
Policy
Elections
Securing the American institutions of self-government – such as free and fair elections – in a republic is a civic responsibility of every American citizen. It is an essential part of ensuring a new birth of freedom for future generations.
If government derives its power from the “consent of the governed,” as the Declaration of Independence states, then that consent must have a mechanism for being regularly expressed and renewed.
This is the role that secure elections play in America’s constitutional order: helping ensure the peaceful transfer of power and the opportunity of citizens to exercise their civic voice.
Sutherland Institute offers sound research and principled analysis on voting methods and election security. We do this to promote trusted and trustworthy voting systems and elevate the way the state of Utah assesses and refines this crucial process. We seek to protect public confidence in Utah’s elections by promoting positive reforms and increasing voters’ understanding of the security and access offered by Utah’s election procedures.
Conversations
-
Why many election officials don't want to be a Republican or a Democrat
-
Election officials should follow the law, not the party line
-
Can election officials ever really be nonpartisan?
-
Election officials should be neutral
-
A public office that doesn't need a party label
-
Your county clerk isn't your legislator
-
Rethinking how we elect county clerks
-
Should county clerks be nonpartisan? | Kevin Johnson & Brian McKenzie
-
How Florida gets election results faster than California
Insights & Takeaways
-

Missing the significance of the voter initiative amendment
Read More: Missing the significance of the voter initiative amendmentSo far, the debate over the amendment is missing one of the most important constitutional principles at stake: the separation of powers.
-

Five bygone elections that echo into 2024
Read More: Five bygone elections that echo into 2024Another quadrennial brings another round of the same hyperbole. Who’s to say none of them apply to 2024? But an honest look at past elections suggests that there is nothing…
-

Biden bows out: What it means for the presidential election
Read More: Biden bows out: What it means for the presidential electionThe president’s decision to drop out of the race for a second term will impact more than just the 2024 election.
-

The rise of ‘faction’: The presidential election of 1800 set the standard for acrimony
Read More: The rise of ‘faction’: The presidential election of 1800 set the standard for acrimonyThe political propaganda and hot-button issues of today’s presidential elections were foreshadowed two centuries ago.
-

Constitutional principles should guide – or stop – election challenges
Read More: Constitutional principles should guide – or stop – election challengesWhen a candidate contests an announced final election outcome, how do we discern whether that act supports or undermines the spirit of our Constitution?
-

Utah’s primary election results raise questions about caucus-convention system
Read More: Utah’s primary election results raise questions about caucus-convention systemThe purpose of a primary election is for a political party to decide who will represent it as a candidate for office in the November general election. But this immediately…









