Institute for Responsive Government

What can be learned from states that made good faith efforts with work requirements? Lessons from New Hampshire

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...

Important 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

New Responsive Gov Resources: Why President Trump Can’t Ban Mail Voting or Interfere with Election Equipment - Institute for Responsive Government

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:

Why We Can Trust Voting Machines - Institute for Responsive Government

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:

Why Mail Ballots Are Secure: Layered Safeguards - Institute for Responsive Government

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:

Trump wants states to feed voter info into powerful citizenship data program • Stateline The Trump administration is developing a powerful data tool it claims will let states identify noncitizens registered to vote. But Democratic critics and data experts warn it could allow the federal g...

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:

ERIC for Medicaid - Institute for Responsive Government

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:

Fixing Duplicate Medicaid Enrollments through Smart Government IT | The Foundation for American Innovation The Foundation for American Innovation.

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:

On CMS’s 60th Anniversary, All Eyes Are on Medicaid - Institute for Responsive Government

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...

Opinion | Trump, the House and the Epstein Files

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...

Trump’s DOJ wants states to turn over voter lists, election info • Stateline The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking the voter registration lists of several states – representing data on millions of Americans – and other election information ahead of the 2026 midterms, raisi...

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:

Governor Glenn Youngkin Issues Executive Order 51 Launching First-in-the-Nation Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) Empowered Statewide Regulatory Review Governor Glenn Youngkin today issued an executive order launching a first-of-its-kind agentic artificial intelligence (AI) regulatory reduction pilot to ensure that the Commonwealth captures the benef...

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.

Updates 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.

Virginia Shows A Smarter Path To Regulatory Reform Virginia cut 26.8% of regulatory requirements, saving $1.2B annually—offering a smarter, data-driven alternative to DOGE’s blunt federal cuts at the federal level.

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. 🧵

America Has Pulled Off the Impossible. It Made Getting a Passport Simple. Washington is not exactly known for tech innovation. So how did a team of bureaucrats put their stamp on a new program for renewing passports online?

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:

Wyden Reintroduces Bill to Allow All Americans to Vote at Home | U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon The Official U.S. Senate website of Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon

“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:

Message from Co-Directors

🚨 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...

Opinion | Check the Box for Secure Voting The Presidential Election Campaign Fund is obsolete, but here’s a way to revive the idea behind it.

“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.

Proportional Representation: An Intervention for More Electoral Competition and Better Governance - Institute for Responsive Government

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."

What 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.

165+ election officials have written a letter calling on Congress to step up for our democracy—& election administrators nationwide—by granting $400 million in elections funding. Let's get them the resources they need to keep elections strong & secure.

Unbalanced Ledger: Why States Can’t Afford Deep Medicaid Cuts - Institute for Responsive Government

Rather than promoting efficiency or accountability, proposed cuts to federal Medicaid funding would undermine state flexibility, strain local economies, and ultimately cost taxpayers more in the long run.

Read our latest report:

Unbalanced Ledger: Why States Can’t Afford Deep Medicaid Cuts - Institute for Responsive Government

As Congress convenes to discuss potential cuts to Medicaid on Tuesday, our report explores how Medicaid cuts would create insurmountable deficits in state budgets that decimate the program’s ability to work well, even for those who retain coverage:

Proportional Representation: An Intervention for More Electoral Competition and Better Governance - Institute for Responsive Government

Looking for policies that could disrupt partisan gridlock, encourage collaboration, and boost turnout? Responsive Gov fellow and former Alaska State Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins explains how proportional representation offers a path forward. Read it here: