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Public confidence in the electoral process is critical to ensuring that people participate in elections and accept the results. From our experience observing 125 elections in 40 countries, we know that public information and transparency—the ability of citizens to "see into" and understand the legal and administrative mechanics of the election—are key to bolstering trust.
Since 2020, The Carter Center has been working to support elections at home by providing objective information about the election process and advancing good practices in transparency. The Center is also encouraging support for democratic norms by building bipartisan, grassroots networks of civic and business leaders in four key states.
Our efforts have expanded in 2022 and will continue to grow in the run-up to 2024, as we work to strengthen trust in the U.S. electoral process by providing information to voters, encouraging the U.S. to meet international election standards, promoting nonpartisan citizen observation, and working to mitigate possible electoral violence.
In partnership with organizations like the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, The Carter Center is advancing cross-partisan, commonsense electoral norms to restore trust in elections. These norms promote core principles such as: integrity, nonviolence, security, oversight, and the peaceful transfer of power. Learn more »
The Carter Center’s Conflict Resolution Program has built cross-partisan networks whose members are united around a shared interest in combating polarization, strengthening democracy, and preventing political violence. The networks — in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, and Wisconsin — are led by bipartisan teams of prominent local leaders that engage with concerned citizens across the political spectrum.
Message Dissemination and Election Education: Through these resilience networks, The Carter Center elevates trusted local voices to share information on how elections work, constructively address misinformation, and reduce tensions on issues that could lead to violence. In the run-up to the November 2022 elections, the Center created social media messaging cards featuring pro-democracy and anti-violence themes, tailoring the messages based on custom research, and shared them with Democracy Resilience Network members for use in their communities. In Arizona, Florida, and North Carolina, the networks also organized public events designed to share information about electoral processes. These typically took the form of town hall meetings, creating a platform for local election administrators and others to explain the mechanics of elections in their states.
Faith Forward Network: The Center also has created the Faith Forward Network, a multifaith, nonpartisan network of spiritual leaders who are united by concerns for our increasingly divided country and the impact those divisions have on communities, families, and democracy. The network highlights common faith values and their links to democratic norms and nonviolence and provides resources for faith leaders to use within their own spheres of influence to address polarization.
More information on the work of these state networks can be found here:
Reports
New Models for Keeping Partisans out of Election Administration (PDF)
NGO Submission to the U. N. Human Rights Committee (PDF)
Election Observation
Political Party Poll Watcher Training Guide Arizona Case Study (PDF)
Montana Election Observation Initiative Preliminary Statement (PDF)
Guides and Other Helpful Information
Election Law Training Manual: Georgia Edition (PDF)
Election Law Training Manual Georgia Edition — Supplementary Materials (PDF)
Election Law Training Manual — Facilitator's Guide (PDF)
Taking Care of Yourself to Serve Others: A Well-being Resource Guide for Election Officials (PDF)
The Carter Center is a proud supporter of the National Association of Secretaries of State #TrustedInfo2024 campaign.
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