Brennan Center Launches “I’m an Election Official” Campaign

I’m an Election Official campaign, the Brennan Center has published “5 Things You May Not Know About Local Election Officials,”

[2020 Election]
Liz Howard: “With a record number of votes already cast in states across the country, some election officials have already begun to tally the results, others are bound by law and must wait to start counting until the polls close on Election Day.”
Photo: Brennan Center

The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School launched a PSA campaign featuring election officials from across the country.

It includes a 30-second video, I’m an Election Official, reminding American voters that election officials are doing what they’ve always done — working hard to ensure that our elections run smoothly, accurately, and fairly; that every vote is counted; and that the results are certified on time. The PSA also reminds voters to “get out and vote” and to “vote with confidence.”

“Election officials have earned America’s trust over their decades of service and professionalism in administering fair elections with accurate, reliable results. They will not sacrifice the integrity of our elections — now due to the coronavirus or ever — for the sake of speed,” said Liz Howard, Senior Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice and former Virginia election official. “With a record number of votes already cast in states across the country, some election officials have already begun to tally the results, others are bound by law and must wait to start counting until the polls close on Election Day.”

“Individual state processes and the national surge in absentee ballots mean that complete unofficial results may take a little longer to determine than in previous years, but election officials expect to meet the certification deadlines this year,” said Howard. “If the count appears to be unfolding more slowly than in past years, that is not cause for alarm but rather a sign that the system is working.”

The nation’s decentralized election system has approximately 10,000 jurisdictions at county and municipal levels. The Brennan Center’s I’m an Election Official campaign features officials from Maricopa County, Arizona; Harris County, Texas; Guilford County, North Carolina; Detroit, Michigan; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Madison, Wisconsin; Scott County, Iowa; Rochester Hills, Michigan; and Denver, Colorado.

As part of its I’m an Election Official campaign, the Brennan Center has published “5 Things You May Not Know About Local Election Officials,” which includes such facts as:

  • They work in a nonpartisan or bipartisan fashion to make sure that every eligible vote is counted fairly and accurately.
  • They carry out the rules governing elections. They don’t make them.
  • They must wear many hats to meet the complex demands of the job: logistician, cybersecurity expert, legal analyst, and community servant, to name a few.

The Brennan Center is a national, nonpartisan legal and policy institute that has worked with hundreds of election officials in every state and the District of Columbia. The center has been at the forefront of efforts to hold safe, secure, accessible, and fair elections in 2020, despite the coronavirus. Its research and recommendations have guided policymakers and election officials around the country in adapting mail voting and in-person voting to keep voters healthy and the results accurate.

The video “I’m an Election Official” is available here.

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