January 22, 2026

Encouraging Innovations in Election Administration Funding

The challenges of election administration funding are well-known. Addressing these challenges at scale will require thinking outside the box.

In 2025, Auburn University and the Election Center put out a call for ideas on innovative election funding solutions. Teams from across the country submitted proposals to the contest, which was designed to encourage creative thinking and collaborations between election officials and researchers. A panel of national experts evaluated the proposals and selected the contest winners, who will see their work translated into toolkits and other practical resources for election officials over the next year.

Join us at 12 p.m. on January 22 for a virtual conversation with members of that expert panel. Professor Mitchell Brown (Auburn University), Professor Charles Stewart (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Matt Weil (Bipartisan Policy Center), and Karen Brinson Bell (Advance Elections) will discuss the challenges of election funding, takeaways and lessons from the contest symposium, and what is needed for a successful solution to the kinds of issues election administrators face.

This webinar is part of the Books & Ballots series, a partnership of The Elections Group, the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR), and the MIT Election Data + Science Lab (MEDSL).