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National Conference highlights proposals for innovative funding solutions for U.S. election

By Mitchell Brown, Auburn University and
Soren Jordan, Texas A&M University

 In the wake of years of controversy over adequate funding of U.S. elections, Auburn University hosted their biennial symposium October 26th – 28th to highlight innovative funding proposals. 

For three days, the Institute for Election Administration Research & Practice, a collaboration of Auburn University and the Election Center (National Association of Election Officials), highlighted innovative funding solution proposals based on the contest challenge they ran over the summer.

The challenge was designed to encourage creative thinking and collaboration in developing new approaches to election funding. Proposals were reviewed and scored on the basis of clear identification of the problem they were trying to solve, development of a creative or innovative solution that reflects the legal and practical realities of US election administration, sophistication of understanding of the connection between the problem and solution, analysis of financial impact, practical and political feasibility of the solutions, and generalizability of the solution for diffusion. Proposals were accepted that focused on local solutions, state solutions, and national solutions.