Grant to Establish a U.S. Election Officials’ Support Network
The California Voter Foundation (CVF) announced today it is beginning a new project to develop a nonpartisan, nationwide collaborative initiative of election community leaders to work together to support and defend U.S. election officials and election administration. The project is supported by a $157,000 grant awarded to CVF from Craig Newmark Philanthropies.
“Election officials are the frontline workers of democracy, and they are under attack across the country,” said CVF president and founder Kim Alexander. “We are grateful to Craig Newmark Philanthropies for support at this critical time in U.S. elections.”
Last month CVF released a report, “Documenting and Addressing Harassment of Election Officials”, resulting from interviews with eleven election officials from six states, online at calvoter.org/harassment. Ten of the eleven election officials interviewed reported enduring death threats, other threats, or abusive language resulting from the 2020 Presidential election. One of the primary recommendations of the report is to develop a cross-sector network of support for election officials.
A nationwide Brennan Center survey of 233 local election officials found that one in three endured threats and nearly one in five listed threats to their lives as a job-related concern.
“Leaders in the election community across multiple sectors are already working hard to support election officials and improve election administration,” said Cathy Darling Allen, CVF Board Chair and County Clerk and Registrar of Voters for Shasta County, CA. “CVF’s project will amplify those efforts with a focus on increasing election administration funding, improving legal and law enforcement protections and curtailing harmful election disinformation.”
The California Voter Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501c3 organization working since 1994 to improve the voting process to better serve voters, online at www.calvoter.org.
Contact info:
Kim Alexander and Cathy Darling Allen, 916-441-2494
Learn more about the California Voter Foundation's research, findings and recommendations to protect and support election officials and election administration in CVF's report, Documenting and Addressing Harassment of Election Officials.
About the California Voter Foundation
The California Voter Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working through research, oversight, outreach and demonstration projects to improve the election process so that it better serves voters. CVF-News is a free, electronic newsletter featuring news and updates about the California Voter Foundation's projects and activities.