Election Dispute Resolution - Election Reformers Network

Election Reformers Network Calls for All Secretaries of State Who Are Candidates to Recuse Themselves From Key Roles in Close Races

November 7, 2022Kevin Johnson

Statement from ERN Executive Director Kevin Johnson: In Tuesday’s elections, fifteen secretaries of state (listed in the table below) who serve as their state’s most senior election administrator are themselves on the ballot in contested races, either for re-election or for governor. Although many secretaries of state manage such situations of potential conflict of interest...

What Happens if an Election is Close and Contested? An FAQ for Voters and Journalists

November 4, 2022Al Vanderklipp

Many of Tuesday's races are expected to be close. With partisan tensions running high and trust in elections low, it's crucial that voters and journalists are aware of the procedures that election administrators and the courts have in place to fairly resolve disputes. Understanding these steps can help ensure that results are broadly accepted as legitimate, even when...

Declaring Who Wins Elections Is Not A Job For Partisans

September 6, 2022Kevin Johnson

This post by By Kevin Johnson originally appeared on TalkingPointsMemo. If the stars align, Congress could soon pass a much-needed overhaul of the Electoral Count Act (ECA), the 19th-century law governing presidential electoral-vote counting, whose ambiguities helped spawn chaos on January 6th. In pushing to reform the ECA, a bipartisan group of senators is acknowledging a dangerous...

Michigan’s partisan gerrymander is gone. Next: partisan canvassing boards

June 28, 2022Kevin Johnson

This op-ed by ERN Executive Director Kevin Johnson and The People’s Katie Fahey originally appeared in Bridge Michigan. In 2018, Michiganders of all sides won one of the greatest battles for basic fairness in the state’s history. Michigan “slayed the dragon” of partisan gerrymandering, taking election district drawing out of the self-dealing hands of legislators…

Politicians certifying election results is risky and unnecessary

June 21, 2022Kevin Johnson

This post by By Kevin Johnson originally appeared on The Fulcrum. In recent months, we’ve gotten a crash course in the ways that our election systems are now dangerously vulnerable to partisan interference and disorder. Numerous candidates for secretary of state deny the results of the 2020 election, including several who are, or likely will…

Why Judges, Not Lawmakers, Should Rule on Disputed Elections

March 5, 2021Kevin Johnson

This post originally appeared in GOVERNING. Disregard for the judgments of courts is a sure sign that democracy is in trouble. Donald Trump’s machinations after the Nov. 3 election centered, fundamentally, on overturning the many court rulings rejecting his claims of fraud. Channeling fomented partisan anger, Trump and his allies sought to replace the verdict…

Next Capitol stress test for democracy: What if the Senate won’t seat Georgia’s winners?

January 7, 2021Kevin Johnson

This post originally appeared on The Fulcrum. The Senate election results in Georgia have Democrats dancing in the streets and democracy advocates cheering another seemingly successful high stress election. Turnout was extraordinary for a runoff, election officials performed efficiently, and fears of conflict and voter intimidation proved unfounded. But there could be trouble ahead. Jon…

Invalidating Elections Should Not Be Easy

December 8, 2020Larry Garber

This post originally appeared in Attorney at Law Magazine. Despite many Cassandra-like warnings of nightmare scenarios, the 2020 elections were an institutional success. Deserving credit are voters who participated in large numbers, election officials who adapted to the realities of conducting an election during a pandemic, and judges who balanced vague and sometimes conflicting constitutional…

Why street protests may not be the best strategy to protect the election

November 5, 2020Kevin Johnson

This blog post originally appeared on The Fulcrum’s Election Dissection. In the months leading up to Election Day, civil society organizations carried out an extraordinary effort to make sure people across the country knew what to expect. That laid the groundwork for the core messages that have dominated in recent days: Every vote needs to…

Closing arguments: What if Trump won’t concede?

November 2, 2020Kevin Johnson

This blog post originally appeared on The Fulcrum’s Election Dissection. One of the most talked-about questions of this incredibly fraught election has been whether President Trump will concede if defeated by Vice President Joe Biden. Trump has fueled this concern through unsubstantiated accusations of election fraud, remarkably irresponsible statements that probably rank among the most…

All Elections Have Irregularities; That Doesn’t Necessarily Invalidate Them

October 18, 2020Larry Garber

This post originally appeared on Medium. By Larry Garber and Thessalia Merivaki With only a few weeks to go before the Nov. 3 election, Americans are being bombarded by stories in the news and on social media about election irregularities. On a daily basis, voters hear reports that registration applications have been addressed to deceased persons…

Our laws will carry us through the 2020 election

October 8, 2020Kevin Johnson

This blog post originally appeared on The Fulcrum’s Election Dissection. John Adams issued a mantra amidst the American Revolution: “Ours is a country of laws not men.” In today’s time of turmoil, as President Trump questions the integrity of the upcoming election, the words of the second president should give us some solace. During the…