Making Participation Possible

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.