Advancing Transparency, Building Trust

Events | Get Involved | Resources | Video

Read the Report: Learning from Election Reforms Before and After the 2020 Presidential Election

Public confidence in the electoral process is critical to ensuring that people participate in elections and accept the results. It is especially important when elections take place in challenging circumstances, such as a global pandemic, and when there are high levels of political polarization. From our experience observing over 110 elections in 39 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.

In 2020, The Carter Center began working to support elections at home by providing objective information about the election process and advancing good practices in transparency. The Center also worked to mitigate political violence in cities by partnering with grassroots organizations to offer conflict prevention training and disseminate messages supporting a peaceful electoral transition.

Looking ahead to the 2024 election, the Center will continue to 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 electoral violence.

Video

Cast your vote from the comfort of your couch. Or get to the polls. Whether you’re voting early or on election day this year, there are options for how you do it. Make your plan and know that whatever you choose, your vote is secure and matters. Watch our video to learn more.

Watch the next video in this series: Be patient. Be peaceful. Be civil. »

Expert Q&A

Carter Center Democracy Program Director David Carroll discusses the Center's decision to get involved in U.S. elections »

Photo of David Carroll with three observers, all in Carter Center branded blue t-shirts.

Resources

Events

Learn about upcoming election-related panel discussions and watch past virtual conversations about some of the most pressing issues facing U.S. democracy. View upcoming events »View past U.S. Elections events »

Interested in being an election observer or poll watcher?

Election Protection
Election Protection is a group led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under Law. It is a nonpartisan coalition to protect voters, ensuring that eligible voters are able to participate in our democracy. It has a nonpartisan poll monitoring program with remote and in-person opportunities.
Political Parties
Contact the state political party of your choice to find out about opportunities to serve as a partisan poll watcher or challenger.
Paid Poll Worker
Also, consider contacting your county’s board of elections to sign up for a paid poll worker position. The average poll worker typically falls in the high-risk age group for COVID-19, and so many polling stations may be short-staffed.

The Carter Center is a proud supporter of the National Association of Secretaries of State #TrustedInfo2022 campaign.

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