ABSTRACT
Every election cycle in the US requires thousands of local election officials (LEOs) to administer elections. These individuals work to ensure voters have access to elections, elections are fair and secure, and results are properly certified. These individuals include elected and appointed officials, whom we refer to as the “stewards of democracy” (Adona et al., 2019). While the central role of LEOs in the election system has been recognized at least since Harris’s (1934) initial engagement, research into LEOs has grown over the past two decades, particularly in response to the 2000 election and changes wrought by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), with a focus on the role these administrators have in implementing election reforms or managing change in election administration. This chapter uses a pair of new national surveys of LEOs to understand who it is that becomes a steward of democracy and what this may tell us about access to this important role in US democracy.
