The Election Center (National Association of Election Officials)

The organization conducts annual conferences and trainings to train election administrators and provides members an alert service that covers changes to legislation, regulations, court decisions, and Justice Department rulings affecting the oversight and administration of elections. The organization has been active in the promotion of mail-in voting and logistics in coordination with the US Postal Service (USPS). ¹

Background and History

The Election Center was formed in 1990 according to the organization’s tax returns. The organization claims to be the premier organization for the training and certification of election and voter registration administrators. The organization conducts annual conferences and regional workshops centered on government election units. The center’s website states that it trains between 600 to 1,000 administrators annually. The center’s membership also includes private companies that supply voting systems software, voting booths, ballots, voting machines, and other election supplies. ¹

The center claims to have around 1,350 members nationwide, making it the largest number of election administrator members of any elections-related organization in the United States. ¹

The center also conducts a professional education program for administrators in conjunction with Auburn University’s public administration department that offers college-level instruction for administrators concerning the conduct of elections and voter registration. ^{1 2}

Activity

The Election Center assisted in the formation of the National Association of State Election Directors, which was formed by members of the center who served as state election directors, and incubated by the center until it became a standalone organization. The organization also developed the first code of ethics for voter registrars and election administrators in 1997. ¹

The organization has done significant work promoting the use of mail-in balloting and has a longstanding working relationship with the United States Postal Service and assisted the USPS in developing the national “Elections Mail” logo that identifies mail-in ballots and other election-related mail. The center also worked with USPS to create the National Task Force on Postal Issues and an election mail program that improved the ability for election offices to use mail-in ballots. ¹

The center also created a National Task Force on Voting Accessibility, focused on disability issues, and a National Task Force on Election Reform following the 2000 election and presidential-election recount. ¹

In February 2023, the Election Center hosted a multi-day Special Workshop on “Election Resources and Tools for 2023” in Pasadena, California. ³ Several non-profit organizations and agencies that had guest speakers present for the workshop include the Elections Group, the Center for Civic Design (CCD), the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), the Center for Inclusive Democracy (CID), and the U.S Digital Response (USDR). ³

Awards

The Election Center gives annual awards to state and local election offices regarding voter outreach and engagement programs and operations. The center awarded a “2022 Democracy Award” to the Coalition of Bay Area Election Officials for forming a coalition of 10 local election offices in the San Francisco Bay Area to “ensure public trust in elections.” ⁴

Consulting

The Election Center provides outside consulting services concerning election operations to state and local governments as well as law firms and professional organizations and associations. ⁵

Leadership

Joseph Gloria, CERA is the Executive Officer for operations at The Election Center. Prior to working for The Election Center, Gloria was appointed in 2013 as the registrar for voters in Clark County, Nevada. ⁶

Tammy Patrick, CERA is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for programs at The Election Center. Prior to The Election Center, Patrick worked as the Senior Advisor to the Elections Program at public policy-oriented foundation Democracy Fund. Previously, in 2013, Patrick was appointed as commissioner on the Presidential Commission on Election Administration for the Obama Administration, which was followed by a position with think tank Bipartisan Policy Center. Beforehand, Patrick worked as the Federal Compliance Officer for the Maricopa County Elections Department in Maricopa County, Arizona. ⁶