Eternal Vigilance Action

Eternal Vigilance Action EVA dedicated significant efforts to advocating for legislative changes within the Georgia General Assembly. Their work led to the successful passing of HB 974 which integrated elements of HB 977 focusing on enhancing and institutionalizing post-election audit protocols. The revised law amending Georgia Code 21-2-498 now mandates broader implementation of risk-limiting audits encompassing a greater number of electoral races including an extra statewide competition beyond the primary ballot race. Key reforms include: Broadening the number of contests subject to audit beyond just the top ballot race. Setting statutory risk limit thresholds e.g. 8 % in 2024 6 % in 2026 5 % or less thereafter to bound the probability that an incorrect election outcome is not detected. Mandating that audits be completed prior to final certification and conducted publicly with post-audit reporting to the public within 48 hours. Establishing a pilot program to audit paper ballot images via optical character recognition or related technologies as an additional verification mechanism. As a result of EVAs legislative engagement Georgia now has a stronger statutory framework for more robust transparent and statistically sound post-election auditing-raising public confidence in election accuracy and accountability.

This year Eternal Vigilance Action EVA made significant strides in our advocacy for Ranked Choice Voting RCV and broader election reform successfully defending RCV against legislative threats expanding our influence among key conservative groups and promoting policies that enhance election integrity. 1. Defeated Anti-RCV Legislation in Georgia We led efforts to defeat a critical bill in the Georgia legislature that aimed to ban RCV statewide. By mobilizing resources educating key stakeholders and building a coalition of supporters we defeated SB 355 which would have banned RCV in Georgia. This victory exemplifies our capability to counter legislative threats to RCV at the state level and reinforces the importance of RCV as a viable election reform measure. 2. Influenced Legislation in Ohio Our team testified before the Ohio Senate against similar legislation to ban RCV presenting the benefits of RCV in fostering fairer elections. While the legislation posed a real risk to RCV adoption our testimony strengthened our presence and commitment to RCV and contributed to raising awareness among Ohio legislators about the benefits of this voting method. 3. Strategic Shift to Defensive Focus in RCV Advocacy We quickly shifted our strategy from expanding RCV to preventing anti-RCV legislation. By focusing on states like Georgia Utah and Oklahoma Ohio and others where there is conservative momentum to curtail RCV we adapted our tactics to defend RCV from a conservative perspective using targeted messaging that aligns with values such as local control voter freedom and election integrity. 4. Joining the American Legislative Exchange Council ALEC We became members of ALEC positioning ourselves within influential conservative policy circles to challenge the organized opposition to RCV. This strategic alignment enables us to counter misinformation about RCV directly from within an organization that has significant sway over state-level policy formulation on the ideological right. 5. Continued Engagement and Advocacy at Key Events We attended the National Conference of State Legislatures NCSL and the State Policy Network SPN both of which are prominent platforms for engaging state legislators and influential think tanks. By socializing RCV and our broader election reform efforts at these events we strengthened our credibility and expanded our network among policymakers. 6. Support for Preferential Primaries with FairVote As part of our broader election reform agenda we worked with other conservative allies on the Preferential Primaries initiative in collaboration with FairVote. This partnership aims to promote RCV for primary elections a reform that we believe aligns with conservative principles of giving voters greater choice and promoting candidate accountability. 7. Legislative Influence Beyond RCV Beyond RCV we expanded our legislative influence by advocating for commonsense election reforms. Notably we supported legislation to increase the number of risk-limiting audits and implemented an escalating risk threshold over time. This bill was signed into law and used by incumbents to demonstrate a commitment to election integrity enhancing both voter trust and our standing within the election reform community. 8. Building and Leading Coalitions To build support for election reform we hosted regular coalition roundtable discussions with state and national partners held numerous meetings with legislators and governors offices and recruited local officials-including city council members mayors and election administrators-to advocate for RCV. These coalition-building activities are central to our long-term strategy of creating a sustainable grassroots network of RCV supporters. 9. Media Engagement and Public Education We actively engaged with local media serving as a source for several stories about RCV Georgias runoff reforms and election integrity. Our presence in the media has positioned us as a credible voice in election reform helping to elevate RCVs visibility and informing the public about the benefits of these reforms. 10. Public Education Message Testing Poll We conducted a message-testing poll to guide our upcoming public education campaign. The data revealed that despite the negative national discourse surrounding RCV the average Georgian is open-minded about RCV as a reform. We identified key messages that resonated with voters and effectively increased their support for RCV as a solution to Georgias runoff problem. This data will be invaluable in shaping targeted outreach efforts to bolster public understanding and support for RCV. 11. Lawsuit and Legal Advocacy In a significant legal victory we successfully sued the State Election Board SEB using a separation of powers argument preventing the implementation of expanded rule-making powers. This lawsuit not only protected election integrity but also reinforced our organizations profile as a defender of transparent lawful election processes. 12. Combatting Misinformation in Partnership with Johns Hopkins University We collaborated with Johns Hopkins University to convene conservative leaders in Georgia to strategize against misinformation and disinformation targeting the states election systems. This partnership underscores our commitment to protecting election integrity by fostering accurate information and countering deceptive narratives that undermine public trust. --- These accomplishments reflect our multifaceted approach to defending and promoting election reform particularly RCV within conservative circles. Through legislative engagement coalition-building and strategic legal action we have strengthened our role as leaders in election reform advocacy consistently working to enhance the integrity and accessibility of our electoral systems. This list is not comprehensive to our total body of work but does provide the key highlights of the last 12 months.

Other activities undertaken by Eternal Vigilance Action officers: 1 worked on Florida version of Coleman Baker; 2 testified to the Kentucky State Senate regarding Coleman Baker; 3 participated in nonpartisan election education events hosted by R Street and SNF Angora and follow up on action items coming out of those gatherings; 4 worked on criminal justice reform initiatives.