American democracy needs election audits 

Successful businesses of all shapes and sizes utilize audits to ensure their financial statements represent a fair and accurate representation of their true financial condition. Typically, done on an annual basis, audits offer an objective assessment of financial health of an organization. If financial audits are a critical tool used by businesses, then it’s a no-brainer that states should employ them on a nonpartisan basis to ensure the integrity of our elections. 

Free and fair elections are a hallmark of American democracy and have been our national standard for over two centuries. Trust in the accuracy of an electoral outcome should not be influenced by anything other than the demonstrated integrity of election administration, including the outcome itself. The oscillating nature of election confidence, derived from mistrust in election administration, is unhealthy for our democracy and must be purged. Improving the integrity and transparency of election management is an effective and nonpartisan course of action. 

Through work on the Committee on House Administration, I learned how few states and localities conduct post-election audits to ensure election equipment worked properly and ballots were cast by eligible and qualified voters. In many cases it is not because of disinterest but rather lack of resources that presents a hurdle. This inspired me to introduce the Federal Election Audit Act, which was ultimately included in House Republicans’ election reform package, the American Confidence in Elections Act. The measure provides federal funds to states who wish to implement comprehensive post-election audits. 

There are three important characteristics of an audit. First, it must be executed independently. State and local officials who administer elections, or contractors of such offices, may not conduct an audit. Second, it must be comprehensive. Voter registration, voter check-in, voting, tabulation, canvassing and post-election proceedings must all be examined. And third, it must be timely. Audits should be carried out before the expiration of when one can challenge the results of an election under state law. By meeting these criteria, we can be sure our audits remain nonpartisan. 

Often included in the discussion about election audits is the very different procedure of vote recounts. While often necessary to the conclusive determination of an election outcome, recounts and audits are exclusive from one another. Recounts are typically politically motivated and linked to the outcome of an election; audits are conducted to ensure the process of vote counting is accurate and reliable. 

While Congress plays a significant role in overseeing elections at the federal level, states retain the constitutional authority to administer elections as they see fit. Under Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Democrats’ chief priority was to pass their deceptively named bill, the For the People Act, to uproot states’ rights and federalize our elections. Contrary to their inappropriate and misguided vision, our role is to enable and empower states to carry out secure elections and protect the right of every American eligible to vote to cast their ballot.  

Providing federal funding to states to ensure that elections are mechanically sound and taxpayer resources are being used effectively is not partisan, it’s American. We cannot effectively advocate the merits of democratic principles and free and fair elections to the rest of the world if we do not exercise the same concern within our own country. If Americans lose faith in the integrity of our elections, the promise of our nation will die, and we may no longer be the shining city upon a hill that the rest of the world has come to know. 

Gregory F. Murphy, M.D., represents North Carolina’s 3rd District and is a member of the Committee on House Administration.