Once again, the Professional Practice Paper awards highlighted the unique contributions of election officials across numerous jurisdictions as they shared the outcomes and insights of their successful practices. The 2019 Awards showcase the examination and experimentation of our colleagues as they worked to improve and refine various processes in election administration and voter registration.

With security concerns at the forefront of elections today, one paper surveys a pilot study examining the increased convenience and security of a blockchain-based mobile voting application to qualifying voters under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). This application was combined with an additional third-party audit tool to independently verify the election outcome. Another, paper explores the use of dynamic interactive data visualization software in displaying voter participation and ballot returns, making election information more transparent and easier to understand. These are just two of the projects presented.

Below are all the titles and the colleagues whose contribution made for another great year in our Professional Practice Program.  Be sure to review all of the award winners as well as the papers of merit and the state entry.

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Stakeholders in the operation of American elections are keenly focused on policy reform, resource allocation, administrative professionalism, voter access and accessibility, equipment security, and system integrity.

The Future of Election Administration is an edited volume that gathers the perspectives of today’s most forward-thinking practitioners and experts of policy, advocacy, and research about the importance of particular election practices, the professional and operational challenges that election administrators and voter registrars face, and emerging issues in the field. Through its combination of multiple perspectives to describe, analyze, and anticipate key dynamics and dilemmas as well as its emphasis on the practical aspects of administration, this book makes a unique contribution to the election administration literature.

About the authors

Mitchell Brown is Professor of Political Science at Auburn University, USA. Her scholarship focuses on empowerment processes for marginalized groups, including electoral strategies and program evaluation for public and nonprofit organizations. She contributes regularly to the CERA program.

Kathleen Hale is Professor of Political Science and director of the graduate program in election administration at Auburn University, USA. She serves on the Election Center’s Board of Directors and the MIT Data and Election Sciences Lab advisory board, and directs Auburn University faculty in CERA, the national professional certification program for election officials established in partnership with the Election Center.

Bridgett A. King is Assistant Professor of Political Science and director of the MPA Program at Auburn University, USA. Her research focuses on political participation, voter disenfranchisement, and citizen perceptions of the electoral system. Formerly a voting rights researcher in the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, she contributes regularly to the CERA program.

Reviews

“This volume has assembled state-of-the-art work by some of the very best election administration scholars. With extant theory as its foundation, this work exhibits the highest of thought and evidence on many challenging topics related to voting, including federalism, resources, professionalism, technology, and even the quality of democracy itself. In doing so, this work succeeds in both contextualizing election administration in the American political climate and illuminating a path forward for future research.” (Kyle L. Saunders, Professor, Political Science, Colorado State University, USA)

“Both The Future of Election Administration and its open access companion, The Future of Election Administration: Cases and Conversations provide a much-needed framework for organizing the multiple stakeholders in the field of election science. Combined, they highlight the pressing questions in the field, the progress that has been made, the experiences on the ground that make a difference, and the future challenges we face.” (Lonna Atkeson, Professor, Political Science, University of New Mexico, USA)

The Future of Election Administration

Cases and Conversations

As the American election administration landscape changes as a result of major court cases, national and state legislation, changes in professionalism, and the evolution of equipment and security, so must the work of on-the-ground practitioners change. This Open Access title presents a series of case studies designed to highlight practical responses to these changes from the national, state, and local levels. This book is designed to be a companion piece to The Future of Election Administration, which surveys these critical dimensions of elections from the perspectives of the most forward-thinking practitioner, policy, advocacy, and research experts and leaders in these areas today. Drawing upon principles of professionalism and the practical work that is required to administer elections as part of the complex systems, this book lifts up the voices and experiences of practitioners from around the country to describe, analyze, and anticipate the key areas of election administration systems on which students, researchers, advocates, policy makers, and practitioners should focus. Together, these books add to the emerging body of literature that is part of the election sciences community with an emphasis on the practical aspects of administration.

About the authors

Mitchell Brown is Professor of Political Science at Auburn University, USA.

Kathleen Hale is Professor of Political Science and director of the graduate program in election administration at Auburn University, USA.

Bridgett A.  King is Assistant Professor of Political Science and director of the MPA Program at Auburn University, USA.

Reviews

“Both The Future of Election Administration: Cases and Conversations and its companion, The Future of Election Administration provide a much-needed framework for organizing the multiple stakeholders in the field of election science. Combined, they highlight the pressing questions in the field, the progress that has been made, the experiences on the ground that make a difference, and the future challenges we face.” (Lonna Rae Atkeson, Professor, Political Science, University of New Mexico, USA)