Sustaining Capitalism

CED Report: As Midterm Elections Approach, Making Them Secure, Credible, and Accessible Demands Bold Leadership from Business and Government

Today, the Committee for Economic Development, the public policy center of The Conference Board (CED), issued a new Solutions Brief, Secure, Credible, Accessible Midterm Elections in 2022.

The report—the latest in a series on Sustaining Capitalism—comes as the nation approaches the 2022 midterm elections in an uncertain state. Although there is little evidence that the outcomes of past elections have been fraudulent, polls show that many Americans are losing confidence in the integrity of our elections. The Solutions Brief outlines several recommendations for state and local government officials, Congress, and business executives.  

"Ensuring a credible election is a shared, bipartisan responsibility involving policymakers, election officials, and business leaders. They all have critical roles in promoting confidence and ensuring that all qualified voters may participate easily and securely in our electoral process. With the mid-term elections just a few months away, the urgency of the situation demands that we act now, working to enact common-sense reforms to make voting easier, fairer, and more secure for voters," said Lori Esposito Murray, President of CED.

Key recommendations from the Solutions Brief:

CED calls on state and local officials, members of Congress, and business leaders to take several steps to promote election integrity and security. Recommendations from the Solutions Brief include:

Recommendations for State and Local Government Officials:

Secure ballots

• Require paper ballots to assist with audits and recounts and ensure that all voting machines produce a paper record of ballots cast.

• Conduct rigorous testing, including for cybersecurity risks, of voting machines and other systems, before Election Day.

• Prohibit wireless components in voting systems, which increase cybersecurity risk. At a minimum, for this election, all equipment in voting machines capable of connection to the internet should be disabled and rendered unusable, with a goal for 2024 that all wireless components should be prohibited in voting systems.

• Conduct rigorous post-election audits of election systems on a non-partisan basis.

Access to the polls

• Provide at least 10 days early voting, including some evening and weekend hours.

• Provide that mail-in ballots received before Election Day be counted before Election Day to speed the announcement of results. Additionally, require that all ballots postmarked by the close of polls on Election Day shall be counted.

• Establish and communicate clear guidelines regarding the processing and counting of absentee ballots and the handling of errors. This includes giving voters an opportunity to correct a defect in their returned absentee ballot, if time permits, and offering the opportunity to vote in person.

Administration of elections

• Implement widespread poll monitoring on a bipartisan basis, with trained, partisan observers from both sides participating at the same polling locations; reasonable rules of decorum and prohibition of harassment should be established and enforced.

• Take steps to ensure that electoral administration remains non-partisan, including by keeping in place non-partisan staffing and standards, even in states where certain election supervisory positions are elected. Moreover, where changes have been made that increase partisan control of election administration, they should be reversed.

• Take steps to ensure that election administrators can conduct their jobs fairly and securely without harassment, and that Federal laws against voter intimidation are enforced.

Recommendations for US Congress:

• Provide resources for state and local governments to strengthen both physical security of election sites and infrastructure and cybersecurity of election systems.

• Modernize the Electoral Count Act to ensure a smooth counting of electoral votes after the next Presidential election, and to ensure that voters decide who their state's electors shall be.

• Adopt a Federal standard that the US Postal Service should treat official Election Mail at or above standards for First-Class Mail.

Recommendations for Business Leaders:

• As leaders, share with employees the importance of voting in elections, to keep our democracy strong.

• Facilitate participation in elections by communicating any new voting rules, options for voting, and voting procedures to employees and customers. This includes providing information and reminders to their employees on early voting, deadlines for registration and voting dates for primaries and general elections, and processes for absentee ballots.

• Donate supplies, services, and support to elections operations, where consistent with local law.

• Make it easier or more affordable for employees to serve as poll workers.

• Provide paid leave to facilitate safe voting and reduced crowding at the polls.

The new Solutions Brief, Secure, Credible, Accessible Midterm Elections in 2022, can be accessed here.

About CED
The Committee for Economic Development (CED) is the public policy center of The Conference Board. The nonprofit, nonpartisan, business-led organization delivers well-researched analysis and reasoned solutions in the nation's interest. CED Trustees are chief executive officers and key executives of leading US companies who bring their unique experience to address today's pressing policy issues. Collectively they represent 30+ industries, over a trillion dollars in revenue, and over 4 million employees. www.ced.org 

About The Conference Board
The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what's ahead. Founded in 1916, we are a non-partisan, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. www.conference-board.org