Opinion: The election story no one is telling
Andy Johnston, senior vice president of strategic initiatives at the Grand Rapids chamber and a Michigan Pillar, writes in Bridge Michigan to share his experience sitting in on a Public Accuracy Test. He specifically explained why he’s involved with Pillars of the Community:
The November election in our state is shaping up to be closely watched. Control of Congress and several pivotal statewide offices are on the line. Races with enormous impact often bring louder claims about the process itself being unfair or corrupt. But what I saw this month is a useful baseline: Our elections are run with integrity.
In an era when suspicion can travel faster than facts, seeing this process matters. That’s one of the reasons I’m involved with Pillars of the Community, a nonpartisan election integrity project led by election law experts Ben Ginsberg and Bob Bauer. Their work brings leaders together to learn how elections actually work, so they can take that knowledge back to their communities. The idea behind the project is simple, we shouldn’t ask people to blindly trust our elections. We need to show them.
Having confidence in our elections should matter to you. It’s a marker of a healthy, functioning society. Use your standing to educate yourself and the people around you. And if you have questions heading into the midterms, there will be another Public Accuracy Test before November where you can see this process in action for yourself.