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A strong and healthy democracy reflects the will of the people. Everyone, regardless of race, gender, wealth or social status, has an equal opportunity to participate and have their vote counted. This empowers all voters to advocate for themselves and their communities.
It is up to all of us to participate in and strengthen our democracy together, and science has an important role to play. The science of elections is an evidence-based system that improves voter access, increases public confidence in the electoral process, and ensures fair representation to hold elected officials accountable to voters’ interests. Helps identify best practices. Previous work at UCS has focused on the role of disinformation in undermining democracy, the dangers of artificial intelligence in elections, and the impact of voting restrictions on public health. The 2024 election has significant consequences, and we want to ensure that everyone eligible can vote and that their vote is counted fairly.
Special committee consisting of election experts
The UCS Center for Science and Democracy is convening an Election Science Task Force comprised of more than 20 leading experts, including election scientists, democracy researchers, community organizers, voting rights attorneys, and elected officials. Masu. The task force’s goals are to strengthen the role of science in evaluating how elections are conducted, leverage election science to identify best practices, and recommend relevant policy changes to improve how elections are administered. That’s it.
The special committee aims to:
Ensure fair representation. Electoral maps are too often drawn by partisan politicians to secure their own power rather than to accurately represent the interests of voters. Election science can establish clear standards to ensure that district maps are drawn fairly and that the redistricting process is transparent and inclusive.
Increase transparency in election data. Transparent and consistent processing and communication of election data, such as voter registration numbers, numbers of mail-in ballots submitted and returned, and results, will increase confidence in elections, reduce the likelihood that false claims of fraud will gain traction, and increase confidence in elections. Allows states to: We need to better evaluate our own election management.
Improve the design of your ballot. Ballot designs currently vary widely by state, but all states are adopting scientifically tested best practices to make ballots fairer and improve voter education materials for everyone. can do. We are working to improve fair ballot design and voter education materials to more accurately reflect the preferences of rulers.
In preparation for the 2024 election, the task force will analyze the readiness and completeness of election data in Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. We analyze voter files and participation rates at the precinct level, track ballot rejection rates due to errors, and determine whether election officials contacted voters to correct errors. This is a process called ballot amendment. In this way, the task force can identify processes that may unfairly alienate voters.
Structural progress is needed to increase capital
The task force’s work also focuses on improving fairness and justice in the electoral system. Previous UCS research has found that counties with higher percentages of black voters have higher rates of rejected ballots. The task force will seek to address questions such as: How can states ensure that voter files that track voter participation are updated by the time election results are in? How can you quickly and accurately identify and fix problems like vote rejections and administrative errors so that every vote counts? Best ways to audit elections and publish election data What are the practices? After the November election, we will monitor turnout and other important information to counter the expected wave of misinformation and disinformation in the days and weeks between Election Day and certification. Publish and share your data. Election disinformation often targets or scapegoats BIPOC voters, and this disinformation is often cited to further restrict access to elections. Our analysis of election data transparency includes information on voter participation, including the number of marginalized voters, turnout disparities in underrepresented communities, and racial and partisan gerrymandering and biased electoral systems. Addressing the effects of bias during and after voter participation.
A healthy democracy means a healthier and more just world
Free and fair elections are essential to empower voters to advocate for themselves and their communities. UCS research shows that people living in states with more open and less discriminatory voting systems have better health outcomes. A healthy democracy is important to science. Because governments that are not accountable to their citizens listen to the most powerful interests instead of creating evidence-based policies that work for us all. That’s why we all benefit from government based on informed and active voter preferences. We can help advance this important work to build strong and transparent democracies.
The need to protect our democracy has never been more urgent. Recognize that we are committed to science-based election reforms that will make our democracy freer and fairer for all voters.
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