Why CEIR’s ‘fiercely nonpartisan’ identity is vital to our work
The Center for Election Innovation & Research is, in the words of founder David Becker, “fiercely nonpartisan.” That is arguably the most important fact about CEIR, one without which its work would be impossible.
Any organization working for accuracy and transparency in US elections would be hobbled by a partisan identity. The inability to establish trust with election officials across the aisle would greatly limit its ability to achieve the results CEIR has achieved since its founding in 2016.
CEIR is uniquely positioned for effectiveness, with a record of working with election officials around the country and on both sides of the aisle. This didn’t just happen. Our team, including staffers, board members, and advisors of both major parties, has spent decades building trust with key stakeholders in the field and is committed to a nonpartisan approach. We demonstrate this commitment and credibility regularly, perhaps most notably by CEIR’s ability to work alongside and convene secretaries of state from across the political spectrum to bridge the gaps, build consensus, and support efforts to build voter confidence.
As a trusted, independent resource, CEIR’s services are in constant demand from state governments and elections officials in both red and blue states to ensure that their rules are set in advance of election, that systems are secure, and that voters know it.
“I’ve been really proud to have gotten to know CEIR over the last couple of years,” said Maricopa County (AZ) Supervisor Bill Gates, a Republican. “And one of the most important things is that they have hosted events where Republicans and Democrat elected officials and independents can get together and discuss the challenges that we’re facing, learn best practices from one another, and frankly, deal with the personal toll that all of this has had for us. I’m very grateful to the support that CEIR has provided to this truly nonpartisan election system that we have across the country.”
In the past year alone, CEIR worked closely with Republican election officials in Georgia, assessing the impact of the state’s Automatic Voter Registration program, and Democratic officials in Connecticut, informing the legislature’s implementation of early voting. CEIR has also worked equally hard to counter sometimes exaggerated claims of voter fraud (usually advanced by Republicans) and voter suppression (usually advanced by Democrats).
After false claims began to circulate that CEIR is “left-leaning,” Republican election officials, attorneys, judges, and politicians from across the country drafted a strong letter in support of CEIR and its executive director, David Becker. An excerpt:
Extremists are targeting Becker and CEIR, seeking to undermine their work to support the professional civil servants who work to ensure secure elections,” said the letter. “Since its inception in 2016, under Becker’s leadership, CEIR has been a leader in promoting bipartisan and nonpartisan solutions to election integrity. CEIR’s research in fields such as cybersecurity and voter registration have contributed greatly to the field…
We are grateful for the work CEIR and Becker do on a daily basis to support election officials, all over the country and across the political spectrum, without regard to political outcomes. And we collectively reject the efforts of those who seek to weaken our democracy by attacking election officials and those who support them.
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