Free, fair, and safe elections.
The Task Force and its members formulate guidance, analysis, and recommendations to inform policymakers, the media, and the public about the role they can play in ensuring we have free, fair, and safe elections.
January 2024: New Hampshire Elections Explainer
New Hampshire’s elections — both the primary and general elections — are safeguarded to ensure fair and accurate results. In New Hampshire, tried-and-tested systems are in place to make sure votes are cast fairly and counted correctly. Before, during and after every vote is cast, many safeguards ensure accurate final results which reflect the voice of Granite Staters. To learn more about New Hampshire’s election process, check out this explainer.
November 2023: States Must Ensure Compliance with the Electoral Count Reform Act
States should (1) ensure that the timelines in state law related to a state’s presidential election align with the deadlines of the Electoral Count Reform Act (ECRA) and (2) make clear who certifies the state’s winning slate of electors. Some states have already moved to adjust their laws to fully align with the ECRA. Others have ample time to do so, but should take action as soon as possible to reduce gaps or discrepancies that could create conflict. To learn more, check out this explainer.
September 2023: Protecting Election Workers from Threats and Harassment Protecting Election Workers from Threats and Harassment
Election officials and poll workers are critical to ensuring that elections run smoothly and remain secure. In recent years, they have operated under threats and harassment due to baseless misinformation. These threats are exacerbated by a need for more funding and resources to enhance their security. Before the 2024 election, state legislatures should help prevent election crises by passing legislation that protects our election workforce from threats and harm. To learn more about the threat faced by election workers and how to protect them, check out this explainer.
August 2023: Hand-Counting Ballots Introduces Unnecessary Risks and Costs to Elections
Across the country, some groups have been pushing to expand the hand-counting of ballots. This effort is misguided on two fronts: it relies on unfounded criticisms of the reliability of tabulation machines and overlooks the many drawbacks of hand-counting. To learn more about the risks associated with hand-counting all ballots, check out this explainer.
February 2023: Lessons from the 2022 General Election: How to Prevent Election Crises, and Emerging Issues for 2023, 2024, and Beyond
Two years after the 2020 election and its aftermath sounded grave alarms about the stability of our elections, the 2022 cycle has offered hope that the risk of certain triggers for election crises in 2024 and beyond has diminished. Yet significant threats remain and have the potential to grow, requiring action and vigilance going forward. To learn more, read the report here.
October 2022: National Task Force on Election Crises Issues Report on How Election Officials Are Building Trust and Confirming Election Outcomes
We approach November 2022 with admiration for the hard work being done to get ready for our next round of general elections, yet also with great concern. Doubts about election processes are being fueled by willful 2020 election deniers – including some running for key offices – and the explosion of false or misleading information on numerous media platforms. Fortunately, there is much that can be done and is being done by many to help build public trust in voting processes and in the outcomes they produce. To learn more, read the report here.
August 2021: Congress Must Update the Electoral Count Act to Guard Against Crises During Future Presidential Elections
The federal law governing the casting and counting of electoral votes—the Electoral Count Act of 1887—is severely flawed and can no longer be relied upon to ensure a peaceful conclusion to presidential elections. Congress must rectify several deficiencies in the Electoral Count Act’s 130-year-old text, including how it handles: (1) election timing, (2) state determinations, (3) the Vice President’s role, (4) objections, and (5) the dispute resolution process. To learn more, read the report here.
July 2021: Undermining Free & Fair Elections: An Update on the Risk of Election Crises Since November 2020
The mission of the National Task Force on Election Crises is to prevent election crises whenever possible, and to prepare to respond to and mitigate crises when they do occur. That mission remains as critical today as it was during the 2020 presidential election. In fact, the Task Force considers the risk of crises threatening future elections in this country to be dangerously high. This report highlights some of the most concerning trends that have developed in recent months and the critical reforms that are needed to protect our elections in 2022 and after. To learn more, read the report here.
