Why Election Administrators Matter
Learn a little bit more about the important role county clerks, city recorders, and other election administrative positions play in protecting our democracy. (Duties may depend on jurisdiction.)
Manage Polling Places and Access
Casting your ballot shouldn’t be difficult, but for millions across the country voting can be a cumbersome process. Election administrators have the ability to change this, one district at a time.
Election administrators can allocate funds for more polling locations, update voting machinery and tools, advocate for longer voting periods, provide locally funded transportation for those unable to reach their polling location, and ensure all voters have access to information and resources that allow them to vote-by-mail, well before the voting deadline. They can also build equity into the voting process: this includes making all polling locations ADA compliant and providing ESL translators and support staff at polling stations.
Count Ballots and Certify Results
The basis of our democracy is the principle that votes (and earning the most votes) determine who wins an election. Election administrators supervise the counting of ballots, and sometimes certify and publish election results.
This includes supervising the counting of mail-in ballots and absentee ballots, as well as reporting tallies and totals of precincts and counties to secretaries of state, governors and other leaders. Election administrators can also certify, transmit, and publish the results of elections. This puts election administrators in a position of trust, and requires that they uphold the results of those ballot counts regardless of party or ideology.
Help Folks Get On The Ballot
Curious about how the hell to get on the ballot? Lean on your local election administrators! Strong election administrators support candidates as they file to run and ensure that they are eligible to run.
Some of these tasks include – but are not limited to – informing candidates about necessary requirements like petition signatures and age restrictions; keeping candidates abreast of filing deadlines – especially for primaries – and ensuring that candidates are legally compliant with the rules of the state and district. Having knowledgeable election administrators makes it easier for candidates to run for office and get their names on the ballot.
Provide Voter Education
Election misinformation is a major problem in the U.S. But a strong election administrator has the power to ensure our entire election process is as transparent as possible for everyone, and that voters feel they can make informed decisions.
Some of these tasks include publicly updating voting information and poll results in real time; digitizing educational information; making election results easily accessible; and most importantly, creating voter literacy programs that help folks understand the electoral process from beginning to end. They can also provide information about who’s on the ballot, giving folks a chance to learn what a candidates’s stances are before Election Day.
Appoint Other Election Officials
Managing the systems that make our elections work requires tons of people, ranging from poll workers to election boards. Election administrators can appoint people to these positions, giving them power over these processes.
Election administrators can appoint a wide range of people to positions concerning elections, such as poll managers, recorders, poll workers, election boards, election judges, election directors, and clerks. Many of these positions have the power to oversee and administer polling places, count ballots, and transmit results.
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