Updates & Briefs

View the PDF Brief Here | The EVIC Local Election Official (LEO) Survey is a yearly, nationally representative dataset designed to track the administrative, policy, and operational conditions of election officials across the U.S. EVIC has fielded seven waves of the survey (2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), with the 2026 survey currently in development. The survey includes core measures as well as specialized subject-matter modules to explore specific policy shifts and emerging administrative challenges.The 2026 LEO SurveyThe 2026 survey is currently in development. The…

We’ve heard it many times. Sometimes, it happens as they blow out the candles of their retirement cake or turn in their resignation letter. Sometimes we hear it at what we later realize was the last time a person attended a meeting or participated in a webinar.The job I got into – the work I signed up for – is not what I am doing now.As a community, election officials are no strangers to change. Legislation like the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993 and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002, or events like the 2000 election, ushered in structural changes to how…

(Also appearing in Electionline Weekly)  The Elections & Voting Information Center (EVIC) Local Election Official (LEO) Survey has been conducted annually from 2018-2024, except in 2021. This coverage over time has allowed our research team to identify trends and changes in the election official community across two midterm and two presidential election cycles.A deeper dive into job satisfaction provided in this policy brief shows a very worrisome trend – a steep and enduring decline in job satisfaction among LEOs serving in the smallest (< 5,001 registered voters)…

Local election officials (LEOs) play a key role in educating voters. But LEOs have to balance voter education with other competing needs and demands.Results from the 2024 Elections & Voting Information (EVIC) Local Election Official Survey and ongoing research by Merivaki and Suttmann-Lea identify three important lessons for election practitioners, policymakers, and others in the democracy space:Across the board, LEOs say voter education is important and professionally fulfilling.LEOs who serve in medium-sized jurisdictions (5001 – 25,000 and 25,001 – 100,000 registered voters) are…

(SPECIAL FOR ELECTIONLINEWEEKLY) Local election officials (LEOs) are vital to maintaining trust and efficiency in the democratic process. However, turnover intentions among LEOs are concerningly high, with environmental challenges like resource scarcity and safety concerns significantly influencing decisions to leave their positions.In the work our University of Missouri-St. Louis team conducted in conjunction with the Elections & Voting Information Center (EVIC) and EVIC’s principal researchers Paul Gronke, PhD, (Reed College) and Paul Manson, PhD,…

Election officials in local offices across the country have experienced a surge in public records requests in recent years, and some of them are perceived as vexatious, unduly burdensome, frustrating, voluminous, overwhelming, or harassing. While requests for information are fundamental to government transparency, unduly burdensome requests are straining the limited resources of election officials.Results from the 2024 Elections & Voting Information Center (EVIC) Local Election Official (LEO) Survey show that while election officials recognize the increasing burden of excessive…