Recent Progress in Election Security Policy Roundtable

Oct 29, 2025, 11:00AM

The America First Policy Institute’s Secure American Elections Center hosted a Recent Progress in Election Security Policy Roundtable in Washington, D.C., on October 29, 2025. The event brought together key federal, state, and policy leaders to assess reforms strengthening election integrity across the nation — with a focus on modernization, transparency, and restoring public confidence in the ballot box.

MARTIN GILLESPIE – EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, AFPI

Opening the event, Martin Gillespie underscored a foundational America First truth: “Whatever issue you care about, if we don’t have secure elections, those issues don’t matter.”

He reflected on the lessons since 2020 — moments that revealed vulnerabilities and inspired the creation of AFPI’s Secure American Elections Center.
“We’ve made great strides since 2020,” Gillespie said, “but our opponents will stop at nothing to return to the old tricks. Election security remains the cornerstone of every other policy we fight for — from the economy to education.”

He then introduced the roundtable’s moderator, Hogan Gidley, Vice Chair of AFPI’s Center for Election Integrity.

HOGAN GIDLEY – VICE CHAIR, CENTER FOR ELECTION INTEGRITY, AFPI

Hogan Gidley shared the personal motivation behind his commitment to reform: a promise made to his mother on election night 2020.
“She asked questions I couldn’t answer,” he recalled. “Why were ballots shifting overnight? Why were votes being counted at 3 a.m.? That night I made a promise — to her and to America — to fix a broken system.”

Gidley highlighted the progress achieved through AFPI’s election integrity initiatives, which have led to new legislation and enforcement in key battleground states.
“Protecting legal votes and legal voters isn’t partisan,” he said. “It’s the foundation of our Republic.”

He emphasized bipartisan responsibility in ensuring every lawful vote counts once — and only once. “Any system that doesn’t do that is a failure,” Gidley said.

PANELISTS

CONGRESSMAN BRYAN STEIL – CHAIR, HOUSE ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE

Congressman Bryan Steil outlined the congressional role in strengthening election systems nationwide.
“It’s astonishing that the United States has some of the weakest election integrity standards in the world,” he said. “In France or Germany, you can’t vote without identification — yet here, the basic safeguards are treated as controversial.”

Steil discussed legislation to give states free access to federal databases that identify non-citizens on voter rolls. “Only U.S. citizens should vote in U.S. elections,” he said, calling the SAVE Act a critical reform to ensure transparency and accountability across state systems.

COMMISSIONER CHRISTY MCCORMICK – U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

Commissioner Christy McCormick offered a federal perspective on reform.
“The easiest way to commit election fraud is through voter registration,” she said. “That’s why verification and accurate voter rolls are essential.”

She detailed the EAC’s partnership with private data providers to modernize election systems and improve accuracy.
“Commercial data is 95 to 99 percent accurate,” McCormick explained. “The credit bureaus know where you are — and they rely on multiple databases to verify identity. Election systems should use the same rigor.”

McCormick emphasized AFPI’s leadership in encouraging transparency and accountability: “There must be a will to clean up voter rolls — and AFPI is helping create that will.”

J. CHRISTIAN ADAMS – PRESIDENT, PUBLIC INTEREST LEGAL FOUNDATION

J. Christian Adams described the legal battles for transparency in voter registration data across the country.
“You can’t ensure integrity without knowing who’s registered to vote,” Adams said. “We’ve litigated across multiple states simply to access voter rolls. Transparency is the starting point.”

He recounted cases exposing duplicate registrations, missing birth dates, and outdated records — issues that undermine public trust. “We’ve seen states fight to hide this information,” he said. “But the law is clear — transparency is non-negotiable.”

DAVE BOLIEK – STATE AUDITOR OF NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek shared his state’s recent progress in election modernization after gaining oversight of voter data systems.
“Election integrity is management 101,” Boliek stated. “You can’t run elections if your voter database isn’t accurate.”

He announced North Carolina’s plan to develop a state-built election data system, integrated with AI readiness and commercial data verification tools.
“It’s time for modernization,” he said. “We’re rolling up our sleeves, cleaning 100,000 incomplete entries, and leading by example. It’s simple: it must be easy to vote and hard to cheat.”

KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS

• Data Modernization: States like North Carolina are adopting AI-ready systems and commercial verification to strengthen voter roll accuracy.
• Transparency and Accountability: Federal and state leaders agreed that open access to voter data — not secrecy — builds trust in elections.
• Legislative Momentum: The SAVE Act and related reforms promise to make U.S. elections secure, citizen-based, and verifiable.
• Cultural Shift: AFPI’s Secure American Elections Center is redefining election integrity as a nonpartisan pillar of American democracy.

CLOSING THOUGHT

The Recent Progress in Election Security Policy Roundtable affirmed AFPI’s unwavering mission: to ensure that every lawful American vote is counted once — and that no illegal vote cancels it out.

From Martin Gillespie’s opening challenge to Hogan Gidley’s promise of reform and the expert insights of Steil, McCormick, Adams, and Boliek, the event demonstrated that restoring faith in our elections is not just a policy goal — it’s a national imperative.