Edward P. Perez

Important Update

January 12, 2021

Recent events compel us to add a few words that are immensely relevant to the topic at hand: the administration of elections in the United States.

When this paper was originally released on December 23, 2020, we were hopeful that, notwithstanding much contentious political jockeying about the results of the Presidential Election, the facts and reality of the outcome would be accepted by enough responsible people in both parties to provide a cautious note of steadiness. Indeed, we purposely waited until after the certification of results and the completion of the Electoral College vote in all 50 states before releasing this important work on how to enhance public confidence in U.S. elections.  With that important milestone behind us, we noted—in the very first sentence of this paper—that “the nation’s worst fears appear to be subsiding” and “chaos has not ensued.”

The shocking events of January 6 have sadly proven otherwise. The siege of the U.S. Capitol by a violent seditious mob of pro-Trump extremists, placing the lives of hundreds of elected U.S. representatives and their staffs at risk along with the Speaker of the House and the Vice President of the United States (and members of his family), is chilling and sobering. Indeed, the near-miss of that day, which resulted in at least six deaths (including two Capitol Police officers), and which could have resulted in many lives lost, has left the nation reeling, wondering whether additional violence and insurrection may still occur. If anyone ever doubted that the need for verifiable, accurate, secure and transparent U.S. election infrastructure is imperative, the  frightening illustration of the razor’s edge between democracy and chaos should dispel that notion.

We take no pleasure in saying that recent events have made “Elections 2030: A Nonpartisan Blueprint for Effective U.S. Election Administration” more important than ever. As we note in the conclusion:

“The most important change that needs to happen to allow the nation to address and mitigate risks to our elections is a collective acceptance of the proposition that, as Americans, threats to democracy impact all of us. Not one party or the other; not ‘some of us,’ but all of us. This is a nonpartisan issue that goes to the heart of our national security.”

Executive Summary

It has been nearly two decades since the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was passed, and we are living in a fundamentally changed world, with new challenges and threats. The 2020 Presidential Election tested the limits of election infrastructure and we survived. However, we shouldn’t conclude that future elections will be successful without substantial improvements to the imperfect foundations of election administration.

This Briefing provides many recommendations on the path forward in a post-HAVA world, including discussions of policy, funding, the voting experience, election technology development, and enhancing voter confidence. Only by coming together in a spirit of nonpartisan patriotism can we secure the promise of American democracy. There are challenging discussions about re-inventing our critical election infrastructure that must begin now, particularly with a new incoming administration.

The briefing is primarily intended for policy professionals, legislators, election officials, and security professionals; however, it is an easy read for anyone interested in how to increase confidence in elections and their outcomes.

Mr. Perez, the principal author, has worked with numerous election professionals whose comments and inputs over time helped catalyze development of the paper. That combined with Eddie’s near two-decades of experience in election administration, election technology, and technology policy research, provides a strong foundation on which this timely and important paper is based and built.