Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Students enrolled in our course are encouraged to write for the course blog, and to read and comment on posts from students at other participating universities. The blog offers students the opportunity to analyze current events through the lens of the theory and case studies they engage with through the course.

These are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Rebuilding a Rigged Democracy: Why Restraint Isn’t Enough

On April 12, 2026, Viktor Orbán lost. After sixteen years in power, his Fidesz party was crushed by Péter Magyar’s Tisza party in the highest-turnout election Hungary has held since 1990, and Orbán conceded on election night. For a man who proudly spoke of building an...
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2026 Hungarian Elections Aftermath: An exchange of populist leaders or a redemption for democracy?

The 2026 Hungarian national elections on April 12 have taken the world by surprise. Long-standing populist and stealth-autocrat prime minister Viktor Orbán and his party, FIDESZ, lost the election after 16 years in power to the opposition party TISZA, led by Péter...
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Democratic Erosion Within the United States Under the Trump Administration

An article by The Washington Post reports an increase in election-related lawsuits as the 2026 midterms approach. A reason behind this increase in lawsuits is partially due to President Donald Trump's aggressive push for changes to mail-in ballots. While this change...
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