Founded in 2020, Keep Our Republic is a non-partisan civic education organization dedicated to protecting a republic of laws and strengthening the checks and balances of our democratic electoral system.
We aim to discover, highlight and help to prevent an array of extraordinary threats to American democracy, strengthen democratic guardrails, and educate the public before it is too late.
Our civic creed is “American as apple pie”: Let all eligible voters vote. Let all votes be counted. Let the vote count stand.
Beyond the important but familiar electoral challenges, we are particularly concerned about issues such as:
- the emergence of the so-called Independent State Legislature Doctrine which could be used to overturn the people’s vote;
- the risk of a contested election in the House of Representatives under the 12th Amendment;
- potential abuse of vast emergency powers held by the President and state governors or legislatures; and
- the rise of extremist groups threatening political violence and other unconventional threats to our democratic operating system.
In view of the events of January 6, 2021, we must not allow a failure of imagination to leave us unprepared for this array of risks. We believe that all citizens, civic groups, media, business groups, and elected officials at every level must join together and be alert to the challenges ahead. Passivity is not an option.
What We Do:
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help to educate the American people and our leaders on the dangers these unconventional threats may pose to our republic
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conduct research, analyze and proposes risk mitigation strategies for the many scenarios that states may face in the process of certifying electors
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advocate reform of the Electoral Count Act to eliminate ambiguities
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help to mobilize a “Citizens Firewall” to protect against the abuse of Presidential and gubernatorial emergency powers and other risks to the electoral process
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advocate transparency and reform of these emergency powers through Congressional oversight and new legislation
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raise awareness of the risks stemming from the rise of extremist groups threatening violence and interference with the electoral process
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focus our programs on several key electoral states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin where we conduct educational programs on risks to the orderly electoral process
How we do it:
Using our collective expertise and collaborating with other non-partisan NGOs such as law schools, universities, bar associations and think tanks, we conduct original research and polling, publish our findings and recommendations, and engage in additional public outreach and dialogue such as town halls, panels, podcasts and multimedia interviews.