The Numbers
Initial ratings will be provided by state and national experts. Those ratings will be based on hard data, – for example, registration numbers. When that’s not possible, the ratings will be based on observation of recent elections – for example, the frequency and severity of voter intimidation efforts at polling sites.
As laws are changed, elections held, and progress is made, the numbers will be updated.
State level numbers will be rolled up to a national number.
A similarly structured rating system can be found here.
Governance
ElexDex will be governed by the Fair Elections sector – those people and organizations focused on the work.
They will make final decisions about the ratings: the weighting of various factors, the validity of various inputs, and the scores and rankings.
Communications
It will have a social media presence, and news service in the form of an email newsletter and corresponding website, FairElections.com
The audiences include activists, journalists, public officials and their staffs at all levels, jurists and legal scholars, philanthropy, academics, citizens – everyone concerned with the topic.
Network
ElexDex can serve as a home base for those working in the sector, with a virtual network that has been set up here: https://www.mightynetworks.com/ .
Members will be part of a community that shares best practices, support, and advice, and provides a sense of belonging to something bigger.