About · What We Do
A neutral reference point for election reform
Vision
A world where independent empirical evidence guides choices about electoral reforms.
Mission
Advance independent, open research to enable better election reform decisions.
Operating principles
The commitments behind every project
Integrity
Methodological rigor, transparent assumptions.
Independence
Driven exclusively by impact
Transparency
Data, code, and methods shared openly for replication and critique.
Practical
Questions framed around real-world decisions
Programs
What we choose to study, and why
Every question clears three tests:
Decision relevance
Would change a real decision.
Neglectedness
Others aren’t working on it.
Impact
Meaningfully informs policy
Current priorities
Outputs
Three layers from every project
Technical anchors
Peer-reviewed articles, conference papers, and technical reports.
Practitioner translations
Policy briefs, explainers, and op-eds for legislators, funders, and journalists.
Reusable infrastructure
Open datasets, code repositories, preregistrations, and visual tools.
Design principle: every major project should be usable by someone other than its author.
Theory of change
From better evidence to better representation
Inputs
Funding · Expertise · Co-authors · Collaborating orgs · Advisory board
Activities
Independent election research · Open datasets, code, and tools · Accessible syntheses · Stakeholder communication
Outputs
Peer-reviewed articles · White papers & briefs · Open data & code · Media appearances & op-eds
Outcomes
Short term
Claims get held to a higher standard
Reform groups, policymakers, journalists, and funders ask sharper questions about tradeoffs.
Medium term
Proposals shift toward what works
Campaigns and legislation favor designs that perform well across metrics.
Long term
Better systems get adopted
Reforms with real empirical support are standard.
Structure
A deliberately lean model
One expert core
Our lean structure and broad network allow focused expertise with quick turnaround.
Project-based collaborators
Co-authors raise research throughput without requiring permanence.
Flexible funding
Unrestricted support lets us pick research questions by impact and neglectedness
Open access by default
All work uses Creative Commons licensing.
Sequencing
Three phases
Establishment
Legal formation, advisory board, first studies preregistered, website live.
Consolidation
Research peer-reviewed and published, collaborator network expanded.
Institutionalization
A default reference point for election reform evidence, on a sustained funding base.
Accountability