Election officials, if you have ever wanted to know more about your poll workers, the National Election Worker Survey (NEWS) provides an easy opportunity. NEWS is a partnership between local election officials and academic researchers from across the country.
If you choose to participate, all you’ll have to do is email your poll workers with a link to a survey. The academic researchers involved with NEWS will then provide you with an analysis of poll workers in your jurisdiction.
Keep reading to learn more or contact a member of the steering committee by September 1 to get started.
This Books & Ballots spotlight focuses on an ongoing researcher-practitioner partnership. Please direct any questions to members of the steering committee, listed at the bottom of this post.
What is NEWS?
The National Election Worker Survey (NEWS) is a partnership between local election officials and academic researchers from across the country to learn more about the experiences of poll workers. In 2022 and 2024, NEWS surveyed more than 8,000 poll workers across 22 jurisdictions, and the team is hoping to grow that number in 2026.
NEWS asks poll workers about their recruitment, training, on-the-job experiences, and perspectives about election processes. Participating election officials receive an analysis of poll workers responses in their jurisdiction, and researchers can examine broader results to look for higher-level trends.
For election officials, these findings provide a clearer picture of their poll workers — who they are, what they need, and how to better recruit, train, and retain them.
For researchers and others, NEWS provides insights from poll workers across the country to understand their experiences and inform election administration policies and practices.
What NEWS asks of local election officials
Participating election officials just need to share the survey link with their poll workers.
Contact the research team by September 1 to get started or learn more.
What do local election officials get in return?
Participating jurisdictions receive a customized analysis of their poll workers’ responses, allowing you to better understand your workforce’s experiences, training needs, recruitment challenges, and more.
In short, you’ll get systematic data on your poll workers’ needs and ensure your community is represented in the national sample.
The researchers want this research to work for you. If there’s something specific you’d like to learn about your workforce, please let them know and they’ll do their best to get that question on the survey.
Who is behind this project?
A team of more than 30 researchers from universities across the country are participating in the 2026 National Election Worker Survey.
The 2026 survey is led by a steering committee of experienced election scholars, including several who you will recognize from past Books & Ballots.
If you’d like to work with an academic researcher in your state or area, please contact a member of the steering committee by September 1st to get involved.
If you have questions, reach out to any of the steering committee members:
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