Making Participation Possible
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.
REAL ID has made a splash in recent news cycles, legislation at the state and federal level, and in conversations around voter registration. This overview explains what REAL ID is and its ability to verify citizenship.
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.