January 2021: Strengthening our Elections and Preventing Election Crises: Lessons and Recommendations from the 2020 General Election
The 2020 election was defined by paradox and contradiction. Thanks to millions of poll workers, election officials, and citizens who stepped up to make our democracy work, the election was secure and free from systemic or significant fraud. A record 160 million Americans voted and had their voices heard. Yet still, voter intimidation and racial disparities in access to the ballot continued, our election system was revealed to be aging and unnecessarily confusing, Americans weathered a wave of disinformation and, of course, there were unprecedented efforts to delegitimize and overturn the election results—ultimately inciting a crisis, the likes of which we’ve not experienced in modern history. In the end, Congress counted all of the electoral votes, but only after President Trump sought to both coerce federal and state officials to overturn the results and incited a violent insurrection. This attack on our democracy culminated with white supremacist rioters attacking the Capitol seeking to not only overturn the Constitutional order, but also to take hostages and assassinate members of Congress and the Vice President. While American democracy has survived this crisis so far, we will only be able to prevent the next one if we both 1) ensure accountability for all those who incited, abetted, and participated in the insurrection, and 2) adopt preventative reforms based on the lessons we learned in this election. Those lessons and reforms are the focus of this report. To learn more, read the report here.
November 2020: The 2020 General Election: What Went Right
State and local officials conducted the general election under extraordinary circumstances. The COVID-19 global pandemic created many significant challenges for the election, including the need to: institute health safety protocols; increase election funding; recruit hundreds of thousands of poll workers; and process and tabulate record numbers of mail-in ballots. One week after the election, it is clear from the data thus far that the election was conducted fairly smoothly when considering the challenges presented by COVID-19, with few irregularities and none that altered the outcome of the presidential election. To learn more about what went right in the 2020 presidential election, read the report here.
October 2020: Background: Transition Period
An orderly and peaceful transition of power between the sitting president and the president-elect is a hallmark of a functioning democracy. Since President George Washington peacefully transferred power to President John Adams, American presidents have handed over the keys to the machinery of government to their successors. This process allows for disappointed supporters of the losing candidate to accept the results of the election and for the next administration to begin preparations for governing. A peaceful transition is necessary for the stability of the country, national security, effective governing, and safeguarding of U.S. interests. Read the memo here.
January 2024: New Hampshire Elections Explainer
New Hampshire’s elections — both the primary and general elections — are safeguarded to ensure fair and accurate results. In New Hampshire, tried-and-tested systems are in place to make sure votes are cast fairly and counted correctly. Before, during and after every vote is cast, many safeguards ensure accurate final results which reflect the voice of Granite Staters. To learn more about New Hampshire’s election process, check out this explainer.
November 2023: States Must Ensure Compliance with the Electoral Count Reform Act
States should (1) ensure that the timelines in state law related to a state’s presidential election align with the deadlines of the Electoral Count Reform Act (ECRA) and (2) make clear who certifies the state’s winning slate of electors. Some states have already moved to adjust their laws to fully align with the ECRA. Others have ample time to do so, but should take action as soon as possible to reduce gaps or discrepancies that could create conflict. To learn more, check out this explainer.
September 2023: Protecting Election Workers from Threats and Harassment Protecting Election Workers from Threats and Harassment
Election officials and poll workers are critical to ensuring that elections run smoothly and remain secure. In recent years, they have operated under threats and harassment due to baseless misinformation. These threats are exacerbated by a need for more funding and resources to enhance their security. Before the 2024 election, state legislatures should help prevent election crises by passing legislation that protects our election workforce from threats and harm. To learn more about the threat faced by election workers and how to protect them, check out this explainer.
August 2023: Hand-Counting Ballots Introduces Unnecessary Risks and Costs to Elections
Across the country, some groups have been pushing to expand the hand-counting of ballots. This effort is misguided on two fronts: it relies on unfounded criticisms of the reliability of tabulation machines and overlooks the many drawbacks of hand-counting. To learn more about the risks associated with hand-counting all ballots, check out this explainer.
February 2023: Lessons from the 2022 General Election: How to Prevent Election Crises, and Emerging Issues for 2023, 2024, and Beyond
Two years after the 2020 election and its aftermath sounded grave alarms about the stability of our elections, the 2022 cycle has offered hope that the risk of certain triggers for election crises in 2024 and beyond has diminished. Yet significant threats remain and have the potential to grow, requiring action and vigilance going forward. To learn more, read the report here.
