The Election Office in the Cache County Clerk/Auditor’s Office has been named a Center for Elections Excellence by the non-partisan U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, a non-profit advocacy group based in Chicago.
CACHE COUNTY – The Election Office in the Cache County Clerk/Auditor’s Office has been named a Center for Elections Excellence.
That designation was made by the non-partisan U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, a non-profit advocacy group based in Chicago.
“Utah does elections right and should always seek to remain the gold standard,” according to Jess Bradfield, the outgoing Cache County clerk/auditor, after learning of the honor.
“This designation is proof that even a small county in Utah with only a handful of staff can have an impact.”
In announcing that prestigious recognition, the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence praised Cache County workers for “… demonstrating their commitment to best in-class election process and values.”
As Utah’s first member of the alliance, the Cache County Elections Office will now serve as a support for other elections offices through the country and will represent Utah to the nation.
“To be recognized for excellence (in conducting elections) is such an honor,” Bradfield added. “That word really defines my staff.”
The Cache County Election Office is headed by Bradfield’s deputy, Bryson Behm. In the 2022 election, his staff processed 40,159 mail-in ballots and 2,274 walk-in voters on Election Day, for a total of 42,433 ballots for a county voter turn-out of 63.33 percent.
Cache County will now join other recipients of the Center for Elections Excellence as a model for other counties to emulate. Those are Contra Costa County, CA; Shasta County, CA; Kane County, IL; Macoupin County, IL; Ottawa County, MI; Clark County, NV; Forsyth County, NC; and the cities of Greenwich, CT and Madison, WI.
According to alliance officials, those recipients were chosen based on their excitement and willingness to participate in the alliance program; commitment to improve upon practices and procedures aimed at enhancing the voter, poll worker and staff experiences; and commitment to being part of a learning cohort, sharing materials among cohort members and providing input into the future of the program.
The U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence is a nonpartisan collaborative that is bringing together election officials, designers, technologists and other experts. Their goal to help local election departments improve operations, develop a set of shared standards and obtain access to best-in-class resources to run successful elections.
The alliance is designed by local election departments, for local election departments because they know how challenging it has become to lead fair, voter-centric and trustworthy elections.
Their stated goal is to alleviate pressure, celebrate local election departments and provide support to those supporting American democracy.
Founded in 2022, the alliance is funded by a five-year, $80 million grant from non-profit advocacy groups.
Bradfield attributes the Center for Elections Excellence honor to the hard work of his staff.
“When you build an amazing team,” he said, “you can accomplish anything.
“I’m so proud of each of them,” Bradfield said, referring to this staff. “They really are excellent.”