Symposia

The Auburn Symposium in Election Administration launched in 2015 to foster conversation about critical issues that impact American democratic institutions, support the development of common understanding and language across diverse professional communities engaged in the practice of election administration, and promote dialogue between those who conduct elections and those who study the way elections operate. The series is held in odd-numbered years on the Auburn University campus.

The first symposium, “The Evolution of Election Administration Since the Voting Rights Act: 1965-2015,” focused on the 50 year legacy of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and how that landmark legislation impacted election administration. In 2017, the second event, “Inclusion & Integrity in Election Administration,” featured the US Election Assistance Commission, its national Election Administration and Voting Survey, and data-driven conversations about how to demonstrate successful election practices. In 2019, Inclusion & Integrity II: Innovation, Investment, and Critical Conversation created focus groups and working groups to examine and report on key areas of election administration including the cost of elections, innovations in the field, professionalization of the field, and the role of third party groups

The 2017 symposium produced two edited books that featured the research, observations, and experiences of participants on the range of issues across the election administration field, namely, The Future of Election Administration, and The Future of Election Administration: Cases and Conversations (Palgrave Macmillan 2019). These volumes bring forward unique perspectives of election officials, researchers, and other election system stakeholders. Their collective work establishes a benchmark for understanding the complexities and contradictions of what appears to most to be a very simple process but, in fact, is not.

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More information on the upcoming Symposia will be posted to the link provided as soon as it is made available. Please check back for updates.

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Please click the links below to view past Symposia events.

2015