REACHOUT: The Elections Educator Newsletter 5/21/25
The inaugural newsletter post! Useful & timely resources for elections administrators & GOTV volunteers to inspire strategic nonpartisan voter outreach and education efforts.
By: Emma White Montalvo, professional Elections Outreach and Education Specialist
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Welcome! As part of my job as a county elections administrator doing voter engagement activities, I collect a lot of resources to both inform my outreach strategies, create educational content, and better myself as a knowledgeable resource for others to rely on. On my day off of work (currently Wednesdays) I want to share what I find inspiring with other administrators, civic organizations, and fellow individuals who wish there was a centralized place for all this helpful info.
As time goes on, I’ll coincidingly be developing a spreadsheet hub for all the organizations, research papers, articles, inspirational example projects, and more!
If you have something you’d like for me to spotlight, please reach out and let me know! Let’s advertise it-free of charge- in both this newsletter and in my REACH OUT! Elections Educator Resource Hub (coming soon).
ELECTION NEWS:
IN ELECTION OUTREACH : Artistic Students Create ‘I Voted’ Stickers; Local Organizations Register People in Demographic Often Overlooked in Voter Registration Efforts
‘I Voted’ Sticker Design Contest in Haverhill City, MA -Winner is Local High School Student 5/20/25
Allegheny County,PA, High School Student wins ‘I Voted’ Sticker Design Contest 5/20/25
IN ELECTION EDUCATION: County Elections Board Creates New Program to Educate and Engage High School Students at the Polls
RELEVANT RESEARCH:
Last Wednesday, May 15th , 2025, Electionline posted an article Right-Sizing Funding and Support for Local Election Officials under their category of Voter Education. It’s a great read with tailored insights for election administrators across various jurisdiction sizes.
It’s written by:
Thessalia (Lia) Merivaki, PhD | Associate Teaching Professor, Georgetown University, McCourt School of Public Policy | Associate Research Professor, The Massive Data Institute, Georgetown University
Mara Suttmann-Lea, PhD | Associate Professor of American Politics, Connecticut College; and
Paul Gronke, PhD | Professor of Political Science, Reed College | Founder & Director, Elections & Voting Information Center
and their findings are more fleshed out in the 2024 EVIC Report (also worth the read!)
UPCOMING WEBINARS TO ANTICIPATE:
“All Voting Is Local” by NonProfit VOTE. May 28th 2pm ET.
This webinar will focus on how non profits and other civically minded organizations can leverage their outreach capabilities to increase voter turnout for local elections within their communities served. Tune in to learn best practices and discover new tips and tricks.
FOR ELECTION ADMINISTRATORS
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED…IMPLEMENTING INTERNS OR FELLOWSHIPS?
The Bipartisan Policy Center just released a new project report “The Arizona Fellowship Model: Developing the Next Generation of the Election Administration Workforce.”
Providing paid avenues for young people to be educated about and involved in elections work is worth serious consideration. Following Arizona’s example, it’s a good idea at both the state and county levels to work to develop programs
to inspire and train our upcoming generation to be our new stewards of democracy (this is especially strategic looking forward as as a hefty portion of our current workforce looks forward to retirement within the next few years!).
FOR ALL READERS
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED
PURSUING A CERTIFICATE IN ELECTION ADMINISTRATION?
Oakland University in Michigan has developed an Election Administrator Certification debuting this fall 2025! All 8 courses are online, asynchronous, and 7 weeks long. Each course is $500. It’s fantastic that a second certification program is now open to non-administrators (but hopefully future ones!) is now available in the US to compete with the CERA (which is election officials only) and the UofM’s program (down below).
The University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs is hosting an online information session on Wednesday May 28th, at 6pm CST about their Certificate in Elections Administration program (which is offered online and in person). The full program is 12 credits, with undergraduates paying $582.64 per credit and graduates paying $1107 per credit.
The Certificate in Elections Administration is also offered as part of UM’s Master’s Program in Civic Engagement! While the MA program is not currently accepting applications for Spring 2026, having the certification under your belt would shorten the time taken to earn the full degree considerably if you decide to apply at a future date.END NOTE:
This first newsletter is short and sweet! While it may be my day off, me and my whole family are stuck at home with the some kind of stomach virus. Nevertheless, strengthening Democracy stops for no one! Have a great week all.