May 21, 2026
Press Release: As American Democracy Faces Continued Challenges, New ERN Report Looks for Lessons from Abroad
Comparative case studies show how democracies built safeguards for neutral election administration
Rule of law and choice are under threat
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Rising polarization colliding against outdated and hyper-partisan systems could soon lead to a complete breakdown in American democracy.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.
Defending against abuse of power
Comparative case studies show how democracies built safeguards for neutral election administration
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has published a precedent-setting firewall policy establishing clear steps to reduce potential conflicts of interest while she campaigns for governor
Local election officials across the U.S. face political and ethical pressures that are damaging to their profession, underreported, and often structurally enabled. Concrete, structural solutions can mitigate risks and strengthen the profession.
ERN Executive Director Kevin Johnson sat down with the Democracy Lab podcast to discuss why the U.S. is the only modern democracy that gives parties and politicians such extensive influence over how we run our elections.
This tracker represents a portion of election litigation cases around the nation with priority focus on states that are presidential "battlegrounds" or are locations for nonpartisan election observation. The tracker is being regularly expanded as additional cases are introduced, or existing ones are identified.
Utah's SB 194 mandates conflict of interest avoidance for election chief, neutrality for county clerks, to improve transparency and public confidence
