Washingtonian magazine has named a Heritage Foundation elections law expert and the executive director of Heritage Action for America as top Washington influencers for their work advocating for greater election integrity.
Jessica Anderson, executive director of Heritage Action, and Hans von Spakovsky, manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative at The Heritage Foundation, made Washingtonian’s list of top influencers in the Voting Rights & Election Law category.
Heritage and Heritage Action have continued to lead the conservative movement in fighting for honest and fair elections in America. Von Spakovsky and Anderson both regularly speak about election integrity at forums, before legislatures, and on news outlets to inform Americans and federal and state officials about these important issues. They also work with states to develop critical election reforms and with federal lawmakers to defeat bills that would federalize elections and increase the likelihood of fraud and mismanagement.
Von Spakovsky expressed why the work Heritage is doing is so critical: “I’ve been at The Heritage Foundation since 2008, and it has been the only conservative, freedom-based think tank working on, and dedicated to, preserving and protecting the integrity and security of our election process as part of its core mission. Heritage’s Election Fraud Database and Election Integrity Scorecard are unique; no one else has developed anything like these two tools. One documents proven cases of fraud from around the country and the other provides a detailed analysis of each state’s election processes and the improvements that need to be made to ensure honest elections.”
Von Spakovsky is passionate about these issues because he is a first-generation American and his parents taught him how important fair and honest elections are to a democratic republic. His mother grew up in Nazi Germany and his Russian father twice escaped communist regimes. His childhood was filled with stories about how lucky he was to be in the United States, a haven of freedom and liberty.
What we have in America is so important to von Spakovsky that, in addition to all of the work he has done at Heritage on this issue, he has also written two books with political journalist John Fund on election integrity: “Who’s Counting? How Fraudsters and Bureaucrats Put Your Vote at Risk” (Encounter, 2012) and “Our Broken Elections: How the Left Changed the Way You Vote” (Encounter, 2021).
As executive director of Heritage Action, Anderson is passionate about protecting Americans’ rights. She works closely with government officials, previously served in the Trump administration, and knows just how important election integrity is to the functioning of our republic. She is proud of the great strides that Heritage Action has taken to protect American elections—and Heritage Action’s efforts are continuing to grow in momentum and influence as a result of her leadership.
She explained how fundamental this issue is: “The right to vote is one of our most fundamental and sacred rights as Americans, and we must do everything possible to promote integrity at the ballot box. As the left continues to push for federalized elections, unconstitutional voting procedures, and corrupt loopholes, our fight for election security has never been more important. From the state to federal levels, The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action have been recognized as leaders in securing our nation’s elections and helping all voters make their voices heard at the ballot box. We have already worked with grassroots activists in many states to pass new protections and look forward to continuing our work on the state and federal level to make sure it is easier to vote and harder to cheat.”
Heritage Action has invested $10 million in election integrity efforts in eight states. In addition, the organization announced a $600,000 TV ad buy to support lawmakers as they strengthened Georgia’s election laws last March with the passage of SB 202—the Election Integrity Act—while Heritage Action activists worked with legislators and the governor’s office to push the legislation over the finish line. Heritage Action then launched a $1 million ad campaign after its passage to grow support for the law. In July and October, the organization slammed woke Major League Baseball executives in a six-figure TV ad buy, defending the act from misleading attacks by the left. Anderson led the way, not only through her organization’s investments but with her own voice in the public square.
The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action are making strides informing the American people of the importance of fair and honest elections and creating the needed reforms to ensure them. As both organizations continue their nationwide efforts, American elections will become more secure and the American people will be able to be more confident in their outcomes.
If you’re not already following von Spakovsky and Anderson on Twitter, you can find them at @HvonSpakovsky and @JessAnderson2.
