@responsivegov.bsky.social
Responsive Gov is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to ensuring state and federal governments work effectively for the very people they serve. We provide data, research, and expertise to elected officials in order to find practical policy solutions.
NEW: We found that 13 states could save at least $100,000 to $29 million annually in Medicaid costs without cutting benefits or pharmacy reimbursements.
How? By cutting out the middlemen with corporate markups: Pharmacy Benefit Managers.
Read it here:
The proposal also creates a producer group of election technology manufacturers to better coordinate the ecosystem.
28.10.2025 18:24 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Their proposal, which won 2nd place, envisions federal legislation that directs a portion of pre-existing funding sources for transportation and cyberaccess towards modernizing voter registration systems at state DMVs and improving state/local election office technology.
28.10.2025 18:24 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
We were honored to have Gideon Cohn-Postar, our Senior Advisor for Election Infrastructure, join the Auburn University Elections Symposium with Caleb Hays to talk about their innovative proposal for broadening the federal funding base for federal elections grants.
28.10.2025 18:24 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Check out the piece referenced by @besttrousers.bsky.social on @donmoyn.bsky.social's Can We Still Govern here: donmoynihan.substack.com/p/what-can-b...
03.09.2025 20:28 — 👍 8 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0Important read from @civicdesign: Their four principles for designing clear, effective government forms:
1⃣ Make it trustworthy.
2⃣ Explain the problem clearly.
3⃣ Be specific about the problem.
4⃣ Tell them how to take action successfully.
More here: civicdesign.org/form-letters...
My Statement on Trump’s Proposed Executive Order to Ban Mail-In Voting
19.08.2025 19:02 — 👍 8 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 1
President Trump has no authority to upend state voting policies.
Vote by mail is critical to millions of American voters, especially rural voters, elderly voters, and the many eligible voters who have to work on Election Day.
Read our full statement:
Election equipment is also closely monitored, controlled, & checked for accuracy. It undergoes rigorous testing before elections & careful audits afterward, with bipartisan teams watching every step.
Read our factsheet on why voting machines are secure:
President Trump announced plans to issue an executive order to halt mail voting and interfere with voting equipment.
Here are the facts: Voting by mail is safe & secure, with overlapping safeguards at every step of the voting process. Read our factsheet:
When done right, electronic verification can streamline services, save money, and reduce paperwork. But tech solutions built on shaky data can do real damage.
More on USCIS's proposed overhaul of the SAVE database via @jonshorman.bsky.social @stateline.org:
Responsive Gov is proud that ERIC for Medicaid – a solution we proposed earlier this year – made it into H.R. 1 last month. ERIC for Medicaid is a smart fix that will significantly improve list accuracy and save billions of tax dollars.
Read more about it here:
ERIC for Medicaid "addresses real inefficiencies without reducing benefits, strengthens the technical backbone of Medicaid, and sets the stage for broader improvements to how government delivers services."
Important read by @sorendayton.bsky.social of FAI:
Today marks 60 years of CMS – a vital agency offering services to 160M+ Americans.
At the same time Medicaid faces damaging cuts, Congress took a promising step by adopting ERIC for Medicaid – a plan to cut duplicate enrollments & save billions of dollars: responsivegov.org/on-cmss-60th...
The Trump administration’s latest effort to undermine trust in our elections & the public servants who administer them?
DOJ efforts to prosecute election officials.
We're appalled. Read the @nytimes.com LTE from our executive director, Sam Oliker-Friedland: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/o...
We echo the Project for Election Infrastructure in welcoming $15M in proposed election infrastructure funding in the FY26 Financial Services & General Govt. bill.
But $400M is what's really needed for secure elections.
Read PEI's full release here: modernizeourelections.org/project-for-...
In NYC's mayoral race, many saw @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social's win as validation for RCV.
In reality, it was more complicated. “In this case, RCV didn’t mitigate polarization. It arguably masked it.”
Read the full op-ed from our ED, Sam Oliker-Friedland in @thehill.com: thehill.com/opinion/camp...
The Department of Justice is seeking voter data on millions of Americans.
“… it’s really, really significant in terms of the volume of materials that are required to be retained.” - Neal Ubriani, Responsive Gov Research Director
More via @jonshorman.bsky.social:
Exciting news: In Virginia, Gov. Youngkin has signed an executive order launching an AI regulatory reduction pilot to help the state identify opportunities to cut red tape and keep regulatory guidance streamlined. VA follows the lead of places like Ohio and San Francisco.
14.07.2025 20:31 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Updates to stormwater permitting processes have produced another $124 million in savings. The list goes on.
Virginia is modeling a deeply successful, thoughtful, results-based approach to fixing bureaucracy and reducing red tape in the service of everyday Americans.
Some real impacts for Virginians?
Building Code reforms cut the cost of constructing a new home by over $24,000, saving VA homebuyers $723 million/year.
Faster licensing at the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation has cut approval times from 33 days to 5.
A case study in cutting red tape: Virginia Gov. Youngkin announced that the state's Office of Regulatory Management, set up in 2022, has slashed regulatory requirements in the VA Administrative Code by 27%, saving Virginians more than $1.2 billion per year. 🧵
10.07.2025 15:53 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Working through significant challenges, the State Department revamped the online system for a process that’s long been a pain in Americans’ side: renewing or applying for a passport.
The result? A quicker, simpler process; 94% positive reviews; & recorded increased trust in government. Read more:
“Every eligible American should have the opportunity to cast their ballot in an accessible and secure way, and that’s exactly what this legislation ensures." - Responsive Gov Action Executive Director Sam Oliker-Friedland
Thank you @wyden.senate.gov for reintroducing the Vote At Home Act:
🚨 Big congrats to our friends at HIP — now Health in Partnership! Same vision and values, new name and look to better reflect their current work. 🙌 Learn more: www.healthinpartnership.org/message-from...
20.05.2025 18:27 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
“Why not transform the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, which has sunk into obscurity, into the Election Security Fund?”
Adequate, reliable funding makes for stronger elections. This is an innovative funding solution from former Sen. Roy Blunt in @wsj.com: www.wsj.com/opinion/chec...
From security threats to outdated infrastructure & equipment, election administrators face many challenges that require major resources to address.
Federal funding is critical to ensuring secure, accessible elections. It’s long past time for Congress to commit to $400m in elections funding.
From our latest white paper by former Alaska State Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins: "Goodness knows that this country desperately needs systems-level change given recent political history. I believe proportional representation can be part of the solution."
14.05.2025 17:27 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0What could election offices do with adequate federal funding?
• Patch critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities;
• Replace outdated voting machines;
• Upgrade voter registration databases;
• Hire qualified staff;
And more.
Congress should allocate $400m in elections funding.
Election administrators at the state and local levels work tirelessly to run safe, accessible, impartial elections. Congress should equip local election officials with the tools they need to continue to strengthen our democracy by appropriating $400m for election infrastructure.
13.05.2025 20:45 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
