About Us
Founded in 2011, The Center for Election Science is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit focused on voting reform.
Our Mission — To empower people with voting methods that strengthen democracy.
Our Vision — A world where democracies thrive because voters’ voices are heard.
With an emphasis on approval voting, we bring better elections to people across the country through both advocacy and research.
The movement for a better way to vote is rapidly gaining momentum as voters grow tired of election results that don’t represent the will of the people. In 2018, we worked with locals in Fargo, ND to help them become the first city in the U.S. to adopt approval voting. And in 2020, we helped grassroots activists empower the 300k people of St. Louis, MO with stronger democracy through approval voting.
Who Are We?
The folks behind The Center for Election Science are ordinary people with a passion for democracy and a desire to help voters’ voices be heard. As a virtual organization, our staff and board members are based in cities all across the country—from North Dakota to Virginia.
Check out our Meet the Team page to learn more about us!
Want to know who our donors are? Check out our Transparency page where you’ll find a full list of donors in our most recent annual report.
How Do We Empower Voters?
We focus on building grassroots movements in cities across the country and supporting people in bringing change to their own communities.
There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution, and the context in every city and state is different. We trust locals to know what is right for their community. Luckily, approval voting is a flexible method that can adjust to accommodate the diverse election systems we see across cities.
Through our Approval Voting Chapter Program, we bring grassroots reformers together and give them the guidance and tools they need to start advocating in their area. The end goal is for chapters to build support in their communities and eventually launch their own ballot initiative campaigns or successfully lobby their local governments to implement approval voting.
In 2020, we launched our first-ever Request for Proposals to provide grants for approval voting campaigns to grassroots groups. We plan to grow and continue this RFP process as a means of supporting advocates across the country who are working to bring approval voting to their communities.
What Is Approval Voting?
With approval voting, you can vote for all the candidates you want—sort of like giving a thumbs up or a thumbs down to every candidate on the ballot. The candidate with the most votes wins. It’s as simple as that!
Learn more at the following links:
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
As part of our mission to empower voters and strengthen democracy, The Center for Election Science is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable movement for voting method reform where all voices are heard.
As we seek to involve the voices of more Americans in the election process through approval voting, we recognize that embracing policies and practices that promote equity within our organization is also crucial to our work.
Read our diversity statement here.
Want to get involved?
Join our email list to stay in the loop on campaigns, chapter meetings, events, and volunteer opportunities!
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