Pillars of the Community is a left-of-center organization that claims to provide public relations efforts and legal workshops regarding election administration ahead of the 2024 election. Ben Ginsberg, a former White House Counsel in the George W. Bush administration, and Bob Bauer, a White House Council in the Obama administration, co-chair the group. The group’s activities include convening election officials in politically competitive states to meet with other community leaders to “engage in dialogue about the integrity of local election processes and the preparations for the upcoming November election” and “debunk” election myths. ^{1 2}

Background

Pillars of the Community is a left-of-center organization that was founded in anticipation of the 2024 presidential elections. The group previously hosted events in key swing states including state and local government, community, and election officials to discuss “ongoing work at the state and local levels to deliver an election this year that meets voter expectations of reliability and security” while enabling “Pillars to gain a firsthand understanding of the electoral process and share their assessment with the public.” The group claims that the purpose of its work is “transparency and dialogue about the preparations for the 2024 elections, which will promote voter trust and confidence — regardless of the election’s results.” ²

Pillars of the Community was founded and is co-chaired by Ben Ginsberg, a former White House Counsel in the George W. Bush administration, and Bob Bauer, a White House Council in the Obama administration. Ginsberg and Bauer served as co-chairs of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration from 2013 to 2014, and claim to have started Pillars of the Community to be an extension of that work. ²

Activities

Pillars of the Community hosted its inaugural event in June 2023 within the state of Arizona featuring election officials including the AZ Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) and election officials in Maricopa County. The press release from the group claimed that Fontes “detailed his office’s oversight role and explained how Arizona’s voter registration system functions. His focus was on the transparency and security of the election process, including signature verification and voter list maintenance.” ¹

1. “Pillars of the Community Launches Inaugural Meeting in Arizona with Adrien Fontes, Stephen Richer.” Pillars of the Community. June 13, 2024. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://pillarsofthecommunity.org/pillars-kicks-off-first-event-in-arizona/
2. “Home Page.” Pillars of the Community. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://pillarsofthecommunity.org/