State Audit Expansion Specialist

Verified Voting (www.verifiedvoting.org), founded by computer scientists in 2004, is a leading national not-for-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to strengthen democracy for all voters by promoting the responsible use of technology in elections. 

The unprecedented events of the 2016 election cycle focused the nation’s attention once again on the machinery and infrastructure of democracy. As Robert Mueller declared, “There were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our elections. That allegation deserves the attention of every American.” This unprecedented threat to our voting systems and last-minute changes to processes due to the COVID-19 global pandemic emphasize the need to strengthen our electoral processes especially now as we approach the 2020 Presidential election. 

A critical component of election security is the ability to determine whether the computers that counted the votes counted them correctly.  To do that, jurisdictions must have a system that incorporates paper ballots that are retained for recounts and audits.  After the election, the paper ballots must be checked against the computer-reported results via a rigorous statistically sound audit, called a risk-limiting audit.  Verified Voting is working with election officials to implement risk-limiting audits in as many jurisdictions as possible for the 2020 elections.  The  State Audit Expansion Specialist will report directly to the Director of Science and Technology Policy and will be primarily responsible for the education and outreach required to build trust with election officials in order to implement statewide RLAs of swing states. The State Audit Expansion Specialist will also support the design, development, implementation and reporting of audit pilots in a variety of jurisdictions, and will be able to contribute to the formulation of state and local audit policy.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Build relationships with key decision-makers including state legislators, county clerks, the Secretary of State office, local nonprofits and election integrity advocates 
• Create State-specific outreach materials for improved audit procedures tailored to specific stakeholders: state legislators, county clerks, the Secretary of State office, local nonprofits and election integrity advocates  
• Educate and advocate for election security best practices, including implementation of a risk-limiting audit for the 2020 presidential election
• Working closely with the Director of Science and Tech Policy, coordinate pilot projects on post-election tabulation audits in various states, including planning, defining and implementing processes, and partnering with election officials.  
• Work well in a team environment to ensure all team members are fully informed and engaged.
• Collaborate with Verified Voting team leads, coalition partners, state and local election officials and other stakeholders. 
• Research and communicate to the Verified Voting team federal and state legislative and administrative initiatives on post-election audits.
• Identify opportunities to advance policies that secure US elections through robust and transparent processes.

Qualifications

• BA or BS degree or equivalent. Minimum 5 years of work experience. 
• Experience in election administration is preferred.
• Relevant work experience in political advocacy, outreach, and engagement.
• Our target states for expansion include Arizona, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Top candidates will likely be based in one of our expansion states with existing relationships with relevant stakeholders. We are open to candidates residing in different states who demonstrate the clear value they can add to our target states.

Competencies

• Ability to build rapport with government officials
• Ability to understand the mathematical and statistical foundations for risk-limiting audits and ability to explain those principles to a non-technical audience such as state and local election officials, the press, and the public.

• Ability to learn subject matter and issues rapidly, and explain technical topics. 
• Familiarity with civil rights and/or voting rights issues preferred. Familiarity with policy issues surrounding secure and verifiable voting systems a plus.  
• Ability to implement process innovations, particularly in the public sector. 
• Detail-oriented, process-oriented; ability to deal with complex systems and strong analytical skills.

We value multiple perspectives and viewpoints from diverse constituencies because we recognize that diversity informs more effective solutions. We value the wide-ranging perspectives that our colleagues and collaborators bring to the table and we create an environment for all voices to be heard. Verified Voting is an equal opportunity employer.

Please submit a resume and a short cover letter regarding your interest in the position and salary requirements to: jobs@verifiedvoting.org.  Salary Range $65,000-$75,000 commensurate with experience. Verified Voting is an equal opportunity employer.

Please submit a resume and a short cover letter regarding your interest in the position and salary requirements to: jobs@verifiedvoting.org. Verified Voting is an equal opportunity employer.