
Greta
Bedekovics
Associate Director
Free and fair elections where every eligible person can exercise their fundamental right to vote is the cornerstone of American democracy. In order to ensure that every American is equally represented, it is vital to overcome efforts to subvert the will of the people—such as gerrymandering, voter suppression, and the undue influence of money in politics that undermines our democracy. The United States must also resist a rising threat: election deniers who promote conspiracy theories such as the "big lie" and who seek to undermine the basic fairness of U.S. elections.
The Center for American Progress is committed to pushing back against the dangerous and regressive efforts that threaten U.S. democracy and keeping fidelity to foundational principles that will keep it strong: the sanctity of free and fair elections, the peaceful transfer of power, and a complete condemnation of any political violence or extremism. U.S. elections should be about giving everyone a say by ensuring that voters can cast a ballot freely, fairly, and safely, thereby making our multiracial democracy work for all of us and include all of us.
Without full accountability for the events surrounding the unconstitutional plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election, U.S. democracy remains under substantial threat.
Conservative experts are sending sharp warnings that the meritless independent state legislature theory could undermine democracy and should be rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts.
Michael Sozan, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, filed written testimony before the Washington State House in support of S.B. 5284, a bill that would strengthen campaign-related spending disclosure requirements and limit political spending by U.S. corporations with appreciable foreign ownership.
Michael Sozan, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, filed written testimony before the Hawaii Senate in support of S.B. 1179, a bill that would limit political spending by U.S. corporations with appreciable foreign ownership.
Michael Sozan, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, filed written testimony before the California State Assembly in support of A.B. 83, a bill that would limit political spending by U.S. corporations with appreciable foreign ownership.
To fix the dysfunction in American politics, reformers should consider fundamental changes to the electoral rules.
Michael Sozan, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, filed written testimony before the Minnesota House of Representatives’ Committee on Elections Finance and Policy in support of H.F. 117, a bill to stop political spending by foreign-influenced U.S. corporations.
Litigants’ oral arguments, along with questions from Supreme Court justices, revealed that the independent state legislature theory is meritless and should be rejected.
This video explainer details the facts behind the Moore v. Harper case, its underlying arguments, and the harmful consequences for democracy if the Supreme Court's conservative majority overlooks history and precedent.
If the Supreme Court’s extreme conservative majority adopts the discredited independent state legislature theory, it could pose a huge setback for free and fair elections.
Candidates who questioned or denied the outcome of the 2020 presidential election lost key races in the midterms as voters across the country elected pro-democracy candidates.
Here are the reasons why state spending of federal election funding is significant, why some states are not spending it as quickly as some policymakers want, and why Congress must continue to invest in funding federal elections.