The crowd gathers in the cold light of the early January morning in Washington DC. They are here to listen to the words of one man. There is an expectant hush as the speaker climbs onto the platform. "We will stop the steal," he proclaims to huge cheers. "We will never give up, we will never concede!"

Hours after Donald Trump addressed the crowd, an enormous mob stormed into the US Capitol. The insurrection led to deaths, injuries and hundreds of arrests. The aim of the riot was to overturn the election of Democrat Joe Biden and keep Trump in power.  

Now, with voting for the midterm elections set to take place tomorrow, Biden fears that Republican candidates in the election may follow the lead of former president Trump and refuse to accept defeat. "We can't take democracy for granted any longer," said President Biden.  

"As I stand here today" he went on to say, "there are candidates running for every level of office in America - for governor, for Congress, for attorney generalThe top legal officer of a state or territory., for secretary of state - who won't commit to accepting the results of the elections they're in." 

Biden gave a clear warning, "That is the path to chaos in America. It's unprecedentedNever been seen before.. It's unlawful. And it is un-American." The US government is concerned that the election may lead to more domestic terrorismTerrorism perpetrated on a country by people from the same country. from far-right Republican supporters and have issued warnings of a "heightened threat". 

It is a threat being taken seriously by many in the highest levels of government. Just last month, an intruder broke into the home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Unable to find the politician, the man launched an attack on her 82-year-old husband. The man was later revealed to be a follower of online conspiracy theories who believed that the 2020 presidential election was actually won by Trump. 

Biden's opponents say he is simply trying to cause panic as he fears his party will lose power in the elections. Indeed, opinion polls point towards the Republican Party gaining power in the House and maybe even in the Senate. If this happens it will make passing laws very difficult for the current administration. 

But some are warning that the Republicans are prepared to take drastic measures if the result does not go the GOPShort for "Grand Old Party", a term for the US Republican party. 's way. Critics accuse the party of using both voter suppression and gerrymanderingChanging the boundaries of an electoral area to favour a particular political party. to gain an advantage. Steve Bannon, the former advisor to Donald Trump, has even backed a movement to rewrite the US constitution to entrench far-right conservative values.¹ Others, such as the Republican nominee for governor of Wisconsin , want to change the rules so they "never lose another election".

The statistics are worrying. Nearly 30% of Americans believe the voting machines in the 2020 election were programmed to change votes. Eighteen percent think mass shootings are staged by gun control campaigners. And 31% even think that top Democrats are involved in child sex-trafficking.² One thing is clear: whatever the outcome of the election, the battle for the future of the so-called land of the free has only just begun.

Yes: Democracy is the rule of the people and it should be respected. Bad faith actors are refusing to accept the will of the people and turning to violence and dishonest means to ensure they get into power.

No: A democracy means we get to choose who represents us, the United States has many checks and balances to ensure this system is fair. The number of people threatening violence is small.

Or... Democracy has its flaws but it is the best political system so far. Now, it may need to evolve to meet the demands of the 21st Century.