About EVIC

The Elections & Voting Information Center (EVIC) is a non-partisan academic research center housed within the Center for Public Service at Portland State University. Led by Director Paul Manson and Founder Paul Gronke, EVIC provides empirical, evidence-based insights into the mechanics of American election administration. By identifying solutions to administrative challenges, EVIC serves as a vital bridge between rigorous scholarship and the daily work of local election officials. Our signature project is the annual Local Election Official (LEO) Survey, a longitudinal study that has provided a comprehensive look at the election workforce since 2018.

Meet the EVIC Team

Manson photo

Paul Manson, PhD

Director 
Email: mansonp@pdx.edu 
Phone: (503) 725-2955
Curriculum Vitae

Since 2018, Paul has co-led the annual Local Election Official (LEO) Survey conducted by EVIC. His election administration research explores the workforce, budget, and management challenges with which election officials wrestle. Paul has a particular interest in understanding what draws individuals to serve in election administration, and what communities have access to serve in this critical role. In his work, Paul strives to co-produce research efforts with practitioners, allowing research questions to be developed in collaboration with the election community. In addition to survey research and quantitative methods, Paul also applies qualitative tools such as interviews and focus groups to better understand the challenges that face election administrators. As an educator, Paul is fortunate enough to be in the classroom and workshops with mid-career professionals. In these engagements, Paul enjoys sharing the latest in research and academic scholarship. But in reality, these teaching opportunities are a chance for Paul to hear how those on the frontlines are solving emerging and critical problems. 

Paul graduated from Portland State University with a Master of Public Administration and a PhD in Public Affairs and Policy from the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government. He cast his first and only in person vote at a small church in Alaska, and has been voting by mail ever since moving to Oregon. 

Gronke photo

Paul Gronke, PhD

Founder
Email: gronke@pdx.edu 
Curriculum Vitae
Website

Paul Gronke is founding director of the Elections & Voting Information Center (EVIC) and a professor of political science at Reed College. Gronke is a nationally known scholar of American politics, elections, and research methods. Under Gronke’s leadership, EVIC has become a national center of excellence for policy research and publicly engaged scholarship into election administration, election reform, and electoral integrity. A major focus of Gronke's current research is the Local Election Official (LEO) Survey which EVIC has been undertaking since 2018. Gronke is regularly featured in national and regional media outlets as a commentator on politics and elections. 

Gronke currently serves on the Board for the MIT Election Data Science Lab (MEDSL), the Social Science Advisory Board for the Brennan Center, and is a member of CEAL. Gronke received a PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan and has been a member of the faculty of Reed College in Portland, OR since 2000. 

In his spare time, Paul is an avid gardener, cook, and likes to ski, hike, and experience the great outdoors. 

History 

Established in 2008 at Reed College, EVIC was born from a need for non-partisan, data-driven insights into how American elections are actually run. For nearly two decades, we have evolved from a small research initiative into a national authority on election administration.

In 2018, we launched our flagship Local Election Official (LEO) Survey, creating the nation’s only longitudinal data set focused on the election workforce. In 2026, EVIC entered its next chapter, relocating to the Center for Public Service at Portland State University.

Research Principles

  • Transparency: We publish our methodologies and survey instruments alongside our findings.
  • Neutrality: Our analysis is strictly empirical and focused on administrative efficiency, not political outcomes.
  • Collaboration: We work with officials from all 50 states and across the political spectrum.

 

Partners & Support

EVIC is proud to collaborate with a diverse network of academic institutions and philanthropic organizations dedicated to improving election administration.

 

EVIC Alumni

EVIC, 2021 – 2025
Michelle served EVIC from May 2021 to June 2025. During this time, she coordinated and supported various EVIC’s research projects while directing and implementing communications programs surrounding these efforts and managed EVIC’s branding. Michelle is Managing Principal for Magenta Sage Strategies, LLC, through which she consulted for EVIC as Senior Communications Advisor in addition to serving other clients.

Reed College, 2019
Jay Lee received his BA in Mathematics-Statistics from Reed College in 2019, where his senior thesis examined demographic disparities in ranked choice voting for a mayoral election in San Francisco. Jay worked with EVIC for the 2018, 2019, and 2020 Local Election Official (LEO) Surveys. He led our effort to develop best in class sampling and weighting procedures to conduct scientifically valid surveys of LEOs.

Reed College, 2023
Simon Ahn graduated in Fall 2023 with a BA in Mathematics/Statistics. While at EVIC, Simon worked on the Local Election Official (LEO) Survey project, helping to wrangle data, produce visualizations, and helping produce reports and presentations using these data.

Reed College, 2024
Abby Durrant is a Spring 2024 graduate of Reed with a BA in Political Science. Abby worked closely with the EVIC team to support various projects, including a forthcoming edited volume from Paul Gronke, PhD, and his collaborators. Abby is interested in environmental politics, law, and policy along with her passion for elections and voting rights.