The Competitive Elections Act

Restore voter power through competitive elections and transparent, trustworthy election administration.

Self-government depends on elections that keep government responsive to the people it serves.

Citizens should have meaningful choices when they vote, candidates should compete for broad public support, and every election should be conducted under rules that are fair, stable, and worthy of public confidence.

When elections are both competitive and trustworthy, elected officials remain accountable to the voters who choose them, public confidence is strengthened, and representative government functions as intended.

Over time, many elections have become less competitive.

Safe districts, restrictive candidate selection processes, and structural barriers have reduced meaningful competition in many congressional races. In too many places, the primary election has become more consequential than the general election, and candidates have stronger incentives to appeal to narrow political constituencies than to the broader communities they seek to represent.

At the same time, disputes over election administration, changing election rules, and inconsistent verification practices have weakened public confidence in election outcomes, regardless of whether those concerns ultimately affect election results.

When elections become less competitive or less trusted, government becomes less responsive to the people it serves and confidence in representative democracy declines.

This act strengthens representative democracy by improving both electoral competition and public confidence in elections.

The first group of reforms expands candidate choice, encourages broader electoral competition, and rewards candidates who earn support from a wider cross-section of voters. The second establishes stable election rules, transparent election administration, open standards, and independently verifiable election procedures that strengthen confidence in election outcomes.

Together, these reforms create elections that are more competitive, more transparent, and more trustworthy, helping ensure that elected officials remain responsive to the people they serve and that every federal election is conducted under rules the public can understand and trust.