ALEC puts together task force to make recommendations on safeguarding election procedures

The American Legislative Exchange Council is launching a task force on voting.

"It's time to safeguard the electoral process through the principles of federalism, transparency, and constitutional integrity," ALEC CEO Lisa Nelson said. "For more than a decade, we've watched the rise of misinformation, media manipulation, and coordinated campaigns designed to undermine faith in elections. Now is time to act."

The task force will discuss strengthening voter ID requirements, limiting foreign influence and addressing concerns about the late arrival and counting of mail-in ballots.

Katie Thompson will lead the task force.

"Governments' processes and procedures serve as the guardrails for democracy," she told The Center Square. "We must ensure the rules of government are made fairly and executed for the betterment of the American people."

ALEC has adopted model policies such as the Only Citizens Vote Act, the School Board Election Date Act and the Safeguard American Votes and Election Act.

Lee Schalk, ALEC's senior vice president on policy, said polling shows that Americans want voting protections so the rules of engagement are clear.

"They want it to be easy to vote and hard to cheat," he said.

Thompson said the group will be discussing issues ranging from ranked choice voting to what questions are on the next U.S. Census questionnaire. Thompson noted that voters in Arizona and other places have rejected ranked-choice voting.

"They don't like the system," she said. "I think any system that confuses the majority of the electorate is bound to fail."