Matt Germer

Germer, like Germany; not like that baby food company. Governance Director and Elections Fellow @RSI. Elections nerd, sports nerd, all-around nerd.

[Matt Germer @mattgermer]

Billion-dollar TV deals, conference consolidation and the uncharted waters of player compensation threaten the stability of @NCAAFootball. To preserve long-term stability, guardrails are needed on how money flows through the sport.

My latest on #CFB #NIL

https://t.co/enGdbhnMMc

[Matt Germer @mattgermer]

@stephen_richer Stanford is in a rough spot. No real ambitions for this season.

Southern Cal, on the other hand,…

https://t.co/9Z1UWDGgTt

[Jackson Moore @JacksonMoore247]

The USC crowd at kickoff vs Fresno State:

[Stephen Richer @stephen_richer]

My quick write-up at @DeclareNews of @RSI 's new 50-state election law scorecard created by @mattgermer and Chris McIsaac.

Even if you don't agree with their rankings methods, it's a handy reference tool.

For example, if you want to quickly know which 7 states DON'T have online voter registration, go to page 17 (Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming).

If you want to know which 2 states don't use USPS NCOA data for list maintenance, go to page 24 (Idaho and Wyoming).

If you want to know the 14 states that don't request ID if you vote in-person, or if you want to know the 7 states that don't verify signatures on mail ballot envelopes, go to page 29.

If you want to know the 3 states that don't offer no-excuse in-person early voting and/or the 14 states that don't offer no-excuse mail voting, go to page 34.

If you want to know the 1 state (Louisiana) that doesn't primarily use paper ballots, go to page 41.

Also go to page 41 if you want to know the 2 states (Louisiana, Mississippi) that don't do post-election audits.

All in all, a very handy reference guide. Thank you @RSI !

https://t.co/0AolUMr26K

[R Street Institute @RSI]

America is more than the four presidents carved into Mount Rushmore. It is a nation sustained by citizens who remain dedicated to one another and committed to the work of self-government.

As the country marks 250 years of independence, @mattgermer reflects on the responsibilities that come with our shared inheritance.

[Matt Germer @mattgermer]

Extremely disappointed to hear this news.

I never got to meet Christy, but I know Tom and Ben and they are consummate professionals. The law requires party affiliation, but they were functionally nonpartisan.

We see the world differently, but Tom and Ben were great at the job.

[Jen Fifield @JenAFifield]

The remaining three members of the Election Assistance Commission have been pushed out, ProPublica has exclusively learned from sources familiar with the matter. The three members were Benjamin Hovland and Thomas Hicks, Democrats, and Christy McCormick, a Republican.

[R Street Institute @RSI]

🗳️Election administration works best when it stays close to the people it serves.

In his new piece for @thedispatch, @mattgermer argues that the Constitution’s decision to leave election administration largely to the states was not an accident, and that debates around the SAVE Act should be understood through that federalist lens.

[Matt Germer @mattgermer]

If the president were serious about a durable solution, he’d work with Congress and change the law in statute.

Congress has power over federal elections and sets the basic rules for the USPS.

Short of that, this is all just politics at the expense of constitutional governance.

[Matt Germer @mattgermer]

Re: the recent EO on mailed ballots.

https://t.co/uneDFGNKDD

Many others have covered some of the challenges (h/t @kevinrkosar https://t.co/dKBGaD4FjV).

I keep thinking about the precedent if this order takes effect.

Bottom line: this could be used to come for our guns.

[Matt Germer @mattgermer]

Ultimately I have no confidence that this EO is about improving election integrity. It feels a lot more like setting up a scapegoat in the event of a rough November.

But even if this is about election integrity, it’s a dangerous way to go about it.

[R Street Institute @RSI]

A republic is not held together by victory speeches alone. It is held together by concession, restraint, and the willingness to accept that political defeat is not political annihilation. Losing well keeps the door open for the next contest.

Read the full article by @mattgermer here: https://t.co/MimIP9HVmm

[R Street Institute @RSI]

Losing well is not weakness. It is one of the highest forms of democratic discipline. It means trusting that persuasion, organizing, and the next election are still better than treating every defeat as illegitimate.

Read the full article by @mattgermer here: https://t.co/UMSniBXJs5

[Matt Germer @mattgermer]

For more info on Civic Right go here: https://t.co/54FIyr2D1A

[Matt Germer @mattgermer]

Excited to announce that Civic Right has launched a substack: https://t.co/8nkzqERRrA

The first post is live now featuring Douglas Cnty NV clerk Amy Burgans

Subscribe—free—for thoughtful pieces from right-of-center election pros and civic scholars

@RSI

https://t.co/SHwnCxg43e

[The Rod and Greg Show @RodandGregShow]

At 4:20 pm today on the @RodandGregShow on @1059KNRS - @mattgermer, Policy Director for @RSI, joins the program to discuss why he says it would be a good idea to slow the implementation of the SAVE Act for federal elections because of timing and administrative concerns.

[Matt Germer @mattgermer]

Good changes. Many of them responsive to the criticisms in my piece yesterday. Not all though. Still has implementation concerns.

If nothing else, it shows why bills need time to be reviewed and solicit public comment.

https://t.co/iEEVFfy1yn

@rsi

[Jamie Dupree @jamiedupree]

🚨House Republicans have made substantial changes to the revised SAVE America Act, dropping provisions which would have forced Americans to prove their citizenship at the polls on Election Day. 🧵 1/

[Matt Germer @mattgermer]

@be_happyto @YirmiyahuLaw @jamiedupree Can you double check for me? I didn’t serve so don’t have one myself, but some google image searches are showing “place of birth” as a box near the top.

[Jamie Dupree @jamiedupree]

Props to @mattgermer for the tip. The SAVE Act refers to the Department of War, which does not legally exist.

[Matt Germer @mattgermer]

@jamiedupree I’m more interested to see if this means DOD IDs won’t be accepted. AFAIK Dept of War doesn’t exist in statute.