White Papers
2026 was a significant year for passing legislation to improve government delivery. This report showcases how leaders in nine states are committing to government delivery excellence and focusing the lived experiences of their constituents by implementing solutions that resolve common frustrations.
This document provides a high-level overview of how federal election funding operates, the structural safeguards in place for voting machines, and contextual analysis of the administration's recent claims regarding non-citizens on voter rolls in response to the address given by Secretary Mullin on July 17, 2026.
This analysis focuses on what steps states across the country and the ideological spectrum would have to take to overhaul their election laws to qualify for a grant program tied to the in-person ID requirements proposed in the SAVE America Act.
On July 9, 2026, it was publicly reported that all three serving commissioners of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) were relieved of their positions by the president. This analysis explains what can and cannot happen moving forward regarding the EAC's work.
USPS released a new proposed rule that would allow it to reject or return ballot mailings over technical or administrative issues, even if the voter otherwise met requirements under state law in response to the executive order signed by President trump on March 31, 2026. This analysis provides insight to privacy, implementation, and voter access concerns around the rule.
States already require employers to report quarterly wage data for tax and unemployment insurance purposes. But this data may be “too old” to be used for work requirement compliance — forcing states to impose burdensome paperwork requirements on eligible Americans and/or buy data from expensive private data brokers. Responsive Gov's Hannah Garden-Monheit, Marisa Bremer, Dan Meuse, and Gnora Mahs are joined by Code for America's Rebecca Piazza to discuss the benefits of switching from quarterly to pay-period income reporting.
On March 31, 2026, the Trump administration issued the Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections Executive Order. This white paper dissects the portion of the order that requires the federal government to create and send a "state citizenship list" to each state and discusses implementation concerns, as well as practical challenges for such a federal list, even under the best conditions.
On March 31, 2026, President Trump announced an executive order entitled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections.” This analysis provides insight into what the executive order would do and reflects on some of its impacts.