Strategies range from how to recruit poll workers to ways to combat misinformation to specific legislation that makes registering to vote easier and more secure.
We know that elections don’t just happen. Preparing for and running elections takes time, energy, staffing, and funding. It is a 365-day a year venture, every year. That's why we are publishing this report nearly two years ahead of the next major national election, outlining what various offices should be doing over the next 20-plus months.
In the end, good-faith Americans across the political spectrum want the same thing: free, fair, and safe elections. To be successful, we must continue to innovate and adapt. We must never forget that creating a more perfect union takes continual, intentional effort. We hope these strategies help policymakers across the nation – and across the political spectrum – do their part in that creation process.
Enact Automatic Voter Registration
Allow Early Voting at any county Polling Location
Enact No-Excuse Absentee Voting
Enact Permanent vote-by-mail Lists
Extend Deadline for Absentee Ballots to Election Day
Examine Signature Match Requirements
Enact Ballot Tracking Measures
Following the 2020 election, then-President Trump attempted to pressure election officials in Georgia to “find” more than 11,000 votes in an attempt to nullify the will of voters. As a lesson from incidents like that, policymakers should insulate election officials from partisan political pressure during certification. The Brennan Center for Justice recommends five possible solutions, including the creation of an advisory board to help depoliticize election administration and certification. Other suggestions include: prohibiting elected officials responsible for certifying elections from having off-the-record conversations with individuals or groups attempting to influence the certification; and developing a robust code of ethics for officials with this responsibility. State legislators should act on these recommendations and strengthen state laws in order to preserve election integrity.
For example, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is known for being responsive to media questions. Such responsiveness from officials – whether state-level or local – helps build strong relationships with the media.
Here are some best practices as described by various members of the NewDEAL Leaders Forum Democracy Working Group:
It is not possible to convince everyone of the truth all the time. No matter how outlandish, some people will believe conspiracy theories touted by dishonest media outlets and shared on social media. But that is no reason to be silent. The goal is to make incremental progress when informing the public.
Well ahead of elections, be sure that you know the reporters who cover the election/democracy beats. Introduce yourself – via email, on the phone, or over a cup of coffee. Ensure they have your contact information, and take the opportunity to explain how elections work in your state or locality. Be sure to ask if they have any questions or specific areas of interest. As elections are in the news more, election officials must become more comfortable talking to reporters. The goal is to be a trusted source of information, so reporters can relay correct information in stories.
As the old saying goes, a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. The 2020 election and aftermath show the damage that lies about elections can do. It is best to address falsehoods quickly and matter-of-factly. When countering the misinformation, use both social media and relationships with reporters. Many state officials are partnering with local officials and civic organizations to reach as many voters as possible with accurate information.
The COVID-19 pandemic saw a massive increase in the use of voting by mail, also known as absentee voting. The percentage of votes cast by mail more than doubled from 2016 to 2020, going from 21% to more than 43%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. State legislators must look at ways to retain and increase access to absentee voting in the future. There are many steps state and local officials can take to make voting by mail easy and convenient in future elections.
One improvement to early voting would be to ensure voters are able to cast their ballot at any early voting location in a given area, usually a county. If allowed under state law, local election officials should implement county-wide voting. If it is not allowed under law, state lawmakers should give localities the authority to do so. Given the technology to make voter rolls accessible anywhere, there is no reason for counties to limit early voting participants to casting their ballots in a specific precinct.
As mentioned in the polling locations section, allowing robust early voting is one way to increase voter turnout. Local officials should use every tool available in state law to make early voting as easy and accessible as possible.
State or national lawmakers should make Election Day itself a national holiday. In this way, many citizens would have the time and opportunity to go to the polls on Election Day if they so choose. Because many service workers still work on holidays, it is important that making Election Day a holiday be in addition to – not instead of – expanded early voting and absentee voting. And, according to the American Bar Association, the idea of making Election Day a holiday has overwhelming public support, with 66 percent of people supporting it and only 27 percent opposing it, according to a 2022 survey.
In the same way that misinformation can negatively impact voters, poll observers may have a negative experience if they are not aware of their rights and responsibilities. In Philadelphia, the Committee of Seventy, a nonpartisan good government organization, has a program to train and educate election observers. Local election officials can and should partner with like-minded groups to educate observers about their role. Such relationships are beneficial to the election process, and could potentially remove obstacles to conducting elections.
Businesses and civic organizations have ample opportunities to educate residents about elections and the election process. Businesses can post important election information in break rooms so employees know when, where, and how to vote. Where it is permissible by law, businesses can provide voter registration forms to all customers who enter their store. There are plenty of creative ways to civically engage residents.
