Overall, American states are becoming more democratic
But there are some notable outliers
The residents of Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia share a border, a downtown and even a nascar speedway. But thanks to the quirks of American federalism, the 27,800 Bristolians who live in the Volunteer State, as Tennessee calls itself, reside in what one ranking determines to be America’s least democratic state, while their 16,800 neighbours to the north live in one of the most democratic.
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This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Tocqueville updated”
United States January 4th 2025
From the January 4th 2025 edition
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