For those of us working to reduce partisanship in election administration and protect fair elections, last night brought a lot of good news, along with some bad, with more to understand in the days and weeks ahead. Here's one way to sum it up: The "Big Lie" lost a lot of ground, but the "Big...
Originally published in multiple outlets by the Associated Press. After votes are cast, officials check lists of voters against the number of ballots cast and research any discrepancies, which often are due to clerical errors or mistakes. Votes also have to go through the certification process at the local and then state levels...
Former White House Counsel and Law Professor Larry Schwartztol cited ERN research in his opinion piece on impartial elections for The Atlantic. The article explains that nonpartisan, professionalized election administration is the norm in many other democracies; the American system of allowing partisan politicians to run elections is an outlier.
Originally published on the PBS NewsHour website. In some states, Secretaries of State also perform non-election roles. They can oversee business licenses, or, as in Arizona, be first-in-line successors to the governorship. The Texas secretary of state publishes the governments rules and regulations, authorizes people as notaries public and acts as a senior advisor on border issues and...
With partisan tensions running high and trust in elections low, it's crucial that voters and journalists are aware of the procedures that election administrators and the courts have in place to fairly resolve disputes. Understanding these steps can help ensure that results are broadly accepted as legitimate, even when...
This op-ed by ERN Executive Director Kevin Johnson originally appeared in GOVERNING. It may be hard to remember now, but Jan. 6, 2021, wasnt the first time the 2020 presidential election nearly went off the rails. Several swing states had already seen organized efforts to seriously challenge results, nowhere more dangerously than in Michigan, where party...
Originally published in multiple outlets by VERIFY, a project of TEGNA. The state's right to run their own elections was granted under the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution. According to the National Constitution Center, the Elections Clause gives each level of state and local government the authority to enact a complete code for elections, including rules...
Originally published by The Associated Press. In Arizona, with Hobbs now running for governor, Democrat Adrian Fontes has reported raising more than $2.4 million so far for the election to replace her as secretary of state. Records show his Republican opponent, state Rep. Mark Finchem, has raised more than $1.8 million. The Arizona tally doesn't...
Originally published in multiple outlets by States Newsroom. Some election denier candidates running this year have close ties to extremist groups. Republican secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem in Arizona has spoken at a QAnon convention and has appeared on a QAnon-supported podcast. Jim Marchant, the GOP candidate for secretary of state in Nevada, also attended the QAnon convention.
Originally published in Election Law Blog. It's no secret that trust in U.S. elections is worryingly low. But a new survey points the way towards a promising area for bipartisan reforms to shore up confidence in our elections: impartial election administration. The nationwide poll of 1,498 likely voters commissioned by Election Reformers Network (ERN) and released last week delves more deeply into how voters think elections should be run...