Through November 5, our correspondents in the United States are answering your questions about the election.

Do you think the election result has the potential to cause unrest, or has the US learned its lesson?

Gary, Kilmarnock

American correspondent Mark Stone say…

You hear the phrase “civil war” far too much these days here in America.

As inconvenient as it is, we’re not there. That’s the good news.

But now we are in a realm where something once thought impossible in modern America is now contemplated. The tensions and anxieties in America now run deep.

The nation is divided, there is an urban-rural divide. Nothing too new there. But now it’s deeper.

The nation is also on lockdown. The different parties do not trust each other; they don’t listen to each other’s perspectives. America’s media, which has become deeply partisan, is distrusted. “I get my news online” is a phrase I hear all the time. This is not healthy.

The institutions that act as balancing rails are creaking, some would say compromised.

One of the two candidates in this election is constantly undermining the electoral process and the judicial process, sowing doubt among his followers. All of this was dangerous even before Donald Trump once again propelled himself within an inch of the White House.

During Mr. Trump’s last presidency, the institutions that act as railings to uphold democracy — such as the courts, the military, state officials — have remained in place.

The danger this time is that a victorious Donald Trump will hire only those officials who are fully loyal to him. He clarified this. Also remember that the power of the American presidency under a president who doesn’t care about the law is huge.

Some experts argue that America has already entered a zone where it is no longer a full-fledged democracy. It’s not an autocracy, but in a middle ground they call it an “anocracy” because of the erosion of some of the key pillars.

This is the important context through which the question of “civil war” should be considered.

This result of this election will almost certainly be very close. Counts and claims of fraud (composed of Trumps ripe in disbelief) are very likely.

A narrow Harris victory would likely prompt Trumpian accusations of fraud.

They would be reviewed by the courts he has already undermined and perhaps then elevated to the highest court – the Supreme Court – which he loaded with his aligned justices in his last term.

We all remember the January 6th nightmare on Capitol Hill. A dress rehearsal? Let’s hope not. But the prospect of unrest in state Capitol buildings in various states, where Trump-aligned politicians hold key positions, is real.

Another scenario: Trump wins, perhaps comfortably. Then there is the danger of protests – which could turn violent – from the left who could react against Mr Trump’s policies, which they will see as a slide towards authoritarianism.

So – do I feel the election result has the potential to cause unrest? Yes. Has the US learned its lesson? Not.