It’s difficult for Americans who grew up on sunny images of Ronald Reagan to grasp the depth of the contemporary Republican Party’s antipathy toward democracy. The most convincing evidence, of course, is the elevation of Donald Trump. Parties committed to republican government do not nominate criminals, demagogues or coup-plotters — Trump is emphatically all three — to leadership.

But arguably the most pervasive evidence of the GOP assault on democracy remains the party’s multi-front war on the franchise. The House of Representatives passed a bill last week that makes noncitizen voting illegal and requires proof of citizenship to register to vote. Since noncitizen voting is already illegal, and the Senate is well aware of that fact, the legislation will not go far. It’s what’s known as a messaging bill. The message: Do not trust democracy.