RSLC Launches ‘Election Protection Initiative’ Ahead of 26 Secretary of State Races in 2026

New nationwide initiative establishes four election integrity principles that will guide RSSC’s support and engagement in secretary of state races across the country

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) today announced the launch of its Election Protection Initiative, a new nationwide initiative that establishes a clear election integrity framework for Republican secretaries of state and candidates seeking office in 2026.

With 26 secretary of state elections on the ballot this year and election administration continuing to be a major focus of voters nationwide, the Election Protection Initiative will serve as the Republican Secretaries of State Committee’s (RSSC) guiding initiative for promoting secure, transparent, and accountable elections heading into the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential cycle.

“Voters deserve confidence that every legal vote is counted and that elections are administered fairly, securely, and transparently,” said RSLC President Edith Jorge-Tuñón. “The Election Protection Initiative establishes a clear set of principles that will guide our efforts in secretary of state races across the country and support leaders committed to protecting the integrity of our elections.”

As part of the initiative, the RSLC is announcing four core election integrity principles that will serve as the foundation for RSSC’s support and engagement in secretary of state races across the country:

• Clean Voter Rolls — Supporting accurate voter registration records and lawful voter roll maintenance.
   
• Voter ID — Promoting commonsense voter identification requirements while ensuring eligible voters have access to free voter IDs when needed.
   
• Transparency at Every Step — Supporting paper audit trails, post-election audits, bipartisan observation, and transparent reporting practices.
   
• Secure Ballots and Independent Elections — Advancing ballot-security measures, chain-of-custody protections, ballot-tracking systems, and safeguards against outside influence in election administration.

The Election Protection Initiative builds on the RSLC’s longstanding efforts to strengthen election integrity at the state level. In 2021, the organization launched its Commission to Restore Public Confidence in Elections to identify best practices and reforms that would make it easier to vote and harder to cheat while preserving security, transparency, and accountability. The Election Protection Initiative takes that work a step further by providing a clear framework for secretary of state candidates and officeholders committed to protecting voter confidence and ensuring elections are administered fairly, securely, and consistently.

The launch comes as secretary of state races have become some of the most consequential and closely watched contests in American politics. Across the country, election administration failures, inconsistent procedures, and last-minute rule changes have created confusion for voters and raised questions about transparency and accountability. Americans should not have to wait through uncertainty and litigation to have confidence in election outcomes. Through the Election Protection Initiative, the RSSC is advancing a commonsense framework for election administration centered on transparency, consistency, security, and public trust.

Since 2007, the RSSC has been the nation’s leading organization dedicated to electing Republican secretaries of state. Republicans currently hold 27 of the nation’s 50 secretary of state offices, and with 26 races on the ballot in 2026, the RSSC is expanding its efforts to ensure voters continue to have champions for secure, transparent, and accountable elections.

Through the Election Protection Initiative, the RSSC will provide strategic communications support, voter education initiatives, legal preparedness resources, and campaign assistance to Republican candidates who share these election integrity principles.

ABOUT RSSC

Protecting the integrity of our elections has never been more important. Through the Republican Secretaries of State Committee (RSSC), one of the four caucuses of the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), we are working to elect leaders who champion policies that make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. Secretaries of state also oversee trademark and business registration, manage professional licensing, maintain state records and archives, and perform other critical functions that support economic growth and efficient government. Since 2007, RSSC has achieved tremendous success, and Republicans currently hold 27 of the nation’s 50 secretary of state offices.

About the Republican State Leadership Committee

The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) is the largest organization focused exclusively on electing Republicans to state-level offices. Through its caucuses—the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, Republican Attorneys General Association, Republican Lieutenant Governors Association, and Republican Secretaries of State Committee the RSLC works to build Republican majorities and advance conservative leadership nationwide.

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