There are over 8,000 election jurisdictions
across the United States,
but did you know...
The 100 largest election jurisdictions represent more than 40% of American voters.
The 462 largest election jurisdictions represent more than 66% of American voters.
Large jurisdictions face compounded challenges unique to their size. In serving hundreds of thousands or even millions of voters, these election officials face administrative and logistical burdens on a massive scale, as well as a host of other challenges. The Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions (PLEJ) provides a community of practice for local election officials from large jurisdictions across the country.
Watch our thank-you to election administrators:
Core Values
PLEJ is open to current election professionals representing jurisdictions of 300,000 people or more, or the three largest jurisdictions in the state, and who share core beliefs that elections administrators should:
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WHAT PLEJ DOES
PLEJ is a national, nonpartisan organization that provides a community of support,access to best practices, and peer-to-peer engagement among large election jurisdictions—the esteemed community leaders that work across the political spectrum to implement safe and secure, free and fair elections around the country.
In keeping with our core values, PLEJ:
Facilitate Peer-to-Peer Engagement
PLEJ facilitates virtual webinars and in-person convenings to elevate best practices, uplift innovation and trends, foster collaboration, and promote information-sharing and connectivity among election administrators and subject-matter experts to help address complex operational challenges, foster innovation, and promote best practices in election administration.
Uplift Crowd-Sourced, Nonpartisan, Generic Resources
PLEJ creates and publicly distributes community-sourced, generic, nonpartisan guides, toolkits, and resources based on best practices that can be easily adapted for use by any election jurisdiction to help navigate potential election administration challenges/opportunities. These are available resources for all election administrators across the country, regardless of size, as well as the general public.
Promote Retention and Development
PLEJ facilitates peer-to-peer engagement and provides a vital community of support for bipartisan local election administrators representing large election jurisdictions across the country to share best practices on how elections are being conducted efficiently, transparently, and fairly across the country.
Elevate the Voices of Election Administrators
PLEJ elevates the voices of election administrators by working with fellow nonprofit organizations, government agencies, election experts, academia, and others to bring to light the challenges that large election jurisdictions face and making sure they are considered, discussed among stakeholders, and that solutions that may benefit the broader election administration space (not just the large jurisdictions) are found.
Model Effective Partnerships
Community engagement provides insight into the operational challenges faced by large election jurisdictions on the ground. This, layered with the latest research findings and technological advancements developed by peers, election experts, and academic partners, allows for the creation of crowd-sourced practical solutions accessible to all election administrators, with a focus on addressing the needs of the largest jurisdictions. This collaborative approach fosters a culture of innovation and continuous learning within the elections administration community, ultimately benefiting voters and strengthening democratic processes.
LEADERSHIP
Steering Committee
Born and raised in the vibrant state of Indiana, her passion for public service was ignited while she earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Indiana University.
Prior to serving as County Clerk, Sweeney Bell served two terms as County Recorder, during which she oversaw crucial aspects of Marion County's administrative functions. She led efforts to modernize the Recorder’s office and completed a digitization project that helped preserve several million historic documents in danger of being destroyed or forgotten. As Recorder, she served on an advisory committee with the Public Records Industry Association, and on the National Association of County Recorders, Elected Officials and Clerks board of directors.
In recognition of her contributions to the most vulnerable in her community, Sweeney Bell was honored with the William A. Crawford Public Service Award. This award recognized her unwavering commitment to helping those in Marion County who are experiencing homelessness by securing funding for additional resources and permanent housing solutions.
Kate Sweeney Bell is a devoted wife and loving mother of two. She is a recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest honor awarded by the governor of Indiana.
Born and raised in the vibrant state of Indiana, her passion for public service was ignited while she earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Indiana University.
Prior to serving as County Clerk, Sweeney Bell served two terms as County Recorder, during which she oversaw crucial aspects of Marion County's administrative functions. She led efforts to modernize the Recorder’s office and completed a digitization project that helped preserve several million historic documents in danger of being destroyed or forgotten. As Recorder, she served on an advisory committee with the Public Records Industry Association, and on the National Association of County Recorders, Elected Officials and Clerks board of directors.
In recognition of her contributions to the most vulnerable in her community, Sweeney Bell was honored with the William A. Crawford Public Service Award. This award recognized her unwavering commitment to helping those in Marion County who are experiencing homelessness by securing funding for additional resources and permanent housing solutions.
Kate Sweeney Bell is a devoted wife and loving mother of two. She is a recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest honor awarded by the governor of Indiana.