Originally published in The Washington Post | July 10, 2020 Across the country, election officials are living with a palpable sense of dread. Their worry is less about who will win or lose on Election Day than about how our vast, diverse system of voting will function amid a pandemic. Evidence from some primaries this…
[Originally published in The Houston Chronicle on April 24, 2020] As if our politics weren’t in terrible shape already, the pandemic seems likely to aggravate the deep rift in American society. While our country reels from a genuine American carnage, we’re already seeing the first hints of the possible effect the crisis may have on…
Larry Garber has worked on overseas elections for 35 years and is on the board of Election Reformers Network, a nonprofit founded by such international specialists now working to improve American electoral systems. Thirty years ago this spring, I received a call from a colleague at the National Democratic Institute who was on assignment in Eastern…
For Immediate Release Contact: Kevin Johnson 617 794 4383 kjohnson@electionreformers.org electionreformers.org Bipartisan Group of International Democracy Experts Calls on U.S. Leaders to Respond to Crisis by Reaffirming Commitment to Fair & Inclusive Elections Washington, DC; April 30, 2020. Fifty leading members of the international democracy promotion community released an open letter today urging political leaders…
Published in The Fulcrum, April 14, 2020 Regrettably, the bipartisan cooperation that enabled last month’s $2.2 trillion economic stimulus package fell short when it came to addressing concerns about coronavirus and elections. Congress did allocate $400 million for state election preparation, but proposals to require more voting by mail and early in-person voting met with…
COVID-19 creates unique hurdles for the United States’ electoral system. Whatever responses are developed, including expanding voting by mail, we should be careful that untested procedures, or signature verification issues, or other unexpected problems don’t become 2020’s hanging chad. A critical way to reduce risk is to make better use of the 77-day time period…
By Kevin Johnson, Larry Garber, and Edward McMahon Since Ronald Reagan launched the National Endowment for Democracy in 1982, the U.S. government has regularly funded American organizations working to support democracy overseas. In scores of countries around the world, Americans have advised on the design of new election systems, nurtured emerging civil society, funded voter…
Written by Edward R. McMahon, ERN Board Vice Chair A wide variety of election management models, all of which are supposed to ensure legitimate elections, exist throughout the democratic world. It is normal that countries will choose different ways of conducting elections, as countries are in a sense, like snowflakes – no two ones are…
Published in Commonwealth Magazine, March 10, 2020 VOTERS ACROSS MASSACHUSETTS approached last week’s presidential primary with different views on whom to support and what issues are most critical to address this election season. Yet many shared a common emotion: frustration at a system that stifles their voice by giving them only one choice, especially with over…
— Thank you Rob, It’s been a pleasure to get to know you and this great organization. It’s also an honor to co-host this event. When we got started, one of our first steps was to seek wisdom from Rob and Cynthia, and Rob, it was good to learn that conversation was a coming…
