Conference & Events
Grand Hyatt Denver
1750 Welton St.
Denver CO 80202
Hotel is SOLD OUT. Contact the Election Center for alternative locations.
Course 5. Ethics in Election and Voter Registration Administration
Course 6. Communications & Public Relations
Course 18. Conflict Management
Course 35. Reframing the Public Narrative
Registration Deadline: August 5, 2022
Election Center Committees
Attention Active Election Center Members!
Please join one or more of the following Election Center Committees and get involved with shaping programs and policies. To join a Committee please call 281-396-4309 or e-mail services@electioncenter.org and tell us what committee(s) you would like to serve.
Program Planning Committee
The Program Planning Committee serves to provide the Election Center Executive Director and Program Director with the theme, agenda and prospective speakers during the development of each Special Workshop and National Conference. The Committee convenes via telephone and e-mail as needed.
Postal Task Force
The Postal Task Force serves as the Election Center&aposs liaison with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to provide open and ongoing communications among the organizations and to help ensure a strong partnership that services the needs of the nation&aposs voters in exercising their democratic rights. We meet twice per year at JEOLC in January and the National Conference in August and via e-mail with significant announcements.
Election Legislative Committee
The Legislative Committee serves as the Election Center&aposs liaison with the United States Congressional staffers to provide open and ongoing communications to Election Center members regarding new and pending federal legislation related to elections administration and voter registration. The Committee serves at the pleasure of the Election Center Executive Director and the two Committee Co-Chairs are Travis Weipert, CERA, Johnson County Auditor, Iowa and David H. Stafford, CERA, Supervisor of Elections, Escambia County, Florida. We meet once per year at the National Conference in August and during the year via e-mail and conference calls with significant federal legislation.
News
Executive Director Applications
The Election Center Board of Directors is inviting highly qualified professionals to apply for the Executive Director position.Tim Mattice, who has successfully served the Election Center for 16 years, is retiring in December 2022.
Special Workshop Presentations
This Special Workshop was held in Houston, Texas, April 20-24, 2022. Please log in as a member below to view presentations from this event.
BJA Presentation
The Bureau of Justice Assistance has released the presentation PDF from the webinar held March 31st, 2022. Please login as a member to view the presentation below.
Special Workshop Presentations
This Special Workshop was held in Atlanta, Georgia from February 23-27, 2022. Please log in as a member below to view presentations from this event.
Combatting Mis, Dis, and Malinformation
Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
The Government Coordinating Council (GCC) and Sector Coordinating Council (SCC) Joint Mis/Disinformation Working Group through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) created two new guides to assist with Mis Dis and Mal Information.
As state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government officials and private sector partners continue to combat false and misleading election information, the Rumor Control Page Start-Up Guide was developed to offer guidance to organizations on how to create a rumor control webpage to debunk inaccurate MDM narratives. The guide will help organizations identify which rumors need to be addressed and provide steps to further dispel MDM narratives through transparent and authoritative sources of information.
Combatting Mis, Dis, and Malinformation
Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
The Government Coordinating Council (GCC) and Sector Coordinating Council (SCC) Joint Mis/Disinformation Working Group through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) created two new guides to assist with Mis Dis and Mal Information.
With the MDM Planning and Incident Response Guide, election officials and industry partners will gain a better understanding of how to prepare for and respond to MDM threats that may impact the election process. With this guide, SLTT election officials can use the TRUST model (tell your story, ready your team, understand and access MDM, strategize response, and track outcomes) to help reduce risks from MDM and protect voters.
JEOLC Virtual Event Presentations
The Joint Election Officials Liaison Committee (JEOLC) was held as a Virtual Event February 10-11, 2022. Please login as a member to access the various presentations and download today.
#TrustedInfo2022
The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) has relaunched the #TrustedInfo effort ahead of 2022 Midterm Elections. Launched November 2019, they continue their nonpartisan initiative highlighting state and local election officials as trusted sources for election information.
They have sent us their toolkit to share and aid in communications planning.
Our Democracy, Our Priority
An inspirational message from Florida Supervisors of Elections (FSE) Wesley Wilcox.
Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence urges DHS to make public the full scope of foreign attempts to interfere in the 2016 Elections
U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
(OVERVIEW) In his letter dated June 20, 2017 Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Mark Warner urges the Secretary of Homeland Security, John Kelly to work with the FBI and state and local election officials to publicly disclose the full scope of foreign attempts to interfere in the 2016 elections and so ensure that these election officials are both fully aware of these threats and that they have the necessary cyber defenses to neutralize the danger in future elections. Additionally, he requested an update on the actions taken by Department of Homeland Security since January 2017 to improve and increase better information sharing and cybersecurity assistance to, state and local jurisdictions.
CERA/CERV Falculty Publications
The Future of Election Administration
Mitchell Brown
Kathleen Hale
Bridgett A. King
Once again, the Election Center is pleased to announce the Palgrave Macmillan publication of The Future of Election Administration written by three of our esteemed CERA faculty at Auburn University; Mitchell Brown, Kathleen Hale & Bridgett A. King.
