Bipartisan Policy Center: Arizona Election Fellows Program Proves Early Success, Sets a Model for America's Election Workforce

PHOENIX – The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office today celebrated the resounding success of the Arizona Fellows in Election Administration, a first-of-its-kind talent pipeline that is already reshaping the future of America’s election workforce. A new independent evaluation from the Bipartisan Policy Center, The Elections Group, USC’s Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and the USC Schwarzenegger Institute outlines the fellowship’s impact and offers a road map for nationwide replication.

“Arizona is setting the national standard for growing skilled election talent,” said Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. “By teaming up with respected researchers like Dr. Christian Grose from the University of Southern California and Theo Menon from the Bipartisan Policy Center, we will refine this Fellowship and export its success to every state that wants a stronger, more secure democracy.”

Launched in 2024 and honored with a 2024 Election Assistance Commission Clearinghouse Award, the Arizona Fellows in Election Administration places university students and recent graduates inside county election offices and the Secretary of State’s headquarters for a semester of paid, hands-on service and an engaging academic curriculum.

Why It Matters

• Scalable pipeline: Three Fellows have already accepted full-time posts in county offices, and more than half plan a career in election administration, compared with just fifteen percent of their peers.
• Deepens public-service appeal: Two-thirds of Fellows would consider jobs in state or local government, double the rate of non-participants.
• Security savvy recruitment: Direct exposure to 2024 election challenges sparked fresh interest in cybersecurity, IT, and election law.
• Enhances voter outreach: Every Fellow reported confidence in explaining Arizona’s voting rules, expanding counties’ reach to younger and more diverse voters.
• Efficient staffing model: Participating counties gained immediate, low-cost help during a peak cycle while cultivating tomorrow’s professionals.

The report also made some recommendations for future Fellowships, including expanding recruitment partnerships, increasing county participation, and rotating Fellows through multiple election departments for a 360-degree view of the process. The Arizona Secretary of State will implement some of these recommendations for the 2026 cycle as the program is also being expanded to be included as part of a certificate program in Elections Administration.

The current evaluation led by Dr. Grose and endorsed by BPC's Election Workforce Advisory Council measures how the Arizona model can scale nationwide and further transform the election workforce. The collaboration extends the Schwarzenegger Institute’s earlier work in Arizona, including the 2020 Nonpartisan Democracy Grants that bolstered election operations in Maricopa County.

Read the full report here: The Arizona Fellows Model: Developing the Next Generation of the Election-Administration Workforce