Our Stance on 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.

We recognize that many systems in our country, including our elections, have historically granted rights and privileges to certain groups while marginalizing others. Free and equal access to elections has traditionally been gatekept according to race, gender, ability, and socioeconomic status.

This legacy of inequality is one that we cannot turn a blind eye to, as it continues to shape our present. But, we can address it by ensuring that everyone has an equitable role in our elections and our political system. 

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.

To that end, we are actively involved in creating a more diverse and inclusive organization and movement through:

• Consulting with professional diversity, equity, and inclusion professionals to understand areas for improvement within our organization and implement solutions
• Instituting a bi-monthly DEI Learning Circle in which staff advance their education around issues of equity
• Continually improving our hiring process to ensure that it is as equitable and free from bias as possible, including anonymizing resumes, assessing applicants primarily on skills and giving them the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, and compensating applicants for their time.
• Creating an inclusive working environment that values all staff and allows them to thrive.
• Reevaluating our board recruitment and onboarding processes to center equity and ensure that talented individuals of all backgrounds are represented.
• Actively seeking out board member candidates from underrepresented communities to create an organization that reflects the diversity of our nation.
• Working closely with local partners and trusting them to lead and make decisions that work for their own communities as they seek to reform their voting methods.

Democracy is inherently a process of giving people a say in the way that they are governed. At The Center for Election Science, we believe that our democracy is made healthier, stronger, and more vibrant when all of us have an equal, free, and unfettered voice. 

Embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values and integrating them into our work is key to achieving the democracy we seek.