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Video: Bipartisan lunch with lawmakers: Making elections work better in PA

Building on a series of bipartisan dialogues, join BFA Pennsylvania for the first in our series of “Lunch with Lawmakers” which bring together different perspectives at the intersection of business and politics.

Two of the Pennsylvania House’s most knowledgeable members discuss needed reforms to the way the state conducts its elections. The 2023–24 legislative session in Harrisburg will consider a range of proposals aimed at changing how citizens vote and how election officials tally and report the results. With a new governor, secretary of state, and House speaker governing as an Independent, changes are certain. To shed light on these developments, State Representatives Jared Solomon (D - 202) and Jesse Topper (R - 78) will discuss issues such as voter ID, pre-canvassing absentee ballots, protecting election workers, standardizing the procedures counties use to run elections, clarifying the rules concerning mail-in ballots, and ensuring election integrity.


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The Long Tradition of Lawyers Defending U.S. Democracy

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The Long Tradition of Lawyers Defending U.S. Democracy

For centuries, lawyers have been leaders in establishing and protecting our democracy and its cornerstone, the rule of law. They have challenged tyrants, whether it be King George III in our nation’s founding or President Trump, a wannabe king, today.

Lawyers swear to do this in an oath, which is a condition of admission to the bar, to “support the Constitution of the United States.” This sworn duty continues a centuries-old tradition.

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California Latinos Showed Up—Now Party Insiders Want to Shut Them Out

Xavier Becerra

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California Latinos Showed Up—Now Party Insiders Want to Shut Them Out

Political strategist, IVN commentator, and The Latino Century author Mike Madrid has a blunt warning for California: The campaign to repeal the state’s nonpartisan Top Two primary would disproportionately silence the fastest-growing segment of the electorate.

In a new Sacramento Bee op-ed, Madrid argues that Latino voters—particularly those who do not align with either major party—played a significant role in California’s record-setting June primary.

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David Becker on Defending U.S. Elections from New Threats

Man’s hand holding an “I Voted” sticker outside the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C.

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David Becker on Defending U.S. Elections from New Threats

The Unity Forum presented by Alumni for Freedom & Democracy and the Fulcrum is a cross‑partisan civic education program that strengthens reasoned discourse and advances a more open society. Each episode features respected experts who help audiences make sense of current events, elevate civil dialogue, and deepen public understanding of the social, legal, and institutional challenges confronting the nation.

In a recent conversation, Unity Forum founder Chris Malone spoke with David Becker, Executive Director and Founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR). Becker is one of the nation’s most experienced election law experts, having led Pew’s elections program, spearheaded the creation of ERIC—the interstate system that has helped states update tens of millions of voter records—and served seven years as a senior trial attorney in the Department of Justice’s Voting Section. He also co‑authored The Big Truth and serves as CBS News’ election law contributor.

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A Democracy Cannot Run on an AI Model

Artificial intelligence and voting.

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A Democracy Cannot Run on an AI Model

Tallying the results of Washington, D.C.’s first ranked-choice election last month took about 10 days – longer than many voters are used to. In an age when artificial intelligence can generate an answer in seconds, waiting days for election results can feel old-fashioned, inefficient, even suspicious.

But that slowness may be one of its most democratic features.

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