Election officials have become prime targets of those purveying the Big Lie that the 2020 presidential race was “stolen.” A new Brennan Center poll of local election officials shows how damaging these sustained attacks have been. Among the dire results: 77 percent feel that threats against local election officials are increasing, and 30 percent know of one or more who have quit at least in part due to safety concerns. They also fear that conspiracy theories will infect impartial election administration. All levels of government must act now to protect our elections and the people who run them.

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, many fear the fighting could expand to NATO member countries like Poland or Lithuania. NATO’s collective defense obligations compel member countries to respond militarily to an attack on any member country. From the North Atlantic Treaty’s Article 5 to the president’s ability to take military action, a new Brennan Center explainer sets out what NATO membership means for the United States.

Conversations around judicial diversity usually forget state supreme courts. These “sleeper seats of power” in the judiciary have great influence over Americans’ lives, but the gulf between courts’ diversity and the country’s is massive. Out of 50 state supreme courts, 22 have an all-white bench, and of those, half are in states where at least a fifth of the population are people of color. Thirty states don’t have any women of color serving as justices, and female justices hold only 39 percent of all state supreme court seats. The myriad disadvantages faced by women and people of color in the judiciary amount to a cataclysmic loss for our legal system.

Outdated voting machines aging past their projected life cycles — without replacement or access to software updates — represent a threat to election security. Voters in 24 states rely on voting equipment that is over a decade old, and 23 states are using machines that are no longer manufactured. A new joint analysis from the Brennan Center and Verified Voting has found that replacing aging voting machines will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, a price tag that will only grow as time goes on. Maintaining and replacing voting equipment is critical to securing our elections from interference.

The Brennan Center and Data for Black Lives are suing to force DC’s Metropolitan Police Department to release information on its social media policies and practices. Similar lawsuits against police departments across the country have resulted in revelations about police use of social media for surveillance. These disclosures are crucial for protecting against police discrimination and defending Americans’ privacy and First Amendment rights. The potential violations of civil rights and civil liberties at play make it essential that DC police act with transparency.

With his nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to succeed Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court, President Biden made good on his promises to nominate a Black woman to the nation’s highest court. The move is also in line with his commitment to promote experiential diversity on the federal bench. Jackson would make history as the Court’s first former public defender, a stark contrast from the usual resume for an associate justice. Politics and ideology aside, Americans would do well to celebrate Jackson’s nomination, which symbolizes the progress and potential of the American experiment.

Social Media’s Free Speech Problem
Thursday, March 24 // 6–7 p.m. ET
The problem of misinformation on social media has ballooned over the last few years, especially in relation to elections. The result has been further polarization of our already divided country. How do we control this false speech while protecting the First Amendment — and our democracy? Join us for a live discussion with Richard L. Hasen, leading expert on election law and author of the upcoming book, Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics — and How to Cure It. The discussion will explore how social media companies can solve this problem without shutting down the essential free flow of ideas and opinions. RSVP today.

President Biden used the State of the Union to call out election subversion and other threats to our democracy. Read more on Instagram >>