About

The 2024 Transition Integrity Project (TIP 2024) is a short-term project launched by Mike Howell of The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, Adam Ellwanger of the University of Houston–Downtown, and Chuck DeVore of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. TIP 2024 conducted a variety of scenario-based exercises aimed at identifying potential risks to the integrity of the 2024 election and the transition process.

TIP’s goal is to ensure that the 2024 presidential election is fair, legal, and peaceful, and that the outcome of the election is accepted by citizens as legitimate. By identifying potential threats to a fair election and a legal transition, the project lays the groundwork for constitutionally committed parties to safeguard the integrity of the process.

The exercises were held in June 2024. In July, the 2024 Transition Integrity Project issued a public report containing observations and recommendations for ensuring a smooth transition in the aftermath of the election depending on its outcome.

The report can be found here.

FAQ

What is the Transition Integrity Project (TIP 2024)?

As the name implies, the 2024 Transition Integrity Project is not an organization, and it does not have officers, members, or staff. Rather, it is an academic exercise launched by Mike Howell of The Heritage Foundation, Adam Ellwanger of the University of Houston–Downtown, and Chuck DeVore of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. In June 2024, TIP conducted a variety of scenario-based exercises aimed at identifying potential risks to the integrity of the 2024 election and the transition process. In July 2024, TIP issued a public report containing observations and recommendations for ensuring a smooth transition in the aftermath of the election.

What was the goal of the Transition Integrity Project’s scenario exercises?

The exercises’ goals are to ensure that the 2024 presidential election is fair, legal, and peaceful, and that the outcome of the election is accepted by citizens as legitimate. By identifying potential threats to a fair election and a legal transition, we lay the groundwork for constitutionally committed parties to safeguard the integrity of the process.

Are you predicting that one candidate or the other will win the election?

No. We are not pollsters and offer no speculation about the winner of a legally administered election. American citizens have the right to vote for their candidate of choice, and provided the election is conducted fairly, transparently, and in accordance with existing state and federal law, the outcome should be accepted by the public.

Did your exercises produce predictions?

No. The academic exercises undertaken as part of TIP 2024 are not an attempt to predict the future. Rather, they aim to identify risks to election security, existing law, and precedents, as well as to a peaceful transfer of executive power.

How many exercises were conducted as part of the Transition Integrity Project? When did the exercises take place?

We concurrently conducted two online synchronous exercises from June 17 to June 21, 2024. Each exercise began with the same scenario, which speculatively presented the state of the 2024 presidential race immediately after the conventions of the two major parties, respectively.

For a detailed explanation of how each exercise was conducted, see the complete report.

Who participated in the exercises?

We invited roughly 50 participants who offered insights gleaned from experience in political campaigns, elected office, public opinion polling, media, intelligence, the military, and academia. While we sought participants of a variety of political persuasions, the roles that individuals played during exercises and scenarios did not necessarily conform to their personal ideological orientations.

Were the exercise participants from both political parties?

Yes, our exercises were bipartisan in nature.

Is there a list of the participants in the Transition Integrity Project’s exercise?

Each participant in the TIP 2024 makes an individual choice about whether his or her involvement would be confidential. While the report does not list participants by name, those individuals are free to make public their involvement if they wish to do so.

Does the Transition Integrity Project’s report represent the views of all exercise participants?

No. The July report of TIP 2024 offers the insights of the organizers of the Transition Integrity Project, gleaned from the simulated events that unfolded as the exercise transpired. Primarily authored by Adam Ellwanger, various representatives from The Heritage Foundation and the Texas Public Policy Foundation reviewed a draft of the report and provided editing and revision suggestions.

Do you plan to run additional exercises?

The work conducted by the TIP 2024 will be of enduring importance as we face threats to the laws, norms, and traditions that guide the U.S. election process. While the project has concluded for the 2024 cycle, it may be revived for future presidential elections. The name Transition Integrity Project, the associated Internet domain name (transitionintegrityproject.org), and the materials, images, and documents displayed on the site are copyrighted material of the 2024 Transition Integrity Project.

What were the findings of the exercise?

