Elections in the United States depend on thousands of poll workers, yet we know relatively little about their experiences. Understanding their perspectives is essential to the study of American elections and can help improve election administration, strengthen voter confidence, and inform policy and training.
The National Election Worker Survey (NEWS) is a national research initiative focused on the experiences, responsibilities, and perspectives of poll workers. Led by experienced election scholars, the project brings together a cross-institutional team of more than 30 researchers from universities across the country, working in partnership with local election officials to survey election workers nationwide. Curious about what we’ve found so far? Explore our Research & Reports.
What do you want to know about poll workers?
Submit your ideas on the questions and topics we should ask poll workers! The current survey is under development to begin data collection in November 2026. You can view prior survey questions here.
Partner with us!
Understanding the experiences and perspectives of poll workers can provide valuable insights for election officials and administrators. We also offer jurisdiction-specific analyses to help you better understand your poll workers. Participating in the study is simple — all you need to do is share the survey link with your poll workers.
Join the research team!
The current wave of this study is under development to begin data collection in November 2026. Please contact a member of the Steering Committee by September 1st to get involved.
The National Election Worker Survey asks poll workers about their experiences to learn about their recruitment, training, responsibilities, and perceptions of election processes. The survey has evolved over time to address emerging issues facing election workers, such as safety concerns and future willingness to serve. The questionnaire for the November 2026 survey is under development.
The National Election Worker Survey is led by a Steering Committee of experienced election scholars:
- Barry Burden, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Joseph Coll, Texas Tech University
- Matt Lamb, Texas Tech University
- David Kimball, University of Missouri-St. Louis
- Anita Manion, University of Missouri-St. Louis
- With assistance from Jess Esplin, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Participating Jurisdictions
The National Election Worker Survey includes jurisdictions across the United States, with coverage varying by election year. Use the tabs below to explore participating jurisdictions in 2022, 2024, and (soon) 2026.
The 2022 survey was completed by over 5,500 respondents across 10 states and 19 jurisdictions, and included pre- and post-election survey waves:
- Fresno, CA
- Fairfield, CT
- Boston, MA
- Cambridge, MA
- Wellesley, MA
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Lansing, MI
- St. Louis City, MO
- St. Louis County, MO
- Cibola, NM
- Doña Ana, NM
- Los Alamos, NM
- Otero, NM
- Charleston, SC
- Harris, TX
- Lubbock, TX
- Charlottesville, VA
- Fairfax City, VA
- Milwaukee, WI
The 2024 survey was completed by over 2,200 election workers in 6 states and 8 jurisdictions:
- Fresno, CA
- Lansing, MI
- St. Louis County, MO
- Charleston, SC
- Lubbock, TX
- Charlottesville, VA
- Hanover, VA
- Virginia Beach, VA
Research & Reports
- The Americans on the front lines of elections (Burden & Stein 2024)
- Poll Worker Experience and Polling Place Operations (Hostetter & Atkeson 2026)
- Staffing Elections (Lamb, Burden, & Stein 2025)
- Path to the Polls: A Study of How Poll Workers Become Poll Workers (Lamb, Burden, & Stein 2025)
- Guardians at the Gates: Poll Worker Retention in a Challenging Election Environment (Stein, Burden, Lamb, Alberda, Atkeson, Bryant, Cobb, Gilbert, Hostetter, Kimball, Mayer, Panagopoulos, Reeves, Smidt, & Victor 2025)
- ¡Vote Aqui! The Experiences and Motivations of Poll Worker Translators (Lamb & Hostetter 2025)
- A Tale of Two Counties: A Study of Vote Centers in Fresno County and St. Louis County (Bryant, Manion, & Kimball 2024)
Meet the Research Team
In the section below, search and filters appear first, followed by a list of faculty and staff. When a search term is entered into the search input field or a filter is selected, the list of faculty/staff automatically updates to match the search term and/or selected filters.
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Faculty Staff List
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R. Michael Alvarez
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: California Institute of Technology
Joseph Anthony
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: State University of New York (SUNY)-Cortland
Lisa Bryant
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: California State University, Fresno
Barry Burden
Position title: Steering Committee
Pronouns: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Raquel Centeno
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: California Institute of Technology
Joseph Coll
Position title: Steering Committee
Pronouns: Texas Tech University
David Darmofal
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: University of Southern Carolina
Jess Esplin
Position title: Steering Committee
Pronouns: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Michael Gilbert
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: University of Virginia Law
MV (Trey) Hood III
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: University of Georgia
David Kimball
Position title: Steering Committee
Pronouns: University of Missouri-St. Louis
Martha Kropf
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Anita Manion
Position title: Steering Committee
Pronouns: University of Missouri-St. Louis
Kenneth Mayer
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Matthew Miles
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: Brigham Young University-Idaho
Costas Panagopoulos
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: Northeastern University
Michael Ritter
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: Washington State University
Jason Roberts
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Rachel VanSickle-Ward
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: Pitzer College
Jennifer Victor
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: George Mason University
Ryan Williamson
Position title: Researcher
Pronouns: University of Wyoming