Rebuilding Trust in the Referees of American Democracy
State secretaries of state are too often partisan players masquerading as impartial administrators. It’s time to rebuild their role as neutral referees.
Imagine a baseball game where the umpire is also a star player for one of the teams. Every call would be suspicious, even if correct. That’s essentially the system many U.S. states use for their chief election official—the Secretary of State.
Most secretaries are elected partisan figures. Many act as though their time running elections is primarily a stepping stone in a partisan political career. They campaign as members of their party, sometimes even endorse and fundraise for candidates, and then they oversee the very elections in which their party competes. This conflict of interest doesn’t just raise eyebrows—it erodes trust.
Because secretaries wear two hats—partisan politician and election referee—they often find themselves in situations where they can use their power to benefit their side.
In some states, secretaries control ballot language, signature verification, and how to roll out new voting methods, such as vote by mail. These may seem like technical issues, but in close races, every detail matters.
To fix this problem, we don’t have to reinvent democracy. There are proposals available that would push secretaries back into umpire mode, and reduce the risk of partisan overreach:
Adopt nonpartisan elections or independent appointment systems, so the office isn’t directly tied to party politics.
Establish professional requirements to ensure candidates for the office have the skills and experiences needed to run elections.
Entrust independent commissions or nonpartisan officials with certain powers, such as ballot language drafting and signature verification.
Build stronger oversight and ethics standards, with clear recusal rules and penalties for conflicts of interest; these could include a long cooling off period before a secretary could run for other offices.
These ideas aren’t radical. They reflect common sense: “playing for a team” should be separate from “refereeing the game.”
The game of democracy only works if people believe its referees are impartial and fair.
Trust is fragile in a polarized democracy. Every time the chief election official acts—or is perceived to act—in partisan ways, it chips away at legitimacy. Conversely, when these officials act like a true umpires, it fosters confidence.
None of this requires perfect people—just guardrails that reduce temptation and conflicts of interest. That’s why these changes matter: they strengthen impartiality in the system, so we don’t have to rely on secretaries voluntarily doing the right thing.
Secretaries of State should not be players in the elections they oversee. They should be referees—neutral, constrained, and transparent.
It’s time to reimagine their role as the referees of our elections—the future of democracy depends on it.