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    Our survey shows Americans by a wide margin oppose political violence.
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  • Sharing the Facts

    Explore our series to make sense of news about elections, the rule of law, and democracy.
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  • Polling at States United

    Explore our polling results and analysis on major trends in democracy.
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Democracy needs backup. That’s where we come in.

The States United Democracy Center is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to the rule of law and free, fair, secure elections. We provide direct support to state officials and law enforcement leaders as they uphold the law and our system of checks and balances, protect public safety, and preserve our democracy.

74%

of Americans say it’s more important to count every legal vote than for their preferred candidates to win.

Source: States United Action survey, June 2023
Explore our Priorities

Our Priorities

We provide legal, research, and communications support to state officials and law enforcement leaders as they uphold the rule of law. Our work helps to safeguard elections, protect public safety, and promote the facts about our democracy.

Election Protection

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Election Protection

Elections are led and run by the states. We help state and local officials, and our state partners, protect the freedom to vote and administer nonpartisan elections.
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Elections are led and run by the states. We help state and local officials, and our state partners, protect the freedom to vote and administer nonpartisan elections.
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Rule of Law

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Rule of Law

We work with state officials to defend the Constitution, the states’ authority to govern and serve their constituents, and our system of checks and balances.
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We work with state officials to defend the Constitution, the states’ authority to govern and serve their constituents, and our system of checks and balances.
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Public Safety

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Public Safety

Democracy relies on the officials who keep all of us safe.
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Public safety is fundamental to everything we value in American democracy. We support law enforcement leaders and state officials in their work to improve public safety to enable people to participate in elections and civic life.
Source: Brennan Center for Justice
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Information Integrity

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Information Integrity

We make sure that Americans have access to factual information about our democracy.
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We share the facts about our democracy and elections. And we help state officials ensure that voters have access to accurate information.
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Latest Resources

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Amicus Briefs
Updated November 24, 2025

United States v. Comey — Misusing Federal Law Enforcement (VA)
Amicus Briefs
Updated November 24, 2025

United States v. James — Misusing Federal Law Enforcement (VA)
Fact Sheets
Updated November 20, 2025

Backgrounder: National Guard Deployment Litigation
Blogs, Memo
Updated November 18, 2025

What’s Breaking Through About the Justice Department’s Election Investigations
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Latest News

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Newsletter
November 21, 2025

Unpopular Demand
Newsletter
November 14, 2025

Brief History
Press Release
November 14, 2025

Leading Democracy Scholars and Experts Warn Prosecution of New York Attorney General Letitia James Threatens Rule of Law
Newsletter
November 7, 2025

This Time Next Year

Our Team

Our Advisory Board

Our Bipartisan Advisory Board brings together former state and federal officials, issue experts, and law enforcement leaders who are committed to protecting democracy.
Meet the Board

Our Staff

We’ve built a powerhouse team across the country to support the trusted officials who defend our democracy. We have deep experience in litigation, research, public safety, coalition-building, and communications.
Meet the Staff

We can’t take our democracy for granted. The Constitution doesn’t enforce itself. It relies on each of us to uphold it. The question isn’t whether we are in a constitutional crisis. It’s what we’re going to do about it.
Joanna Lydgate, long dark hair, wearing black blazer with white undershirt
JOANNA LYDGATE
President & Chief Executive Officer

Election deniers in state legislatures have the potential to undermine the will of the voters. We also think there is a connection between the election denier rhetoric, the conspiracy theories about our elections, and the potential for violence in and around elections.
KELLY RADER
Research Director