American and British voters share deep roots. In 2024, they distrust their own leaders, too

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Audio By Carbonatix

1:07 AM on Sunday, June 30, 2024

By LAURIE KELLMAN and CHRISTINE FERNANDO

DARTFORD, England (AP) — British and American voters are going to the polls the same year for the first time in more than three decades. Voters in both places tell The Associated Press they distrust the candidates and their governments. They say years of scandal, lies and misinformation have drained the optimism and excitement they might have felt. They don’t like the personal attacks that define the rematch between U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump. In the U.K., the July 4 vote is more about an overwhelming appetite for change after 14 years under the Conservatives. July 4 provides an apt snapshot of one of the world’s biggest democracies and the country that gave rise to it, 250 years after they split.