Q: How does a democracy work if no one believes in the results of an election.? A: it doesn't
We already seen states trying to invalidate the elections in other states, and since then the efforts to undermine trust in our elections and restrict voting have only increased. Running for office as a Republican means almost all have to buy into the big lie, independent voting officials have received death threats, and oversight of elections is increasingly in the hands of political parties which is exactly the plan devised to overthrow the last election. IOW both parties are increasingly motivated to question election results.
The US is no longer the gold standard when it comes to elections.