Coleman Named to National Task Force on Election Crises

At the end of last year, I was asked to serve on the National Task Force on Election Crises. I immediately accepted their invitation. The Task Force has a membership of about fifty people from a variety of backgrounds including:

• Jim Baker, former General Counsel at the FBI
• Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of Homeland Security
• Edward Foley, Professor of Law, Ohio State University
• Trey Grayson, former Kentucky Secretary of State
• Rebecca Green, Professor of Law at William and Mary
• Karen Flynn, President of Common Cause
• Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• Norman Ornstein, Author and Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute
• Michael Steele, former Chairman of the Republican National Committee
• Larry Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell

Our mission transcends party and ideology
The mission of the cross-partisan National Task Force on Election Crises is to ensure a free and fair 2020 presidential election by recommending responses to a range of election crises. The only electoral outcome the Task Force advocates is that the election is free and fair.

The Task Force is composed of experts in election law, election administration, national security, cybersecurity, voting rights, civil rights, technology, media, public health, and emergency response. The recommendations of the Task Force are the result of thoughtful consideration and input from all of its members.

With the coronavirus crisis engulfing all 50 states, and primary elections shifting to accommodate public health concerns, the Task Force released its COVID-19 guidance for policymakers and election officials in preparation for November’s general election. This moment in our history proves that thinking through risks to a free and fair election is worth the effort: elections are, after all, the bedrock of our democracy.

For more information, read the Executive Summary and the complete version of our COVID-19 Election Guide (PDF) which may be found at electiontaskforce.org.