As I write this newsletter, I’m also sitting in front of the TV, watching CNN (I was a single mother of two children – I can do lots of things at the same time) as the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot gavels into what may be its final public session.

The hearings have focused on efforts by former President Donald Trump and his supporters to undo the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election. Ultimately, the panel’s work concerned democracy and how to protect and defend this nation’s bedrock democratic institution – elections – from violence and corruption. To that end, our stories this week have focused both on the hearings themselves and on the conduct of U.S. elections.

Jonathan Coopersmith at Texas A&M writes about how it’s taking longer to cast a ballot in elections, and even longer for Black and brown voters. “Where you are and who you are significantly affect how long it will take you to vote,” writes Coopersmith, who says such waits can discourage future voting.

Arizona State’s Thom Reilly writes about partisan officials presiding over elections; Amherst College’s Austin Sarat describes how a growing movement among Republicans to challenge a voter’s right to cast a ballot echoes hundreds of years of U.S. voter suppression; and two stories examine the meaning and impact of the House Jan. 6 committee’s hearings.

In the end, it’s up to all of us to do the hard work of sustaining democracy. These stories, and our continuing coverage of democracy, equip you with facts that will help you do that.