The July report contains the full summary of the risks identified during the Transition Integrity Project’s exercises. The most important findings were:

1. The concept of election “month” (instead of election day) is dangerous and is a recent invention that facilitates voter fraud and procedural manipulations.
2. Challengers have the opportunity to contest the election into January, when electoral votes are counted. President Biden, the incumbent, may use the executive branch to aid his campaign strategy, including through the CIA, FBI, and the Department of Justice. In the event of an unfavorable result, there is high likelihood that the president will attempt to convince legislatures and/or governors to take actions—including illegal actions—to reject the Constitution’s guarantee that the tally in the Electoral College determines the victor. Indeed, the authors of the final report of TIP 2020—not bipartisan and run by Democrats—insisted that the Electoral College is an antidemocratic institution that must be eliminated. All elected officials must reaffirm their devotion to the Constitution of the United States to ensure that the rules governing our elections aren’t changed after the fact to produce the outcome desired by ideologues.
3. Unelected administrators in the executive branch will resist the transition process should the outcome of the election be at odds with their political preferences. Our exercises suggest that the president may prioritize personal gain and self-protection over ensuring an orderly administrative handoff to his successor.

Did the exercises suggest that political violence or electoral malfeasance is inevitable?

There are many ways to prevent an illegal election or a disrupted transition of power. Citizens must have a familiarity with laws and norms that exist to ensure free and fair elections, and federal, state, and local officials committed to constitutional governance must shore up existing systems to guarantee the integrity of the electoral process. Coordinated efforts by officials and ordinary citizens will be necessary to prevent fraudulent mail-in and absentee ballots, and poll workers should be especially vigilant in verifying the citizenship of each voter as more than 10,000,000 people have illegally entered the country during President Biden’s term of office.

Finally, citizens must demand the timely announcement of a definitive result on election night and ensure that tallying continues uninterrupted until such time as the results are announced.

What recommendations did you make as a result of these exercises?

The TIP 2024 report recommends that Americans should:

Plan for a close election. In the event of a contested outcome, events will unfold rapidly, and decision-makers will need to be prepared to act in a high-stress environment with lingering uncertainties. Considering potential courses of action in advance will be essential in preventing or addressing a crisis. All Americans should understand that while the action of the courts will be important, what happens outside the courts in the public sphere will be equally powerful in determining the outcome of a crisis. Americans must be ready to respond peacefully—en masse and in the streets—should there be violations of the laws and precedents governing our elections.

State-level elected officials and local law enforcement will be indispensable for ensuring fairness in the tallying of votes, accuracy in the count, and strength in the face of street agitators who seek to disrupt the process. Governors and attorneys general should communicate in advance their expectation that officers enforce existing law and that courts confront irregularities and punish criminals.

The 2020 election was rife with voter fraud, but the president and his allies continue to insist that it was virtually non-existent. Reliably documenting violations will be necessary to ensure that courts will be willing to adjudicate claims of illegality. The likelihood of political violence is very high, particularly since the far Left has demonstrated time and again its propensity for destruction of public property, arson, and assault. As in the leadup to the 2020 election, the mass media will almost certainly downplay and ignore the chaos. Americans should call on all elected officials—especially Democrats—to enforce the law and condemn public violence as a form of coercion and election interference. Citizens must also prepare to independently document unrest in the streets and share their evidence via social media. Americans should anticipate resistance from the administrative state should President Biden be defeated. Should the American people vote for a transfer of power, litigation and public demonstrations of disapproval will be necessary to ensure that the self-proclaimed “resistance” in the government bureaucracy honors the will of the people as expressed through a free and legal election.

What can concerned citizens do to help ensure a free, fair and peaceful election and transition?

• Vote.
• Volunteer as a poll worker.
• Contact election officials and elected representatives to express the importance adhering to the laws and traditions of our democracy by completing the tallying of ballots on election night.
• Call prominent members of government and leaders in law enforcement to demand commitment to enforcing the law should there be violent unrest in the aftermath of a contested election.
• Document any irregularities or potential or attempted violations of election law that you observe on Election Day and be certain to report them to the relevant authorities and share them on social media.

Do you accept donations?

No. The 2024 Transition Integrity Project has concluded its work for this election cycle and does not (and did not) accept donations.

Can I quote from or distribute the Transition Integrity Project’s report?

Yes, you are welcome to do so. Please make sure to credit the Transition Integrity Project, and if quoting in an online format, please provide a link to the full report.

Can I contact the Transition Integrity Project’s organizers or participants?

Yes. Please send queries via email to [email protected] or via X @IntegrityProj24.