Andy Craig

Director, Election Policy

Andy Craig is a fellow at the Institute for Humane Studies, fellow in election policy at the Rainey Center, and an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute. His work is focused on election law, electoral reform, and political incentives, with the goal of reducing polarization and improving representative government. His analysis and recommendations have been cited by members of both parties on the floor of the House of Representatives and in the Senate Rules Committee, in addition to working with state legislators across the country to craft electoral reform proposals and adopt best practices for election administration. His commentary has appeared in outlets including the Washington Post, Fox News, The Nation, and Politico, and he writes regularly for The Daily Beast and The UnPopulist.

Andy previously worked as staff writer for the Cato Institute, and before that as a campaign staffer and consultant, including for Gov. Gary Johnson's 2016 presidential campaign. He grew up in White Hall, Arkansas and studied political science at Hendrix College. He and his husband, Brian, currently live in Maryland.

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Andy Craig

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Article

The Daily Beast - Opinion - Supreme Court Just Dropped a Big L on Partisan Gerrymandering

Title

Surprise! The conservative leaning Court squashed "independent state legislature theory," saying state courts have the authority to rule on election shenanigans. But by a vote of six to three, the Court categorically rejected the so-called independent state legislature (ISL) theory, the argument at the center of these dire predictions. America’s experiment in self-government lives another day.

Article

Electoral Reform Is a Good Idea. Mandatory Voting Is Not.

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There are good reasons to be thinking outside the box when it comes to elections. There is a rising tide of bipartisan agreement on the need for reforms to strengthen democracy and reduce the runaway spiral of polarization. Options such as ranked choice voting, nonpartisan primaries, and multi-member districts are all worth considering.

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Andy Craig

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Free Speech on the Ballot: The Case for Fusion

In the 19th century and continuing well into the 20th, the United States saw a proliferation of political parties, many operating within a single state or region, and often achieving a substantial degree of electoral success. The most successful of these coalesced to form what is now the Republican Party.

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Five Principles for Faster Vote Counts

Across the country, there is a growing sense of frustration as election night drags on into election week, and beyond. In too many states, the simple task of counting votes is proceeding at a glacial pace. Some states have near-instant results within hours. Others take weeks, fueling distrust, conspiracy theories, and recriminations. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Regardless of other variations in state election procedures, every state can adopt best practices to ensure a reasonably quick, accurate, and confidence-inspiring vote count. We know it can be done, because many states already do it.

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