Resources

A foundational study of the early consequences of all vote-by-mail elections. This paper studies individual-level voter turnout data in Oregon and concludes that all vote-by-mail elections increase turnout by retaining voters in the electorate, rather than by allowing more low-propensity voters to participate.

Authors examine the question of whether or not conducting elections entirely through the mail rather than at the traditional polling place increases participation. Using election data from Oregon, the authors examine whether mail-based elections increase turnout in both local and statewide elections. The paper uses precinct-level data merged with census data. It finds that, while all-mail elections tend to produce higher turnout, the most significant increases occur in low-stimulus elections, such as local elections or primaries, where turnout is usually low. The increase in turnout, however, is not uniform across demographic groups. Voting only by mail is likely to increase turnout among those who are already predisposed to vote, such as those with higher socioeconomic status. This is one of the early foundational studies of voting by mail.

This resource provides an overview of the federal laws that facilitate voting by people with disabilities. It contains links to resources and tools for election officials and organizations to understand the experiences of voters who are blind or low vision and to learn how to better serve them. This includes materials that educate and encourage blind voters to become poll workers.

This paper examines scholarly literature since 2008 regarding the motivation of public officials to serve their community. The authors identify several lessons impacting management and leadership of the public workforce, including the role of cooperative work environments in facilitating public service motivation, and using public service motivation as a selection tool, among other things.

This paper analyzes whether the preferences and actions of local election officials are impacted by their method of selection - election or appointment - with a focus on the experiences of LEOs in Wisconsin. Authors found notable differences in support of voter access and concerns about ballot security and administrative costs, among other things.

This resource provides an overview of state poll worker policies, highlighting the variance between states and need for unique approach to designing and implementing poll worker programs. Statutory references are provided for state laws related to poll worker qualifications, youth poll worker programs, residency requirements, and partisan distribution.

This training slide presentation and accompanying guide are intended to help election officials improve their training materials and practices for poll workers who assist voters with disabilities using accessible voting systems. The training ensures that poll workers know the legal rules for disability voting rights in the polling place and includes guidance for helping voters while preserving their independence and privacy.

The City and County of San Francisco Department of Elections maintains publicly available training resources for poll workers on their website, including informational videos and an up-to-date poll worker manual. Topics covered include poll worker duties in opening a polling place, assisting voters, and closing a polling place.

This resource provides tips and guidance for election officials to design clear, simple, easy to use, and easy to understand instructional materials for poll workers.

In 2023, the Bridging Divides Initiative began surveying local election officials to better understand the degree to which election officials face insults, harassment, threats, and physical attacks throughout their career. The survey is administered quarterly, providing frequent snapshots into how threats and violence toward election officials is evolving over time.

This course series connects election officials to frameworks, strategies, resources, and best practices related to designing and administering poll worker programs. This series is free and consists of four courses focused specifically on recruiting, training, managing and retaining poll workers.