While trust in the media and politicians is relatively low, businesses are still a trusted source, according to the Leadership Now Project. Business leaders have the authority and motive to speak out in favor of a healthy, robust democracy.
In addition to voter suppression, businesses and civic organizations can push back against misinformation broadly. Leaders in the civic and business world can point residents and the media to quality sources of information, such as official state websites that lay out correct information about how, when, and where citizens can vote. Many civic organizations are working with state-level officials, such as the Secretary of State, to share verified information and combat misinformation.
One of the simplest ways to encourage voting among employees is to host a voter registration drive at a business. This could include nonpartisan resources in company newsletters as well as partnering with a nonpartisan group to visit a business location for a voter registration drive.
In order to foster strong communities, business leaders should partner with local, state, or national nonprofits for community service days and/or opportunities for civic engagement. Community service days can range from park or river clean-ups to helping out at a local community food bank. Civic engagement could include volunteering the business location to host a town hall with local and/or state officials.
Volunteers are the backbone of many elections. And faith communities often have a desire to give back to their communities. Faith leaders can reach out to election officials about ways that members can become involved in election volunteering opportunities.
Business leaders should partner with local election officials to help provide incentives for poll workers. The Leadership Now Project recommends giving workers paid time off to work at the polls as well as to vote.
First off, I want to express my sincere thanks to Secretary Benson, Secretary Fontes, Assembly woman Jauregui, and Commissioner Lawrence for co-chairing the Democracy Working Group. And thank you to all the policymakers from our sister organization, NewDEAL, external experts, and staff who helped make this playbook possible. It is clear, now more than ever, that maintaining and strengthening our democratic institutions cannot be a passive venture. As this document lays out, pro-democracy elected officials – of all parties – must commit to safeguarding free and fair elections.
This means using technology to expand access to voter registration as well as expanding opportunities to cast ballots – including during a robust early vote period, no-excuse absentee voting, and on Election Day. And in order to maintain the faith in the security of our electoral system, election officials must be transparent and open about how ballots are collected and counted. And finally, a healthy democracy is about more than elections and voting.
In an increasingly politically polarized society, we must nurture and harness the power of civic engagement to strengthen our communities.
This document is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every possible intervention. The NewDEAL Forum is committed to elevating more solutions to the challenges addressed here, as well as to exploring other topics that need examination. Past discussions hosted by NewDEAL have considered electoral reforms like Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) and ways to improve the redistricting process. While gerrymandering federal congressional districts garners the bulk of attention from the mainstream media, the problem has impacted state legislatures dramatically.
Further, the ways states hold primaries – and when they occur – should also be explored through the lens of strengthening democracy. All that to say: The Democracy Playbook is not the end of our work on this issue. While we believe that the recommendations in this document – if implemented in every state – would go a long way to safeguarding our democracy, we will continue to listen to and learn from elected officials and issue-area experts around the country. And we will do all we can to highlight, support, and encourage policies around the nation that strengthen and defend the right of all Americans to have their voices heard and their votes counted.
More about NewDEAL & the NewDEAL Forum:
Its sister organization, the NewDEAL, supports a network of about 200 state and local officials -- statewide officials, legislators, mayors, council members, and other local leaders across the country -- who are pro-growth progressives.
The organization brings together leaders focused on expanding opportunity, helping them develop and spread innovative ideas to spur economic growth that is broadly-earned and sustainable.
SPECIAL THANKS:
The NewDEAL Forum would like to thank all those who contributed their time, thoughts, and expertise to this project.
First and foremost, we appreciate the passion and dedication of the Democracy Working Group co-chairs: Michigan Secretary of State
Jocelyn Benson; Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, Nevada Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui; and Montgomery County (PA) Commissioner Ken Lawrence.
We would also like to thank David Pepper, Daniella Ballou-Aares of the Leadership Now Project; Abby Kiesa of CIRCLE; Greta Bedekovics of the Center for American Progress; Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon; North Carolina State Senator Jay Chaudhuri, former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt; California State Senator Ben Allen; Arkansas State Senator Clarke Tucker; Delaware State Senator Sarah McBride; and New Hampshire State Representative Matt Wilhelm.
The NewDEAL Forum is a Washington-DC based non-profit organization which identifies and promotes innovative, future-oriented state and local pro-growth progressive policies that can improve the lives of all Americans.
By facilitating the identification and spread of policy ideas, the NewDEAL Forum seeks to foster economic growth, reduce barriers to opportunity, and promote good government in communities throughout the country.