The Impact of Public Records Requests on Local Election Officials: Findings from the 2023 EVIC LEO Survey The Impact of Public Records Requests on Local Election Officials: Findings from the 2023 EVIC LEO Survey

By Paul Gronke and Paul Manson

Kyle Yoder and April Tan of the Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR) released a focus brief on the use and abuse of public records requests, how these requests have impacted local elections offices, and what legislative solutions have been shown to ease the burden placed on local election officials (LEOs).

The research team at the Elections & Voting Information Center (EVIC) has been tracking public records requests in our 2023 EVIC LEO Survey, part of a broader investigation into workloads, staffing, and administrative burdens. The survey provides additional evidence about the dramatic increase in workload resulting from public records requests, particularly in medium-sized and larger jurisdictions where these requests seem to be concentrated.

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