October 2022: National Task Force on Election Crises Issues Report on How Election Officials Are Building Trust and Confirming Election Outcomes
We approach November 2022 with admiration for the hard work being done to get ready for our next round of general elections, yet also with great concern. Doubts about election processes are being fueled by willful 2020 election deniers – including some running for key offices – and the explosion of false or misleading information on numerous media platforms. Fortunately, there is much that can be done and is being done by many to help build public trust in voting processes and in the outcomes they produce. To learn more, read the report here.
August 2021: Congress Must Update the Electoral Count Act to Guard Against Crises During Future Presidential Elections
The federal law governing the casting and counting of electoral votes—the Electoral Count Act of 1887—is severely flawed and can no longer be relied upon to ensure a peaceful conclusion to presidential elections. Congress must rectify several deficiencies in the Electoral Count Act’s 130-year-old text, including how it handles: (1) election timing, (2) state determinations, (3) the Vice President’s role, (4) objections, and (5) the dispute resolution process. To learn more, read the report here.
July 2021: Undermining Free & Fair Elections: An Update on the Risk of Election Crises Since November 2020
The mission of the National Task Force on Election Crises is to prevent election crises whenever possible, and to prepare to respond to and mitigate crises when they do occur. That mission remains as critical today as it was during the 2020 presidential election. In fact, the Task Force considers the risk of crises threatening future elections in this country to be dangerously high. This report highlights some of the most concerning trends that have developed in recent months and the critical reforms that are needed to protect our elections in 2022 and after. To learn more, read the report here.
January 2021: Strengthening our Elections and Preventing Election Crises: Lessons and Recommendations from the 2020 General Election
The 2020 election was defined by paradox and contradiction. Thanks to millions of poll workers, election officials, and citizens who stepped up to make our democracy work, the election was secure and free from systemic or significant fraud. A record 160 million Americans voted and had their voices heard. Yet still, voter intimidation and racial disparities in access to the ballot continued, our election system was revealed to be aging and unnecessarily confusing, Americans weathered a wave of disinformation and, of course, there were unprecedented efforts to delegitimize and overturn the election results—ultimately inciting a crisis, the likes of which we’ve not experienced in modern history. In the end, Congress counted all of the electoral votes, but only after President Trump sought to both coerce federal and state officials to overturn the results and incited a violent insurrection. This attack on our democracy culminated with white supremacist rioters attacking the Capitol seeking to not only overturn the Constitutional order, but also to take hostages and assassinate members of Congress and the Vice President. While American democracy has survived this crisis so far, we will only be able to prevent the next one if we both 1) ensure accountability for all those who incited, abetted, and participated in the insurrection, and 2) adopt preventative reforms based on the lessons we learned in this election. Those lessons and reforms are the focus of this report. To learn more, read the report here.
November 2020: The 2020 General Election: What Went Right
State and local officials conducted the general election under extraordinary circumstances. The COVID-19 global pandemic created many significant challenges for the election, including the need to: institute health safety protocols; increase election funding; recruit hundreds of thousands of poll workers; and process and tabulate record numbers of mail-in ballots. One week after the election, it is clear from the data thus far that the election was conducted fairly smoothly when considering the challenges presented by COVID-19, with few irregularities and none that altered the outcome of the presidential election. To learn more about what went right in the 2020 presidential election, read the report here.
October 2020: Background: Transition Period
An orderly and peaceful transition of power between the sitting president and the president-elect is a hallmark of a functioning democracy. Since President George Washington peacefully transferred power to President John Adams, American presidents have handed over the keys to the machinery of government to their successors. This process allows for disappointed supporters of the losing candidate to accept the results of the election and for the next administration to begin preparations for governing. A peaceful transition is necessary for the stability of the country, national security, effective governing, and safeguarding of U.S. interests. Read the memo here.
National Task Force on Election Crises Resource Archive:
September 2020
Roadmap to a Free and Fair Election
Voter Intimidation: An Overview for Voters & the Media
Authorities Governing the Deployment of Troops during the Election & Post-Election Season
Election Projections: How the Election is Called
Task Force Media Guide: Covering the Election Before, During, and After Nov. 3
Six Questions on COVID-19, the Presidential Elections, and Potentially Incapacitated Candidates
Lessons Learned from the Primaries: Recommendations for Avoiding a Crisis in November
No, The President Cannot Cancel or Postpone the General Election