One of the strongest indicators of a community with civic muscle for tackling problems is the presence of trust. This is particularly true when it comes to the administration of elections, an area in which trust has been brought into question in recent years.
Few people will engage in civic affairs and problem-solving without having trust in their local government and in their fellow citizens. “Why is trust important?” asks David Swindell associate professor in Arizona State University’s School of Public Affairs, in a recent blog post. “Simply put, it is the glue that holds a nation together; all of its public institutions and democratic governmental units.”
Declining trust is often cited as the reason for what Robert Putnam labels shrinking social capital. For Putnam, trust is both a cause and effect of social capital, which he says “is the key to making democracy work.” Taking Putnam’s ideas one step further, writer Peter Block says that social capital “is measured by how much we trust each other and how much we cooperate to make a place better.”
In their 2020 book, Building Trust in Government through Citizen Engagement, Saki Kumagai and Federica Iorio, echoing Putnam’s sentiment that trust is self-reinforcing, say that “low trust in public institutions is part of the reason why citizens do not engage, and the lack of citizen participation in government decision making negatively affects performance and accountability, which leads to a decrease in trust.”
Distrust of election systems has led to some people not voting and greater scrutiny of electoral processes, particularly since 2020, when President Trump questioned the results of the Presidential election. As a result, many cities and counties are providing greater transparency and oversight of voter registration, voting, and ballot counting, and many nonprofit organizations are working to both ensure election integrity and encourage voter turnout.
Nationally, there are more than 1,300 nonprofit organizations working to maintain and improve election systems and turnout, according the National Civic League’s Healthy Democracy Ecosystem map, including many that have worked in this space for years, like the Brennan Center for Justice and Local Policy Lab. In addition, there are many new initiatives in response to claims of election fraud and threats to safe elections, including the Trustworthy Elections Project spearheaded by Braver Angels and the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections.
Regarding local election systems, former county election administrator Fred Sherman recently wrote about the need for education and transparency in the March 2026 edition of PM Magazine, saying that “clarity builds trust…In elections, confidence may be the most essential infrastructure we manage…The system’s strength depends almost entirely on public confidence in processes they rarely observe. When that confidence weakens, governance itself becomes unstable.”
To allow the public to see first-hand how election ballots are processed, the county clerk in Washington County, WI, recently implemented voluntary random hand count audits and invited community members to take part. In addition, the county works with law enforcement year-round to prepare for election day so that problems can be anticipated. County Clerk, Ashley Reichert, told PM Magazine that “restoring public trust in elections does not happen through rhetoric or isolated initiatives. It is built through consistent actions, clear communication and a willingness to exceed the bare minimum of what is required.”
Similarly, in El Paso, TX, elections administrator, Lisa Wise, said that elections require months of preparation and the support and collaboration of numerous stakeholders.” One of those stakeholders is public safety officers, and Wise says the county trains them not only on potential safety problems, but on election code violations as well, to “ensure readiness.”
Local Policy Lab, a program of the National Civic League, worked with the cities of Milwaukee and Lancaster, PA, in 2024 to help safeguard election integrity, organizing and executing two successful tabletop exercises prior to the November election in partnership with the Brennan Center, Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, The Elections Group, and Social Scout.
In Milwaukee, the exercise included 25 city officials representing a broad spectrum of city offices. This exercise covered topics ranging from election day administration to safety and security protocols. Bringing together these diverse offices proved invaluable; for some it was the first time they had been involved in election preparation. The exercise helped to identify potential challenges and the attendees were then able to assign responsibility for tackling each issue.
The City of Lancaster exercise, held at the City Fire Department, providing a relevant backdrop for the importance of first responder integration into election preparation, included 16 city officials from across the city and county. While focusing on communications and safety, the Lancaster exercise also incorporated a crucial component addressing the use of AI-generated information for spreading misinformation, a potential threat during the election season.
The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections inspires and trains local officials in ensuring safety during election processes, one of the more basic elements of election integrity. Says its former Board Chair, retired Sheriff Paul Penzone, who faced election security threats in Maricopa County, AZ, “democracy can only survive and thrive if we respect and protect its values and principles. Elected officials must respect those they serve, freely act within their elected authority and act on behalf of a nation that ensures their safety so they may make decisions without fear or intimidation. That is a true democracy.”
