States abandon election integrity system amid right-wing attacks
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In 2022, Louisiana became the first state to leave ERIC, the Electronic Registration Information Center, a nonpartisan organization designed to improve election accuracy and accessibility.
ERIC helps member states maintain voter rolls by cross-referencing data to identify duplicate registrations, deceased voters, and people who have moved. States submit voter and vehicle registration data securely, allowing ERIC to flag potential issues and identify eligible but unregistered citizens.
Initially established in 2012 with a mix of red and blue states, ERIC grew to include 31 states plus Washington DC, earning bipartisan respect for its effectiveness. However, following Donald Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud in 2020, several Republican officials began withdrawing their states from ERIC, citing unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about the organization’s funding and purpose. These officials, including those in Alabama, Florida, and Texas, acted despite acknowledging they had no factual basis for concerns about ERIC’s integrity.
As a result, the number of interstate voter moves identified by ERIC decreased significantly, from 2.4 million in 2022 to roughly 604,000 in 2024, reducing the organization’s ability to maintain accurate voter lists. Former officials like John Merrill of Alabama argue that these withdrawals have ultimately harmed election integrity in those states, while others believe the decisions were politically motivated.
