Our Community

Election administration is a team sport, so the cohort membership is for the entire election office, not just the leadership. With the approval of office leadership, middle managers, warehouse workers, and frontline staff are encouraged to participate as the cohort programming relates to their responsibilities.

According to Merriam-Webster, a pathfinder is “one that discovers a way.” As offices work through the cohort program, they’ll contribute to research on what actions and resources – what we’re calling “pathways” – help offices of all shapes and sizes move toward excellence as defined by the voluntary, nonpartisan Standards for Election Excellence. Offices will individually and the cohort will collectively discover pathways to election excellence.

A Center for Election Excellence is a local election department that pursues excellence in their work with a commitment to the Alliance nonpartisan values:

• High Integrity: We are ethical public servants committed to fair, accurate, and secure elections. We act with professionalism and nonpartisanship. We follow all local, state, and federal laws governing elections. We are responsible stewards of resources.
• Comprehensive Preparedness: We build and implement plans to effectively administer elections, navigate challenges, and manage crises. We document written procedures to support secure and efficient processes. We establish controls to prevent and detect errors—and when they occur, we are able to identify and correct them. We address the unexpected and support voters in the case of an emergency.
• Voter-Centricity: We provide voters with an exceptional election experience. We deliver excellent service to make voters feel confident as they participate in the democratic process. We help voters navigate all stages of voting, from learning about their options to verifying their ballot was counted. We make voters feel welcome and support voters with different needs and barriers to voting.
• Proactive Transparency: We engage our community and other stakeholders to support understanding of the election process. We communicate information about elections so it is readily available and easy to access. We identify and pursue opportunities for public education on election processes. We invite observers, answer questions, and provide verified public information.
• Continuous Improvement: We pursue opportunities to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of election operations. We prioritize professional development to build capacity and learn from new approaches. We seek feedback from our team, the community we serve, and other stakeholders to inform changes. We collaborate with election departments, both in our state and across the nation, to share resources, support each other, and celebrate our successes.

The cohort membership fees are:

• Basic: $600 (one sub-cohort) per office
• Standard: $1,085 (two sub-cohorts) per office
• Premium: $1,600 (three sub-cohorts) per office

Benefits include access to:

• monthly facilitated Zoom calls with cohort members and subject matter experts
• an online discussion forum with cohort members and subject matter experts
• generic, nonpartisan tools including templates, worksheets, and training

Where permissible by law, scholarships are available to cover the membership fee.

The cohort will last for 18 months, beginning in mid-June 2025 and ending in mid-December 2026. The cohort graduation ceremony will take place in February 2027.

As a cohort member, your office will make a commitment to the Alliance nonpartisan value of continuous improvement. This means you pursue opportunities to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of election operations.

But you don’t have to go at it alone. Through the Alliance, your office will have access to a nonpartisan network of other election offices and subject matter experts across the country who are equally committed to continuous improvement.

The cohort is designed to support election offices in achieving your defined goals. For example, is your election office prioritizing:

• putting more robust emergency plans in place? 
• making the case to your decisionmakers that you need additional funding? 
• building a better poll worker training program? 

If these are the types of improvements you plan to make in your election office, the cohort is here to support you. 

The program starts with assessing your election office’s current state related to the 1-3 standards you decide to improve on, then the Alliance provides your office access to a nonpartisan network of other election offices and subject matter experts across the country who are equally committed to improvement on those standards. 

Based on the effort that your election office commits, at the end of the 18-month cohort, your office should see distinct improvements in your selected 1-3 standards along with a clear, compelling story about the resources required to improve and the positive impact on your office and voters.

In addition to these benefits, cohort members will be first in line to become certified through a public, online certification platform launching in March 2026.

As a cohort member, your office makes a commitment to the Alliance nonpartisan value of voter-centricity. This means you deliver excellent service to make voters feel confident as they participate in the democratic process. For example, when your election office:

• has more robust emergency plans in place, you’ll be able to meet voting deadlines and serve voters’ needs when faced with emergencies. 
• makes the case for additional funding, you’re playing an active role in setting your office’s budget to match the needs and priorities of voters in your jurisdiction.
• has an excellent poll worker training program, voters will interact with poll workers who are helpful, knowledgeable, and who build their confidence in the election process.

All U.S. local election departments are invited to apply. The deadline to apply is Monday, March 31, 2025.

• March 2025: Optional info session
• April 2025: Email request for additional information
• Early May 2025: Finalists invited to required group info session
• Late May 2025: Paperwork due
• Mid-June 2025: Cohort kickoff call

All U.S. local election departments are invited to apply. Cohort members will be selected based on a commitment to and enthusiasm for:

• Maintaining the Alliance nonpartisan values of high integrity, comprehensive preparedness, voter-centricity, proactive transparency, and continuous improvement.
• Being part of a learning cohort, sharing public materials among cohort members, and providing input into the future of the program
• Telling the story of your election office’s improvements and how it impacts your office and voters

No. The Alliance will never ask you to share non-public information about your voters, voting practices, or any voter data.

All cohort members must sign a membership agreement to participate in the program. The agreement will outline cohort expectations and the membership fee.

All U.S. election departments are invited to get involved with the Alliance. Some ways to participate include:

• Sign up for our newsletter so you get the latest updates about Alliance programs
• Share your expert feedback on voluntary, nonpartisan standards
• Explore generic resources like tools, trainings, templates, and more

Introduced to the world at TED2022 and with funding catalyzed by The Audacious Project, the Alliance is a five-year, $80 million program 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.