Our Central Objective

Our Central Objective

E lection Laws in Every State that Affirm and Comply with F AIR E LECTIONS A SSURANCE P RINCIPLES T HE FAIR ELECTIONS FOUNDATION identified and established 10 Core Principles essential to election integrity. For a state to receive FEAP certification requires the concurrence of the Foundation’s Board of Directors as to whether that the state’s election laws and practices fully and equally affirm all 10 FEAP Principles

For b ackground and underlying rationale for the F AIR E LECTION A SSURANCE P RINCIPLES , see next page

© 2021 The Fair Elections Foundation

O UR C ENTRAL O BJECTIVE : Background and Rationale We are told that precepts like the 10 COMMANDMENTS came to us already engraved in stone. But, in today’s world , principles and precepts do not come to us that way. Take Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, for example. GAA P was conceived by a private foundation-- The Financial Accounting Standards Board. Over time GAAP principles w ere gained creditability to the point where now all 50 states conform to accounting practices that meet GAAP Principles. Similarly the Fair Election Assurance Principles ( FEAP ) come to us from a private foundation -- The Fair Elections Foundation. Both GAAP and FEAP are Principle-based . Our states currently have election laws and practices that are situational or circumstantial-- not grounded in common principles. Much like an investor has confidence in financial statements that were prepared in accordance with GAAP principles, for voters to have confidence in election s, laws and practices that must affirm and comply FEAP Principles. In promoting FEAP principles, the Fo undation will initially target five states. From that base, with the support or our donors and volunteers, FEAP can and will become the venerable standard for fair elections i n all 50 states. The polling firm, Morning Consult, reported 34% percent of American’s voters believe the 2020 Presidential Election results were illegitimate. After the 2016 election, the number was almost as high. Most important at this point in time, is not whether or these elections were fair . What is important is that we have consistent, principle-based election laws and practices. Just as sports fans are more likely to question an incompetent referee when their team loses, without consistent and principle-based election laws and practices, supporters of losing candidates will continue to question election laws. The vote is the most important weapon citizens have to keep government in check. When confidence in the vote wanes, the eventual result is authoritarianism. As the world’s longest surviving democracy, the United States has w atched democracies crumble over our 245- year history . We are not immune to the likelihood of that happening here. I t is up to us to restore for our children, grandchildren, and those that come after, the confidence in fair elections that America once had.

Robert S. Baker Executive Director T HE F AIR E LECTIONS F OUNDATION

© 2021 The Fair Elections Foundation