Making Participation Possible
During an interview on February 2, 2026, President Trump discussed the idea of increased federal involvement in elections, urging his allies to “nationalize the voting.” The next day, he elaborated that if states “can’t count the votes legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over” and said that “the federal government should get involved.” This brief fact sheet outlines reasons why this cannot happen.
Former election officials Kathy Boockvar (D-PA) and Matt Crane (R-CO) discuss the challenges that have emerged over the past five years in the elections space — polarization accelerating into hostility; false narratives and propaganda sharpening every divide; and escalating attacks on the very bedrock of our electoral system.
In 2024, the Institute for Responsive Government launched A More Responsive Government Grant Program. The nonpartisan program offered direct, flexible support to local election offices in the seven states that have led the way in modernizing elections – Colorado, Delaware, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, and Washington, D.C. This case study discusses the impact of funds on grantees.
Carnegie Mellon University modernized voter registration drives on campus, becoming the first educational institution in the country to adopt a voter registration application programming interface.
APIs are all around us — from using PayPal to travel websites like Kayak — they help to enable secure and seamless communication and data sharing between various systems. With such varied use, two states have taken the initiative to integrate APIs into their state voter registration systems.
President Trump announced plans for an executive order to require states to enact strict voter ID laws. Can he do that? This brief white paper explains why he cannot.
The idea of banning mail voting and meddling with voting equipment is the latest narrative to further sow distrust in our elections. Here we discuss what power the office of the president really has on mandating how elections are run.
Every year, millions of eligible voters cast ballots through voting machines. Though they are tightly controlled and closely monitored, misinformation continues to spread about their validity. Our team discusses here why we can in fact trust them.