Dangers of Partisan Incentives for Election Officials

Americans expect that elections will result in legitimate winners—individual candidates gaining elected office because they receive the most votes in a fair contest. Rising polarization and ongoing, unsubstantiated attacks on the 2020 presidential election have moved us away from this democratic ideal.

In The Dangers of Partisan Incentives for Election Officials, a joint report by ERN and the Bipartisan Policy Center, we examine why partisanship has been a long-standing issue in U.S. election administration, how the issue is getting worse with shifting political dynamics, and which solutions can reverse these trends.

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