New Data Provides Insights into Twenty Years of Election Official Turnover

Washington, D.C. – A new Bipartisan Policy Center report unveils the results of the first 50-state analysis of local election official turnover. 

Election Official Turnover Rates from 2000-2024, authored in collaboration with Daniel M. Thompson and Joshua Ferrer of UCLA, draws from an original dataset covering 18,644 local election officials in 6,290 jurisdictions across all 50 states. Contrary to popular narratives, the analysis shows that turnover has been increasing steadily for two decades with only a slight uptick after the 2020 election.  

Despite gradually rising turnover, the report underscores election officials’ preparedness for 2024. Two of every three election officials have administered at least one presidential election, and new officials have an average of eight years of experience in election administration. 

“Election officials are very well prepared to administer the 2024 presidential election,” said Rachel Orey, senior associate director of BPC’s Elections Project. “But the long-running trend of increasing turnover makes clear that the chronic underfunding and underappreciation of election administration comes at a cost.” 

“The elections workforce is resilient, even in the face of mounting responsibilities, increased threats, and heightened public scrutiny,” said Kim Wyman, BPC senior fellow and former Washington secretary of state. “As the demands on election officials continue to expand and evolve, policymakers must act to increase funding for election administration, foster professionalization, and protect the safety of these critical officials.”

Rising turnover is a long-term, nationwide issue that requires broad-based solutions. This report includes actionable recommendations for election officials and policymakers to alleviate workforce challenges in the near term and build a professionalized and resilient workforce for generations to come.  

Key findings from the report include: 

• Turnover has increased steadily since 2000, reaching a peak in 2022  
• Turnover has increased across regions, counties and municipalities, and in small and large jurisdictions for both elected and appointed election officials  
• In 2024, 65% of local election officials have experience administering at least one presidential election
• New election officials have an average of eight years previous experience running elections, and that figure jumps to 11 years in large jurisdictions 

The findings and recommendations of this report were informed by BPC’s Election Workforce Advisory Council and Task Force on Elections.