AUSTIN – Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation announced former Congressman Francisco “Quico” Canseco will lead the Foundation’s new Election Integrity Project*.

“A citizen’s right to vote is the most fundamental feature of a representative democracy,” said the TPPF’s Executive Director Dr. Kevin Roberts. “I can think of no one better to lead this project than Quico Conseco whose background as an elected official and businessman gives him a unique understanding of our election systems and exactly what is at stake in protecting every vote.”

Canseco represented the 23rd Congressional District of Texas in the 112th United States Congress. During his first year in Congress, he was selected by the Speaker to deliver the Spanish language State of the Union response. He served on the House Financial Services Committee and authored legislation for a constitutional economy, promoting border security, and challenging EPA overreach. Canseco is a first-generation American and native of Laredo.

The Texas Public Policy Foundation launched the Election Integrity Project earlier this month with the purpose of ensuring every American citizen is afforded their right to vote and that public policy secures the reliability and integrity of our election system.

The Project focuses on educating the public about ballot safety through these general principles:

  • Voters should understand their rights and the rules of voting, whether at the ballot box or voting by mail.
  • Voters should not be intimidated into voting for someone they do not believe in.
  • The voting system should preserve the integrity and safety of each ballot.

Michael Leland will serve as the campaign director for the initiative and brings with him a decade worth of outreach and policy experience. Most recently, Leland served as senior director of outreach and operations at the Committee for Economic Development where he was responsible for the creation and relaunch of their external affairs and government affairs capacity.

For more information about the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Election Integrity Project, please visit:

https://www.texaspolicy.com/initiatives/electionintegrity

*The initiative was renamed Election Protection Project in August 2020.