The United States has dropped 11 points in 10 years in the global ranking for freedom.
Coming in at 83 out of 100 possible points, the US is now tied with countries such as Panama, Romania, and Croatia, and behind Argentina and Mongolia.
America is outstripped by the United Kingdom and Chile which both got 93 points, Costa Rica at 91 and Slovakia at 90.
The nordic trio of Finland, Sweden, and Norway were the only countries getting full marks at 100 points.
America's neighbour to the north, Canada, came in at 98 points.
These developments include the racial inequality in voting and criminal justice, with Black and Native Americans being most acutely affected.
The House passed a massive voting bill earlier this month, but it faces an "uphill battle" in the Senate, The New York Times reports. »
