Guardians at the Gates: Poll Worker Retention in a Challenging Election Environment
Research Question
How do bureaucratic officials responsible for election administration perceive their role in maintaining electoral integrity and democratic norms?
Main Finding
Local election officials often see themselves as nonpartisan
Research Design
Qualitative analysis based on in-depth interviews with local election officials across multiple states.
Data Employed
Dozens of structured interviews with county and municipal election officials, supplemented by content analysis of official communications and training materials.
Substantive Importance
The paper sheds light on how street-level bureaucrats in the electoral system think about their responsibilities, offering a hopeful counterpoint to concerns about partisan capture of election administration.
Research Areas
Election Administration, Elite Interviews, Democratic Accountability, Institutional Design, Local Government
Citation
@article{guardians,
author = {Robert M. Stein and Barry C. Burden and Gayle Alberda and Lonna Atkeson and Lisa Bryant and Rachel Cobb and Michael Gilbert and Josh Hostetter and David C. Kimball and Matthew Lamb and Kenneth R. Mayer and Costas Panagopoulos and Andrew Reeves and Corwin Smidt and Jennifer Victor},
title = {Guardians at the Gates: Poll Worker Retention in a Challenging Election Environment},
journal = {Election Law Journal},
volume = {24},
number = {1},
pages = {62--73},
year = {2025},
}