By Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal | July 22, 2026
The Election Transparency Initiative, which advocates for voter integrity issues at the federal and state levels, is joining The Heritage Foundation.
The initiative was first founded in 2021 and has been led by its chairman, Ken Cuccinelli, former Virginia attorney general and former acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
“ETI is excited to join the Heritage family—lock, stock, and barrel,” Cuccinelli said in a public statement. “This is not the beginning of our work or of Heritage’s; it is the next and stronger chapter. We will continue supporting state leaders and working alongside coalition partners across the country, now backed by the unmatched research, policy, legal, communications, and grassroots capabilities of Heritage.”
“Heritage has long been a leader in election integrity,” Cuccinelli continued. “Bringing ETI into that established work will make both efforts stronger and help us provide even greater support to those advancing transparent, secure, and accountable elections.”
The initiative will be part of both The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, and its advocacy arm, Heritage Action.
“Confidence in our elections is the cornerstone of self-government. Heritage’s Election Transparency Initiative will ensure policymakers have the tools they need to strengthen election security and safeguard integrity at the ballot box,” Steve Chartan, executive vice president at Heritage Action, told the Daily Signal in a statement. “Election integrity should not be a partisan issue; it is fundamental to preserving the legitimacy of our constitutional republic.”
The Election Transparency Initiative is set to focus on developing model legislation for state and federal policymakers; producing original research and legal analysis on election administration and election law; convening policymakers, legal experts, and election professionals to share best practices; and serving as a resource for legislators, state officials, and the public on election integrity issues.
“The integrity of our elections is fundamental to the health of our constitutional republic,” said Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation and executive director of Heritage Action. “Today’s announcement reflects Heritage’s commitment to developing serious, principled solutions that help policymakers strengthen election administration and foster Americans’ confidence in our democratic institutions. We look forward to working with Ken Cuccinelli on this critical effort.”
The Election Transparency Initiative began in 2021 as an effort to oppose legislation in the Democrat-controlled Congress that it said would have undermined state election safeguards.
The House passed bills critics said would have effectively banned state voter ID laws by replacing photo identification requirements with a sworn statement at the polls. The bills would have allowed the controversial practice of ballot harvesting, which allows third-party actors to collect and distribute large quantities of ballots; they also would have expanded mail-in voting and lowered the number of Federal Election Commission members from six to five, which critics argued would have allowed then-President Joe Biden to gain an advantage. The legislation died in the Senate after two Democrats from centrist states declined to eliminate the filibuster to pass the bills.
The Election Transparency Initiative went on to advocate for other policies, such as requirements that states keep updated voter registration lists and verify voters’ citizenship.
“The ETI is a leading voice in election integrity because it combines principled policy solutions with real-world expertise,” Matt Crouch, a state director for Heritage Action, told the Daily Signal. “Heritage and ETI joining forces will amplify that impact and support stakeholders across the country. Together, we will continue building public trust in elections through transparency, accountability, and commonsense reforms.”
Fred Lucas is senior investigative reporter for the Daily Signal. He is the author of “The Myth of Voter Suppression: The Left’s Assault on Clean Elections.”
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