There’s a competition crisis in America’s state legislatures – and that’s bad for democracy

More than half the races for Massachusetts state House seats have gone uncontested by one of the two major parties in every election since at least 2010. Phil Roeder/Getty Images

Many Americans report frustration with the two-party system, in which the Democratic and Republican candidates are seen as the only viable options for elective office.

But an alarming trend in many state legislative elections is lowering the bar even further, to something more like a one-party system. In dozens of states, an increasing number of state legislative seats are going completely uncontested by one of the two major parties.