Think Tank Says 14 States Improved Their Election Integrity Score

Tennessee ranked No. 1 in the nation according to Heritage Foundation data

With midterm elections approaching, 14 states have improved their election integrity score developed by the Heritage Foundation.

The think tank recently released data through its online publication that ranked each state on election integrity, showing improvements on many levels since 2021. That’s good news for voters who questioned the results of the 2020 election and states that took steps to make cheating more difficult.

But Zack Smith, a Heritage Foundation legal fellow who helped develop the ranking program, told The Epoch Times there’s plenty of room for improvement.

“Unfortunately, no state is 100 percent or close to it,” Smith said.

Smith explained the Heritage Foundation developed its 100-point system using 12 categories with points assigned according to importance. The top three categories in the ranking system are accuracy of voter lists, valued at 30 points; absentee ballot management, given 21 points; and voter ID use assigned 20 points.

Leading in Election Integrity

Tennessee earned the top spot in the country for election integrity after passing legislation that added five additional points to the state’s total from its initial showing in 2021. According to the Heritage Foundation rankings, the Volunteer State scored 84 points out of 100.

Tennessee’s rise in the rankings came after the state passed a bill that allowed election officials to use an expanded list of sources to verify the accuracy of the state’s voter rolls. It received the most points for voter roll accuracy in all the states.

Voters cast their ballots during early voting at a Nashville Public Library building in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 14, 2020. (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

Tennessee’s election legislation allowed the elections coordinator to compare statewide voter registration data with credit agency data, the Department of Safety data, and the

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