At the TED 2022 conference today, the Center for Tech and Civic Life announced it is launching a new program, the nonpartisan U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, that is open to every election department in the nation. The Alliance is bringing together bipartisan election officials to rally around a set of common values and standards, support each other, and keep their skills fresh.

In 2020, CTCL distributed nearly $350 million in grants to local election departments to administer safe elections. During that program, it became clear that U.S. local election departments remain woefully unsupported. One small jurisdiction reported not being able to replace century-old tabulators until receiving a CTCL grant. Many also still struggled to maintain modern websites with easy-to-find information for voters. The Alliance is a response to feedback from local election officials and their needs after the 2020 program.

“Every American voter, no matter their zip code, should have access to a process that is fair and trustworthy,” said Tiana Epps-Johnson, executive director of the Center for Tech and Civic Life. “Unfortunately, years of under-investment means many local election departments often have limited capacity and training. The U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence will bring together world-class partners so that local election officials no longer have to go it alone.”

“Regardless of size or location, local election offices and their staff benefit from being connected with and learning from each other,” said Al Schmidt, President and CEO of the Committee of Seventy and former Philadelphia city commissioner. “I appreciate how the Alliance is centering local election departments – and voters – in their work.”

The Alliance is a place where election officials, designers, technologists, and other experts are working hand in hand to revitalize American democracy. Launch partners include:

• Center for Tech and Civic Life: The Center for Tech and Civic Life connects Americans with the information they need to become and remain civically engaged, and ensure that elections are more inclusive and secure.
• Center for Civic Design: The Center for Civic Design works with elections offices and advocates across the country, using research, design, accessibility, and plain language to remove barriers in the voter journey and invite participation in democracy.
• The Elections Group: The Elections Group partners with state and local election officials looking to implement new programs or improve processes for voters and stakeholders. Their team of election experts works quickly to provide guidance, resources, and direct management support for jurisdictions.
• U.S. Digital Response: U.S. Digital Response is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that helps governments and organizations respond quickly and efficiently to support the critical needs of the public. Through USDR’s Elections Program, election officials receive simple, effective digital tools and rapid response assistance to meet voters at the speed of need.
• Center for Secure and Modern Elections: The Center for Secure and Modern Elections aligns bipartisan, pro-voter campaigns in states across the country that modernizes the voting system, making elections more efficient and secure.
• Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (the d.school) at Stanford University: The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford was founded in 2005 to prepare a generation of innovators to tackle complex challenges. Referred to as the d.school, the institute brings students and faculty from radically different backgrounds together to develop innovative, human-centered solutions to real world challenges.
• Prototyping Systems Lab at UC Davis: The Prototyping Systems Lab at UC Davis utilizes elements of design thinking, participatory design, and critical making to create change within complex systems.

During the first year of the program, we’re identifying local election departments who want to join the Alliance and serve as a support system for each other and for other election departments across the country. These offices will be recognized as U.S. Centers for Election Excellence. There are other ways to get involved with the Alliance, too. We invite you to learn more at https://www.electionexcellence.org  

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Introduced to the world at TED2022 with funding catalyzed by the Audacious Project, the Alliance is a five-year, $80 million strategy to envision, support, and celebrate excellence in U.S. election administration.

Launched in April 2018, The Audacious Project is a collaborative funding initiative that’s catalyzing social impact on a grand scale. Housed at TED, the nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, and with support from leading social impact advisor The Bridgespan Group, The Audacious Project convenes funders and social entrepreneurs with the goal of supporting bold solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges. The funding collective is made up of respected organizations and individuals in philanthropy, including the Skoll Foundation, Virgin Unite, The Valhalla Charitable Foundation, ELMA Philanthropies and more. The Audacious Project works with the Science Philanthropy Alliance to identify and vet high-quality basic science projects. Each year The Audacious Project supports a new cohort. The 2021-2022 recipients are The Center for Tech and Civic Life, ClimateWorks: Drive Electric, Code for America, Glasswing International, The International Refugee Assistance Project, myAgro, Noora Health, The Tenure Facility, and Woodwell Climate Research Center.