Strengthening our Democracy

Our research is designed to strengthen democracy by gathering and analyzing data to show where unjust barriers are reducing the ability of voters to participate in their own government. We’re also putting the best available evidence on elections to work by advocating for better electoral systems in key states. Through our analysis and advocacy, we’re working to improve ballot design and voter education materials, data transparency, and fair representation.

Participatory democracy requires that every citizen has an equal and effective vote. Every voter should be able to express their preferences easily and have confidence that every effort has been made to record and count those preferences accurately. Unfortunately, poor ballot design hampers citizens’ ability to express their preferences. Conversely, effective ballot design can lower ballot rejection rates, decrease the number of ballots that require curing, decrease the time it takes to vote, increase voter turnout, and ensure that every voter’s ballot is counted.

Many people in the United States currently lack access to electoral information that could improve our ability to vote, increase trust in elections by illustrating the rigorous administrative practices that exist, and help communities better organize under-represented groups. The public availability of this data varies widely across states and localities, and it’s often not in an easily usable format. This lack of transparency stifles the public’s ability to understand the electoral process, reduces engagement, and creates space for disinformation to flourish. Election data transparency can improve the quality of our democracy. By following some evidence-based best practices, election officials can help more voters participate, and increase public trust in free and fair elections.