As the 2024 election cycle kicks off, the Honest Elections Project, a bipartisan election integrity watchdog, has released an updated report outlining 14 election reforms aimed at safeguarding voter integrity and rebuilding confidence in American elections. Jason Snead, Executive Director of the Honest Elections Project, noted that the election integrity landscape has evolved, citing new threats pushed from the left, including ranked-choice voting, “Zuckerbucks 2.0,” foreign influence, and non-citizen voting.
The term “Zuckerbucks” refers to funding from the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), criticized for allegedly channeling funds from big tech companies, particularly Mark Zuckerberg, to boost Democratic turnout in swing states. The Honest Elections Project’s report recommends banning ranked-choice voting, blocking private election funding schemes like “Zuck Bucks 2.0,” and preventing foreign influence in elections.
Among the 14 proposed reforms are calls for transparency, robust post-election audits, maintaining clean voter rolls, securing early and mail voting laws, protecting vulnerable mail ballots, and requiring voter ID for every ballot. The report also emphasizes the need to investigate and prosecute election crimes. One significant reform suggests ensuring that elected lawmakers, not courts and bureaucrats, write election laws, aiming to prevent partisan special interests from influencing legislation through lawsuits and settlements.
The Honest Elections Project points to instances in Minnesota, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania where officials allegedly contravened state laws following lawsuits and agreed to count absentee ballots received late. With an anticipated torrent of left-wing litigation leading up to November, the watchdog sees legal challenges as a major threat to election integrity. The report contends that even with strong laws on the books, they can be undermined in courts through consent agreements.
Ranked-choice voting (RCV) emerges as another major concern, facing resistance from both sides of the political spectrum. The report warns against the adoption of RCV, highlighting its potential to alter campaign dynamics, increase negative campaigning, and necessitate more dark money. As efforts to implement RCV at the state level continue, the Honest Elections Project positions itself as a voice advocating for election reforms that prioritize transparency, fairness, and the constitutional authority of legislatures.
