Elections and Voting Information Center (EVIC) is a research center that specializes in the study of American election administrations and polling statistics. It conducts its research with an eye toward election administration influenced by center-left policy prescriptions. It is co-housed by Reed College and Portland State University, both of which are located in Portland, Oregon. As of 2025, the organization was led by founder and director Paul Gronke and research director Paul Manson. ¹

EVIC is involved with the Election Science, Reform, and Administration (ESRA) conference, a convention of mostly left-leaning academics and technology developers who meet to discuss election administration policies. In 2017, EVIC co-organized the first ESRA conference with the Center for Public Service, an organization housed at Portland State University. ^{2 3}

Activities

Elections and Voting Information Center’s flagship project is the annual Local Election Official Survey, which began in 2018. Each year, the survey asks local election officials about their concerns to foment conversations about “electoral integrity, administration, and reform.” ^{1 4}

In anticipation of the 2024 presidential election, EVIC conducted a study between 2022 and 2023 on Oregon election offices’ staffing and recruitment numbers and challenges. The Election Division of the Oregon Secretary of State advertised the study in a press released entitled, “Oregon County Clerks Struggling with Staffing, Retention, and Recruitment in the Midst of a Toxic Political Environment.” ⁵

Affiliations

Elections and Voting Information Center is involved with the Election Science, Reform, and Administration (ESRA) conference, a center-left convention of academics and tech developers who meet to discuss election reform. In 2017, EVIC co-organized the first ESRA conference with the Center for Public Service, an organization housed at Portland State University. It was held at the University Place Hotel and Conference Center in Portland, Oregon and was co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Election Data and Science Lab at MIT, and the Democracy Fund. ^{2 3}

EVIC was listed as an official affiliate of the MIT Election Data and Science Lab as of 2025. MIT Election Data and Science Lab (MEDSL) is an election and polling statistics center housed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It claims to apply “scientific principles” to the study of how elections are administered in the United States, and aims to “improve the democratic experience” for American voters. MEDSL’s research areas tend to favor a center-left narrative of election reform, with subjects such as “mail-in balloting,” “same-day registration,” and “redistricting.” ^{6 7}

Funding

In 2024, Elections and Voting Information Center received funding from the Democracy Fund and the Election Trust Initiative for its Local Election Officials Survey. ⁴

Leadership

As of 2025, Elections and Voting Information Center was led by founder and director Paul Gronke and research director Paul Manson. At the time, Gronke was a professor of political science at Reed College and Manson was a research assistant professor at the Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University. ^{1 4}

1. “Elections & Voting Information Center.” EVIC. Accessed September 12, 2025. https://evic.reed.edu.
2. “2017 Conference.” Election Science, Reform, and Administration Conference. Accessed September 11, 2025. https://esra-conference.org/2017-conference.
3. “About.” Election Science, Reform, and Administration Conference. Accessed September 9, 2025. https://esra-conference.org/about.
4. “The 2024 EVIC Local Election Official Survey.” EVIC. Accessed September 12, 2025. https://evic.reed.edu/leo_survey_project/.
5. Gronke, Paul. “New EVIC Report on Oregon Local Election Official Staffing.” EVIC, November 7, 2023. Accessed September 12, 2025. https://evic.reed.edu/evic-news/new-evic-report-on-oregon-local-election-official-staffing/.
6. “About.” MIT Election Data and Science Lab. Accessed September 11, 2025. https://electionlab.mit.edu/about
7. “Research.” MIT Election Data and Science Lab. Accessed September 11, 2025. https://electionlab.mit.edu/research#explainers.