Biden warns ‘Democracy is at risk’, urges voters to consider this in midterms
In a speech in which he condemned political violence and election denialism, President Biden urged Americans to consider the threat to democracy when they cast their ballots in the midterm election. “I hope you’ll make the future of our democracy an important part of your decision to vote and how you vote,” he said.
Video transcript
JOE BIDEN: This is no ordinary year. So we're asking you to think long and hard about the moment we're in. iN a typical year, we're often not faced with questions of whether the vote we cast will preserve democracy or put us at risk. But this year, we are. This year, I hope you'll make the future of our democracy an important part of your decision to vote and how you vote.
I hope you'll ask a simple question of each candidate you might vote for. Will that person accept the legitimate will of the American people or the people voting in his district or her district? Will that person accept the outcome of the election, win or lose? The answer to that question is vital. And in my opinion, it should be decisive. And the answer to that question hangs the future of the country we love so much and the fate of the democracy that has made so much possible for us.
Too many people have sacrificed too much for too many years for us to walk away from the American project in democracy. Because we've enjoyed our freedoms for so long, it's easy to think they'll always be with us no matter what. But that isn't true today. In our bones, we know democracy at risk-- is at risk. But we also know this, IT'S within our power, each and every one of us, to preserve our democracy.
And I believe we will. I think I know this country. I know we will. You have the power. It's your choice. It's your decision. The fate of the nation, the fate of the soul of America lies where it always does-- with the people, in your hands, in your heart, in your ballot.
