Authors provide an overview of recent trends in election official turnover and provide an in-depth analysis of these trends in western U.S. states. They conclude the report with recommendations for building a resilient and stable election workforce. Recommendations focus in preventing and protecting election officials from threats and strategies for recruiting and retaining election officials, among others.
Resources
Use our resource library to explore the latest research in the field of election science.
This report provides guidance to election officials to communicate about the work they are doing related to voter list maintenance.
This analysis suggests that documentary proof of citizenship requirements would affect voters across the electorate. While Democrats and Republicans possess some form of documentary proof at similar rates, Republicans’ reliance on birth certificates mean they may be more heavily impacted by documentary proof requirements than Democrats. Additionally, wealthier and more highly educated voters are more likely to have documentary proof than others.
This resource provides a transcript of U.S. Election Assistance Commission public hearing on election audit standards, reflecting current discussions among election officials and audit experts.
This video highlights three areas of emerging research that can strengthen trust, communication, and professional practice in election administration. Presenters also highlight results of their recent survey examining election official needs related to ethics training and support. They also explore a new training model for local election officials.
The 2025 Local Election Official Survey gathered insight on the views of 858 local election officials related to federal cuts to election security services, resource constraints, worries of political interference, experiences of threats and harassment, and the use of artificial intelligence in elections.
This report details how American voters experienced the 2024 general election. It is based on a survey of 10,200 registered voters, including 200 from each state plus D.C. Key findings from in-person voting include: over 70% of voters voted in person; mail-in voting decreased to 29% from 43% in 2020; wait times for voting were mostly short, but some disparities remained; and public schools saw a decline as polling locations, with community centers becoming the most common alternative.
This report provides a comprehensive update to the EAC's landmark poll worker reports from 2007 and 2016, based on current data across four key areas: recruitment, training, retention, and evaluation. It captures the significantly transformed landscape of poll worker management since 2020, addressing new challenges like workforce shortages, threats against election workers, and the adoption of emerging technologies. The report also highlights state-by-state practices and emerging best practices from jurisdictions nationwide.
This report is a comprehensive reference for election officials on election processes and best practices, including guidance on physical security and location management for polling places. It serves as the primary federal-level guidance on polling place operations in the absence of national layout standards.
The biennial comprehensive survey of election administration across all 50 states, five territories, and D.C., covering the 2024 presidential general election, achieved a 100% response rate. Key in-person voting findings include: more than 70% of voters cast ballots in person, split roughly evenly between Election Day and early in-person voting; mail ballot use declined to approximately 30%, down from 43% in 2020; more than 770,000 individuals served as poll workers; all states reported offering some form of in-person voting before Election Day; and ballot drop box use increased by nearly 10 percentage points from 2022 to 2024 in states that offered them. Two-thirds of voters cast ballots in person, reflecting a significant post-pandemic return to in-person voting. The survey also covers voter registration, UOCAVA voting, absentee voting, provisional balloting, and voting technology.
This video is part of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission's "Learning Lab" series. The video is focused on election mail and covers topics such as how to work effectively with the U.S. Postal Service during election periods, design and prepare election mail, communicate with voters about election mail, and safely handle election mail.
This report details how American voters experienced the 2024 general election. It is based on a survey of 10,200 registered voters, including 200 from each state plus D.C. Key findings from mail voting include: mail voting decreased to 29% from 43% in 2020; 37% of Democrats used mail voting compared to 24% for Republicans; few voters reported issue with requesting or completing a mail ballot; 3% of voters who returned their ballot via mail encountered disruptions.