A landmark report to be released on June 18 by the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate finds that local election administrators consistently lack sustained funding, adequate staffing, and necessary technology at a time of intense public scrutiny and diminished trust in voting results.
The comprehensive anthology report created through the Kennedy and Dole Institutes’ Bolstering Elections Initiative gives election administrators and policymakers the data and research necessary to bolster voting infrastructures at the state and local levels. The report, “Bolstering Funding and Practices for Resilient Elections: Sustainable Funding and Models of Success at the State and Local Level,” was made possible by a grant from the Election Trust Initiative.
“Now, more than ever, the story of the election professionals who conduct our elections, often on a shoestring budget, needs our attention,” said Tammy Patrick, senior advisor to the Bolstering Elections Initiative. “Administrators in cities and in rural areas; in red states, blue states and swing states; those who were elected, appointed, or hired as a public servant; Republicans, Democrats, and unaffiliated officials; all are better able to serve their voters and communities when they are sufficiently supported with the tools and resources the American Voters deserve. Election administration should not be a partisan issue.”
Full report with some top folks in the field contributing.