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Two weeks from today, Election Day will be over. But will we have a president? Yes. Well, maybe not. \u201cI will tell you at the time. I\u2019ll keep you in suspense,\u201d GOP candidate Donald Trump said at the last presidential debate after the moderator asked if he would accept the election results. Trump\u2019s suspicion towards the system reflects the views of 4 in 10 Americans who agreed that the election could be \u201cstolen\u201d from him as a result of voter fraud. This is but one area in which American democratic institutions have come into question. In recent years, law enforcement and the criminal justice system have been increasingly accused of racism and racial bias, while former Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders accused the country\u2019s economy of being \u201crigged.\u201d Some of the other rigged accusations may have merit, says Elesha Coffman, an assistant professor of history at Baylor University. But applying this term to the United States\u2019 elections is \u201chorrifying.\u201d \u201cIt is unprecedented to say, \u2018I don\u2019t know, I\u2019ll keep you in suspense,\u2019\u201d said Coffman. \u201cIt was profoundly undemocratic and profoundly destabilizing, and you really wonder if and when Trump goes down \u2026 what all is he taking down with him.\u201d Coffman joins Mark and Morgan on Quick to Listen to discuss whether the Gilded Age should be seen as an aberration or norm, the problem with trying to use the criminal justice system to make a point, and whether gerrymandering leads to accusations of rigged elections.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices