On the Gist, the system is antiquated.

In the interview, Mike talks with Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism, about America's future after election day. They talk about the small but concerning ways the country could slide towards a dictatorship, and how Trump's tactics have made people less willing to believe in the power of democracy.

In the spiel, a lot is on the ballot.

Email us at thegist@slate.com

Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley.

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278: You Have a Decision Maker Problem - Jeff Bajorek