Hans von Spakovsky
Just days after the shocking news of a second assassination attempt against Donald Trump, early voting started all over the country. Absentee mail-in ballots are already going out to registered voters.
After all the controversies about the outcome of the 2020 election, the question naturally arises: what is the state of election integrity across the United States, and how secure will the 2024 election be?
While we are generally in better shape nationally than we were last time, much depends on what state you live and vote in. That is because the security of the election process depends almost entirely on state laws and regulations, as executed by state and local election officials.
It also depends on state attorneys general and secretaries of state. Are they willing to enforce good state election laws like voter ID? Or are they willing to violate their oaths of office and enter into collusive settlements with their political allies to waive requirements they dislike when they’re sued by partisan organizations like the League of Women Voters?
Two good things came out of the 2020 election. First, many state legislators finally recognized the vulnerabilities in our registration and voting process. And second, many grassroots groups sprang into existence, formed by concerned members of the public to train a much-needed watchful eye on their election officials, state laws, and administrative procedures.
To gauge the extent of election integrity and security in every state, the Heritage Foundation spent a year analyzing all 50 states and the District of Columbia and produced an “Election Integrity Scorecard” in December 2021. It provides an assessment of the laws, regulations, and administrative practices of each state and D.C. based on 50 different criteria, all best practices that Heritage recommended after extensive consultations with trusted election experts.
These best practices cover everything from ID requirements for both in-person and mail-in voting, » Read More
https://www.heritage.org/election-integrity/commentary/unrigging-our-elections