The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) launched a new initiative on June 23 to advise state, local, and Federal governments on protecting electoral integrity and enhancing voter participation.
NAPA working groups and fellows will collaborate to produce white papers with near-term actions that should be taken to bolster election integrity. Every Wednesday this summer, NAPA plans to release a new action plan addressing different grand challenges in election security. So far, the academy has released two plans, one on electoral integrity and voter participation, and another on fostering social equity in public services.
Following the 2020 general election, the working group will issue another paper with recommendations to safeguard future elections.
“In this critical time when threatened by COVID-19, we urge Federal, state and local governments to take immediate action to adjust our electoral processes in ways that will allow every eligible citizen to participate in the 2020 elections while ensuring the integrity of the election process and the health of citizens and election workers,” NAPA wrote on the initiative’s website.
On fostering social equity, NAPA wrote that the Federal platform should include increased awareness, rigorous assessment, formal evaluation, and consistent application of public services to improve access.
