The Case for Keeping Elections Local

The founders knew what they were doing when they entrusted the states with election administration.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 6:44am

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A photorealistic painting of a solitary ballot box or voting booth in a dimly lit urban setting, with warm light streaming in through a window and deep shadows cast across the scene, conveying a sense of quiet contemplation about the importance of local control over election administration.The decentralized nature of American elections, with states and localities tailoring policies to meet their unique needs, is a core strength of the system.Nacogdoches Today

President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order exerting greater federal control over election administration, with an eye toward verifying voters' citizenship status and ensuring that ballot materials are sent only to eligible voters. While these goals are laudable, the president is not empowered to enact this policy unilaterally, and a number of states have already filed suit to block the order. Yet even if it never takes effect, the order represents one more step toward centralized control over election administration, further weakening one of our election system's greatest strengths.

Why it matters

The American system of election administration is built on a deeper truth about the country itself: It is not culturally or politically uniform. Voters in different regions of the country operate under different conditions and hold different expectations for how elections are conducted. An election system that attempts to impose too much uniformity inevitably runs into the 'knowledge problem' - large, diverse republics cannot be governed through one-size-fits-all policies.

The details

Local political culture, history, and geographic distinctions play a substantial role in how election systems have developed to meet specific regional needs. For example, Alaska conducts elections across a vast, sparsely populated landscape, with some islands and remote communities accessible only by air, boat, or ice road. In that context, the rules around early voting and voting by mail are not simply matters of convenience but of necessity. North Dakota does not maintain a formal voter registration database, relying instead on a same-day voter verification process that reflects the state's small and tight-knit communities. Meanwhile, Massachusetts regularly stations uniformed law enforcement at polling places, while states like North Carolina, with a history of voter intimidation, have sought to prohibit the practice in recent elections.

  • President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order exerting greater federal control over election administration.

The players

Donald Trump

The former President of the United States who signed an executive order exerting greater federal control over election administration.

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What’s next

The executive order signed by President Trump is currently being challenged in court by a number of states.

The takeaway

Decentralized election administration, with states and localities tailoring policies to meet their unique needs, is a core strength of the American electoral system. Attempts to impose too much federal control risk undermining confidence in elections and creating unintended consequences that vary dramatically depending on local conditions.