Secure Elections
Make it Easy to Vote, but Hard to Cheat.
MISSION
Securing American elections is critically necessary for a functioning democracy. Americans deserve to know that their vote is counted, and the process is secure, accurately reflecting the will of eligible voters. Through the Secure Election Campaign, policy experts research and develop solutions that promote transparency, accountability, and security in our elections. We then engage state governments, the federal government, and grassroots coalitions advance these policies for the benefit of the American people.
Focus Areas / Policy Pillars
- American Only Elections – American elections are for eligible American citizens only. Voters must establish their eligibility and identity.
- Clean Votes – Voter rolls must be maintained properly. Ballot chain-of-custody must be secure, and the number of ballots one person can return must be limited.
- Fast and Secure Elections – All ballots should be received by Election Day—not for days or weeks afterwards. Voting machines, election processes, and election data must be secure, transparent and accountable. Overseas and military voters should have streamlined and secure procedures for voting.
- Real Elections – Ranked Choice Voting, an elections system in which voters can vote for multiple candidates in order of preference, is an overly complicated system that is not popular among most Americans. Under this system, the voter does not have the ability to explicitly say who they would like to win compared to the other candidates.
- Reclaiming Representation – The U.S. Census should accurately represent the U.S. population, and non-citizens should be excluded for redistricting purposes as they are not eligible to vote in federal elections.
Team
Latest
Expert Insights
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April 21, 2026
DOJ Election Monitoring Authority and Observer Deployment
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has monitored federal elections for decades as part of its broader enforcement of federal voting rights laws. That monitoring takes two distinct forms: DOJ staff monitors deployed under the DOJ’s general enforcement authority, and federal employees who serve as observers authorized by court order under Section 3(a) of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The distinction matters.
Statement
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April 16, 2026
AFPI Responds: 64-Days Since the Save America Act Passed the House
Washington, D.C.—The Honorable Kenneth Blackwell, Chair of Secure Elections at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), released the following statement marking over two months since the U.S. House passed the Save America Act:
Fact Sheet
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April 16, 2026
Hand-Marked Paper Ballots vs. QR Codes: Implications for Election Security
Unlike hand-marked paper ballots (HMPBs), which are read and tabulated based on human-readable marks that voters, auditors, and election officials can all visibly verify, QR-code based ballot-marking devices (BMDs) create uncertainty between what a voter can see and what the machine actually counts. When comparing HMPBs and BMDs, there are significant differences in security standards, auditability, cost, administrative burden, and voter experience.
Statement
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April 13, 2026
AFPI Addresses the Save America Act as Senate Prepares to Resume Consideration
Washington, D.C.—The Honorable Kenneth Blackwell, Chair of Secure Elections at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), released the following statement as the U.S. Senate prepares to resume discussion related to election integrity after its two-week recess:
Statement
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April 8, 2026
AFPI-Georgia Responds to Legislative Action on Election Integrity Proposal
Washington, D.C.—Rebecca Yardley, Chair of the America First Policy Institute’s (AFPI) Georgia Chapter, released the following statement after the Georgia Senate tabled a proposal to prohibit foreign nationals from contributing to or participating in state and local campaigns: