Diagnostic tools for evaluating the transgression of democratic accountability standards: the United States election administration and public health crisis of 2020

Abstract In the United States in 2020 and early 2021, two historic crises relating to public health and election administration placed significant stresses on democratic institutions and civil servants, and contributed to the erosion of democratic accountability standards and the promulgation of democratic backsliding. Employing critical events analysis, a set of seven democratic accountability standards serve as benchmarks against which detailed timelines for each event are assessed. The study concludes that both critical events contributed to the erosion of democratic accountability standards, particularly seen in the failures of public leaders to demonstrate forbearance toward democratic institutions; to respect and defer to the professional discretion of career civil servants; and to draw on truth claims and evidence to guide decisions and actions. Implications for the present state of American democracy and public administration are considered.