About this Book
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
Edited by Mitchell Brown, Kathleen Hale & Bridgett A. King
- Highlights practical problems, questions, and challenges for understanding, studying, and taking part in election administration
- Provides guidance from practitioners across the country on tackling the various issues faced in election administration
- Presents a series of case studies at the national, state, and local level to underscore issues and suggestions
About this Book
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. 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
"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)
Graduates in the News
Clay County Elections Expo
As Clay County Elections Office continues to battle misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information, they have created this PSA to share. Please click the link below to view their video.
CERA/CERV Graduates on Tour
CERA/CERV students tour the Arapahoe County Elections Facility during the Election Center's Professional Education Program summer session held in Greenwood, CO. the week of of July 10-17, 2021.
Congratulations to Marie S. Smalls, Newly Elected President of the South Carolina Association of Registrations and Elections, Inc. Marie is a 2008 CERA graduate.
"It's a tremendous responsibility and I look forward to bearing the torch and being representative of those who preceded me"
Marie Smalls is Certified as a Registration and Elections Administrator from the National Association of Election Officials and is also state certified by the South Carolina Election Commission. Smalls has been with the organization for 16 years. In addition to serving on several committees, she has held offices in the organization as, Secretary, 2nd Vice President, 1st Vice President and now President.
We congratulate Steve on his recognition and service to his community and to the Election Center!
Steve Moreno, Chair of the Board of Commissioners, Weld County, Colorado, and Election Center Board Member was recently featured in the Greeley Lifestyle Magazine recognized as "Men Making an Impact" in Weld County. Before being elected as a Commissioner, Steve was sworn in as the 28th Weld County Clerk and Recorder, in which he served three terms from 2003-2014. He also served as the Chief Deputy and Deputy Clerk for the Weld County Clerk and Recorder's Office. Steve graduated from the CERA program in August 2006.
Congratulations to Amber McReynolds!
Amber McReynolds, the chief executive officer of the nonprofit National Vote at Home Institute and the former director of elections in Denver, has been confirmed as a member of the United States Postal Service Board of Governors. Ms. McReynolds will serve on the board through December 2026. She received her CERA in August 2010. Congratulations and well wishes in her new role with the United States Postal Service Board of Governors
Congratulations to Kathy Holland!
Director Kathy Holland Named President of North Carolina Association Directors of Elections (NCADE)
Alamance County Board of Elections Director Kathy Holland was elected President of the North Carolina Association of Directors of Elections (NCADE) during the Associations recent conference. The conference was held April 27, 2021 - April 29, 2021 in a virtual format due to COVID 19.
Please see below for a link to the full accouncement.
Congratulations to Derek Bowens, Director of Elections, Durham County Board of Elections, North Carolina for the Clearie Best Practice award. Derek is a 2019 CERA graduate.
Category: Outstanding Innovation in Election Cybersecurity and Technology (Small Jurisdictions) Wait-Time Tracker for Early Voting
This innovative app allowed voters to locate polling places closest to them, view voting information, and see current polling place wait times. Users could also find bus routes or get GPS directions. The results from using this application were extremely positive for both election workers and voters. In the 2020 General Election, over 48% of registered voters in Durham County chose to vote early. This new service helped to alleviate crowds at busy polling places by offering alternatives, provided voters with streamlined real-time information, and fostered staffing needs for early in-person locations.
Congratulations to Armando Salud!
Armando Salud, election official from Yolo County, CA, was promoted to Deputy of Elections on 1/17/2021. Armando was appointed to his new position by the Yolo County Clerk-Recorder/Assessor and approved by the Board of Supervisors. Armando graduated from the CERA program in 2018 and is the current Chair of the Election Center's Professional Education Program Board. He said, "I am thankful for so many who have encouraged, mentored, and believed in me; allowing me to prove my worth, dedication, and commitment to the world of election administration." The Election Center congratulates Armando on his promotion and his continued success in election administration.
Conflict Resolution Checklist
Election Workers Conflict Resolution Checklist helps election workers identify examples of typical problems and situations election workers encounter when helping voters. The checklist provides examples and strategies for a vast range of problems, from disruptive and agitated behavior to common question voters have. We thank Chris Moore, CERA graduate and Deputy Supervisor of Elections, Leon County FL for developing the checklist and making it available to the entire election community. Download your copy today!
Elections Website Ranks High On Disability Access Scale
We would like to congratulate the following CERA graduates for their distinction and recognition in serving voters with disabilities in Texas; Travis County CERA graduates, Dana DeBeauvoir, Dan Roman, Monica Johns, Amanda Katzer, Bruce Elfant, Tiffany Seward, Thomas Miller and LeeAnn Castillo. From Hays County, CERA graduate Jennifer Anderson. From Cameron County, CERA graduate Remi Garza and from McLennen County, CERA graduate Kathy VanWolfe.
Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX, Hays County's Elections Office was recently recognized for its website, both from the local League of Women Voters and Disability Rights Texas (DRTx). Read the full article on the Corridor News website.
Tulsa Mayor recognizes David Boddie's CERA certification
David T. Boddie, Elections Official for Tulsa County Election Board in Oklahoma received his Certified Elections Registration Administrator (CERA) from the Election Center this past summer and was recently recognized for that achievement by G.T. Bynum, Mayor of Tulsa Oklahoma, commemorating his completion of the certification program and achievement as a CERA graduate. Congratulations to David for this esteemed recognition.
