarks for judicial independence, legislative constraints, and media freedom. The report suggests the U.S. may no longer qualify as a democracy by end of summer 2025 due to expanding executive authority, weakening Congressional power, and undermining independent institutions.

Sources & Citations

[1] V-Dem Democracy Report Q2 2025 - U.S. Approaching Autocracy · May 10, 2025 Tier 2

[2] Academic institute warns of U.S. electoral autocracy · May 10, 2025 Tier 1

[3] Autocracies Outnumber Democracies for the First Time in 20 Years: V-Dem · Mar 25, 2025 Tier 2

Tiers Tier 1 court records & gov docs · Tier 2 established outlets · Tier 3 regional & specialty press · Tier 4 opinion or single-source. Methodology →

Cite this entry

The Cascade Ledger. “V-Dem Institute warns U.S. approaching "Electoral Autocracy" threshold.” The Capture Cascade Timeline, May 10, 2025. https://capturecascade.org/event/2025-05-10--v-dem-electoral-autocracy-threshold/