With A New Look, The Center for Election Science Pushes for a New Democracy

The Center for Election Science, the national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing approval voting reforms throughout the U.S., revealed a new brand identity and website today. The refresh underscores CES’s commitment to actionable research, accessible education, and advocacy that gets results for voters.

The new look and website leans into what makes CES a unique organization—guiding people to see the benefits of better voting methods, pushing the boundaries of what’s known about elections, and putting issues like vote splitting on the map through rigorous research. The rebranding highlights CES' goal of revitalizing hope and agency in the voting process, and ensuring that every voter truly matters and cannot be ignored.

“Our new look focuses on the three strengths of CES: actionable research, quality education, and dedicated advocacy,” said CES’ Chief Executive Officer, Nina Taylor. “We want The Center for Election Science to be a place where everyone can participate in the election research and voting reform conversation, from first-time voters to voting method enthusiasts, and both find information that is important to them.”

What’s Different?

The new brand identity features a cleaner, more professional look, a complete research agenda focusing on key but understudied issues like vote splitting and voter behavior, and more educational materials. The new website features two new areas: the Research Hub and the Education & Advocacy section. In the Research Hub, CES will showcase its groundbreaking research, reports, and electoral analysis, starting with the inaugural America (Mis)Represented report - an in-depth look at vote splitting in hundreds of 2022’s elections and the impact it had. In Education & Advocacy people new to approval voting or voting methods can quickly find what they need to know as well as tools to spread the word about approval voting to new audiences.

What’s Not Changing?

CES remains committed to approval voting as the fastest, most powerful reform we can give voters. “Getting approval voting in the hands of the most people possible and making democracy fairer and more representative - that is our north star,” said Michael Ruvinsky, Chair of CES’ Board of Directors. “We are focusing more than ever on getting approval voting adopted in more areas. In the coming years, The Center seeks to build on its successes in legislatures and ballot measures to give power back to voters,” Ruvinsky said. 

While The Center advocates for approval voting because of simplicity and impact, it does not oppose any other voting system besides plurality voting (the current “choose-one” method). “Voters can support multiple voting methods at the same time,” said Chris Raleigh, Director of Communications and Advocacy at CES. “Having the ability to support multiple opinions is the core of what we’re trying to achieve with approval voting.”

The Process

“We completed a landscape analysis, hosted individual calls with supporters, reviewed our organization and its values and asked ‘what makes us different?’” said Nina Taylor. “While it was clear we had a strong identity as a place for knowledge, we also had an 'explorer' persona that we wanted to shine through. We’re pushing the boundaries of what’s known when it comes to election science. We’re highlighting opportunities for voters to see that a new democracy is possible,” said Taylor.

All legacy content underwent a thorough peer review process conducted by volunteers, who assessed each article based on criteria such as professionalism, proper sourcing, accessibility, and absence of personal bias. The content currently being carried over has been deemed acceptable by the reviewers, while some articles remain under review. We extend a heartfelt "thank you" to all the reviewers who participated in this process.

What’s Next?

CES is taking the new momentum of this relaunch and turning it into action. In the coming weeks and months, The Center has some exciting plans, most notably:

• The release of the inaugural research report, America (Mis)Represented, on the impact of vote splitting.

• Supporting the reintroduction of legislation in Maryland to implement approval voting.

• Working with government officials and advocates to adopt approval voting in Michigan.

• Announcing new research partners. 

Thank You - On to The Next Chapter

As we embark on this new chapter with our refreshed identity and renewed dedication to advancing approval voting reforms, we want to express our sincere gratitude for your invaluable support of our organization. Your ongoing support will be crucial as we continue to make strides towards a more inclusive democracy.

The Center for Election Science invites you to explore our new website and engage with our latest research and educational resources. Together, we're shaping a future where every vote counts and democracy truly represents all voices.