The Structure of Election Administration at State and Local Levels

Abstract

All elections in the United States depend extensively upon a state and local, or subnational, structure. By “structure” we mean the official actors in an election administration system, the methods by which they obtain their positions, the extent of their authority, their responsibilities, and how and to whom they are accountable. It is particularly important for participants and reformers to know who is responsible for what. As we shall see, the answer varies across the states and sometimes within states. Viewed from the top down or from a national perspective, the system looks like a crazy quilt with a wide variety of officials playing disparate roles. Of course, the current system did not develop from the top down but from the bottom up. And what we see today is not the product of contemporary design, nor is it the product of unified national intentions. Rather, today’s election administration systems are the results of myriad decisions made over centuries in each of the different states.