After America elected Donald Trump, the Washington Post adopted the slogan “Democracy dies in darkness.” This slogan is much mocked and for good reasons. Not only is it pretentious, it’s not true. “Darkness” descends only after democracy has died.

Democracy dies the way it always has. It dies in the usurpation of the public’s right to decide.

Throughout history, the usurper has usually been a tyrant, backed by force. But it can be a tribunal, such as a court. It can also be a larger body or even a somewhat disjointed group of like-minded bodies taking important measures without even the tacit consent of the governed.

The greatest threat to democracy in America is not Donald Trump. In the sad event of his election, Trump’s power will largely be curbed the same way it was during his first stint as president — by legislators and by judges applying the Constitution. In the very unlikely event that these checks fail, his power will be curbed by the military, which does not support him to anything approaching the degree a Trump tyranny would require.