This article by Kevin Johnson is published by The Fulcrum. Here is an excerpt:

As recent reporting has emphasized, elections in 2022 for secretary of state will feature well-funded “stop the steal” candidates who appear ready to undermine elections to help their side win. Similar threats are emerging at the local level, where most of the core election functions of registering voters, administering polling places and tabulating results take place.

These scenarios highlight a unique vulnerability of U.S. elections: the lack of safeguards against party or candidate loyalists holding important election administration positions.

Most senior U.S. election officials come to their posts through explicitly partisan processes, such as partisan elections. The vast majority of these officials rise above the flaws in the positions they hold and render impartial service, but this ethos is under threat. Widespread falsehoods about the 2020 elections have propelled candidates for election posts who are committed to redressing the perceived wrongs. This context argues for long overdue reform of state election leadership and incremental, targeted reform at the local level.

Read the full article here.