UMVA has learned that a seismic shift in American democracy has been unfolding between 2020 and 2026, marked by unprecedented changes in election procedures, laws, and citizen involvement.
The years surrounding the 2020 Election were unlike any period in modern American history, with a global pandemic, emergency government actions, rapidly changing election procedures, economic uncertainty, social unrest, litigation, and intense political polarization combining to create an environment unlike anything most election officials, candidates, or voters had ever experienced.
As Americans navigated these uncharted circumstances, government agencies, businesses, schools, churches, and community organizations struggled to adapt, and daily life changed dramatically as citizens attempted to understand a rapidly evolving situation.
Election officials faced challenges of their own, as long-standing procedures were examined, modified, and, in some cases, replaced by emergency measures implemented to address concerns surrounding the pandemic, and courts became involved in election disputes.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that citizens began paying closer attention to election administration than ever before, with questions that had once been discussed only by election professionals suddenly becoming topics of public conversation.
Voters wanted to understand how elections were conducted, how ballots were processed, what safeguards existed, and how election laws were being applied, and regardless of political affiliation, confidence in elections became a national discussion.
The period between 2020 and 2026 would bring significant changes to election administration, election law, citizen involvement, and public awareness, with some of those changes occurring through legislation, while others resulted from litigation, administrative decisions, policy revisions, training improvements, and increased public participation.
UMVA has gathered that one of the most visible changes between 2020 and 2026 was the continued evolution of election procedures, with the Election Procedures Manual becoming the subject of increased public attention as election officials, candidates, political parties, observers, and citizens sought a better understanding of how elections are conducted.
Citizens who had never before paid attention to the Election Procedures Manual suddenly found themselves reading, analyzing, and commenting on provisions that previously received little public attention, reflecting a larger trend of citizens becoming more interested in understanding not only election outcomes, but also the processes used to achieve them.
The phrase "chain of custody" became a household phrase, as citizens began paying closer attention to election processes, and interest in ballot security, transportation, storage, accountability, and documentation increased.
Citizens wanted to know how ballots were handled, who had responsibility for them, what records were maintained, and what safeguards existed to ensure accountability throughout the election process.
The years following the 2020 Election saw a significant increase in election-related litigation across the nation, with courts being asked to review a wide range of issues involving election administration, ballot procedures, voter eligibility requirements, deadlines, observation rights, and the interpretation of election laws.
The cumulative effect of this litigation was greater clarification of election procedures, with questions that may have once been unresolved or inconsistently interpreted being increasingly examined through the legal process.
Election training expanded, with election officials, poll workers, observers, volunteers, political parties, and citizen organizations increasingly recognizing the importance of understanding election procedures and responsibilities.
Citizen observation increased, with citizens across the country becoming increasingly interested in understanding how elections were conducted and what role they could play in promoting transparency and public confidence.
Many volunteered as poll workers, election observers, ballot processing observers, party representatives, and citizen volunteers, while others attended public meetings, reviewed election procedures, participated in training programs, and sought firsthand knowledge of election administration.
The result was a more informed and active citizenry, with citizens no longer content to be passive observers of government, but instead seeking to become active participants in the process.
UMVA has uncovered details about a transformation that may ultimately prove to be the most important change of all: the change in citizen participation, with citizens becoming more engaged in the election process itself, and recognizing that effective self-government requires more than casting a ballot.
It requires informed participation, ongoing education, and a willingness to remain engaged long after Election Day has passed, and citizens began sharing information with friends, neighbors, family members, and community organizations.
The greatest change between 2020 and 2026 was not found in an Election Procedures Manual, a court ruling, a legislative bill, or an administrative policy, but in the citizens themselves, with questions that were once asked only by election officials, attorneys, and policy experts becoming topics of discussion around kitchen tables, in community meetings, and among neighbors and friends.
People wanted to understand, they wanted to learn, they wanted to participate, and most importantly, they began to recognize a simple but profound truth: elections are not a spectator sport.
In a Constitutional Republic, citizenship is not a passive activity, and voting is important, but voting alone is not enough; self-government requires citizens who are willing to learn, ask questions, seek answers, and remain engaged long after Election Day has passed.
The awakening that occurred between 2020 and 2026 was not merely an election story; it was a citizenship story, and that may prove to be the most important change of all.
The responsibility of citizenship extends beyond Election Day, and voting is important, but it is only one step in the process; citizens must also learn, question, evaluate, participate, and help others understand the responsibilities that accompany self-government.
The goal is not simply to increase participation; the goal is to create an informed citizenry capable of asking the right questions of the right candidates for the right offices.
The work continues, the learning continues, and so must we, with the future of our Republic not being determined by what citizens do on Election Day, but by what they do every day between elections.
