EGM 1: First Edition of Election Governance Matters!
ELECTION GOVERNANCE MATTERS: 7.13.26
This ongoing curation of news and commentary focuses on the people, institutions, and rules governing U.S. elections.
Welcome to the inaugural edition of Election Governance Matters, a publication of Election Reformers Network. We’ll keep you in the know about critical governance challenges facing American elections — like partisan gerrymandering and political conflicts of interest — along with the reforms and best practices that will ensure impartiality and rebuild trust.
ABUSE OF POWER
President Trump fires federal election commissioners.
Last week, President Trump fired all the remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the federal agency responsible for guidance and support to state election administration. In our view, President Trump’s action illustrates that “America faces a crisis of election governance.”
➜ Read ERN’s commentary on the firings.
REDISTRICTING
Problem Solvers Caucus unveils bipartisan gerrymandering reform framework.
In the middle of the worst partisan gerrymandering arms race in many decades comes surprising good news from Washington. ERN agrees with the many who argue that only federal standards can stop the gerrymandering madness. The Problem Solvers Caucus proposes four strong ideas:
Ban mid-decade redistricting
Nationwide uniform standards
Reducing partisan influence
Federal resolution of challenges
➜ Read the full framework.
REDISTRICTING
Could partisan-neutral maps empower more Black voters?
Smart analysis from NYT’s Nathan Cohn explains how fair redistricting, free from partisan meddling, could help mitigate the damage being done to Black representation following the Callais decision, even without the previous protections of the Voting Rights Act.
➜ Read “Why Neutral Maps Could Empower Black Voters as Much as the VRA”
ETHICS
Secretaries of State advance recusal plans
As far as we can tell, 2026 is the first year ever of multiple, significant efforts to mitigate the conflicts of interest that arise when state election officials are on the ballot. In Utah, Maine, and Michigan, recusal plans have been issued or promised.
➜ Example: Secretary Benson releases firewall policy for 2026 election administration
I share this letter… to establish precedent of a public-facing firewall policy that other secretaries should adhere to and be held to.
—Jocelyn Benson, MI Secretary of State
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Secretary of State endorsements raise concerns
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane have faced questions about their endorsements of state legislative candidates, with critics arguing these endorsements undermine the secretaries’ impartiality. Public support of candidates by election officials seems to be growing. This ought to be illegal — as it is in every other major democracy.
ERN’s Election Litigation Tracker provides politically neutral, accessible summaries of critical election cases that shape all aspects of election governance. Prominent cases to read on the site include:
NAACP v. United States Postal Service: One of several cases challenging President Trump’s March 2026 executive order on voting. This case seeks to halt implementation of changes to vote-by-mail.
U.S. v. Wisconsin Elections Commission: One of 30 cases in which the Department of Justice (DOJ) seeks to obtain unredacted state voter lists. In May 2026, the District Court dismissed the case, which DOJ has appealed.
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