Election Reformers Network aims to end partisan and insider control over elections. Favoring neither the left nor the right, we lead a U.S. movement to ensure that country comes first, not party.
Fair, functioning democracy is important
A range of powerful forces act together to make America an increasingly divided country. These influences are woven into the core elements of our life: from social media algorithms that incentivize anger, to 24-hour news cycles that retain viewers by amplifying a false dichotomy of far left and far right.
Even where and with whom people choose to live can become a political matter. No one person or side is to blame, but we have everything to lose if we don’t strengthen the core institutions of our nation to withstand this new polarizing reality.
Polarization is worsened by an archaic set of election rules left over from a bygone political era. We place parties in charge of everything from voting rules, to district lines, to election oversight. These practices overrepresent the extremes and discourage common ground.
Meanwhile, peer democracies have innovated, upgrading election systems to require impartiality, encourage compromise, reduce conflicts of interest, and sustain broad participation and trust. Evidence-based solutions exist; we only need the will to implement them.
Rising polarization colliding against outdated and hyper-partisan systems could soon lead to a complete breakdown in American democracy.
No system can ever be all things to all people, but we won’t make headway on any of the issues Americans care about until we move past polarization and operate within an impartial, trusted, fair governance system. America’s democratic republic relies on an election ecosystem that works – for today, tomorrow, and the next generation.
What’s new and noteworthy at ERN
Our team is proud to spearhead the Election Overtime project, which equips reporters to accurately cover close and contested elections and strengthen voter understanding.
Kevin Johnson and Alex Keyssar on the possibility of a tie in the Electoral College.
ERN's Kevin Johnson and Issue One's Nick Penniman on the importance of intentional Election Night coverage.
North Carolina election experts praise bipartisan hurricane response and encourage patience for accurate vote count during ERN's Election Overtime event.
Election Overtime - a project of the Election Reformers Network - has released a guide to help voters navigate the presidential election process.
ERN in the media: One of the most important things to remember as we approach election day is that in 2020 our election institutions held, despite unprecedented threats, and they’ve been reinforced since.
At a briefing hosted by ERN, experts shared that they expect quicker election results compared to 2020, despite a “lack of political will” from the General Assembly to improve the counting process. Former officials also pleaded with the media: “Be thoughtful about unintended consequences of election reporting.”
At a briefing hosted by ERN, experts spoke about some of the election vulnerabilities in Arizona including the risk of intimidation near polling places, election official turnover, and insufficient knowledge by voters about election procedures.
