Lifting Voter Confidence

Fall 2024
By Katy Munger

The rise of extreme partisanship has taken a heavy toll on America in recent years. By gaming a decentralized election system, lawmakers have been able to tailor voting laws to favor one political party over the opposition — often creating voting barriers for many Americans and eroding confidence in election results. However, a bipartisan solution exists — and that is to strengthen national election standards. 

Since 2005, Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and Emory University’s Carter Center have created a blueprint for bipartisan election reform that is tailor-made for these times. Their recently published “10 Guiding Principles for Election Administration” are envisioned as an “overriding set of standards that can guide state and local election officials as they develop their own specific ways to conduct elections — ensuring that voters receive appropriate levels of service no matter where they live,” the authors write. 

“The divided and polarized debates around elections in the U.S. are worrying for us,” says David Carroll, Democracy Program director of the Carter Center. “Our biggest motivation was witnessing the difficulties of administering elections during such an intense election cycle with so many changes to the legal landscape.”

We wanted to show how our two separate institutions — the Carter Center and the Baker Institute for Public Policy — have come together to promote bipartisan cooperation and collaboration during an incredibly divided time in our nation. — David Carroll, the Carter Center

Advocates for the report believe that change is possible. “Interested readers can help advocate for bipartisan cooperation by contacting legislators and other electoral stakeholders to achieve these principles,” Carroll says. “They should be mindful that contexts vary across states, but overall, it is very important to raise public awareness of bipartisan cooperation.” 

If implemented, these changes would go a long way toward ensuring that America’s democratic institutions and elections serve all voters, regardless of their political party. “The guiding principles offered in the report are designed to instill confidence among people on both sides of the political aisle,” John Williams, co-director of the Baker Institute’s Presidential Elections Program, explains. “If we can agree on such principles, then perhaps policymakers can develop laws and regulations that govern elections in sensible and pragmatic ways.”
— Katy Munger
 

10 Guiding Principles for Election Administration

1. America’s election system — and the democracy it supports — must be a national priority.
2. Election laws and policies should be clear, transparent and well communicated to the public.
3. Voter registration should be widely available, easily accomplished, secure and well run.
4. Voting — specifically, the act of receiving and casting a ballot — should be flexible enough to meet voters’ needs equitably.
5. Voting technology should be a gateway, not a barrier, to the voting process.
6. States and localities should prioritize policies that allow ballots to be cast and received on or before Election Day so that the final count can be completed as soon as possible after the close of polls.
7. Military and overseas voters should continue to have the opportunity to cast timely and valid ballots.
8. Tabulation of election returns should be transparent and proceed in an orderly fashion.
9. Jurisdictions should commit to regular and rigorous audits of the election process.
10. The U.S. should embrace recognized standards and best practices for elections and should welcome nonpartisan, independent election observation efforts.