Abstract
Do local election officials descriptively and substantively represent their constituents? Election officials are uniquely situated to influence participation rates and alleviate persistent racial and ethnic disparities in voter participation. Yet recent surveys of election officials have found them to be overwhelmingly white. Using a newly collected panel of local election officials across hundreds of counties and over two decades, a series of race
imputation methods, and large scale administrative and vendor datasets on turnout and race, along with a differences-in-differences design, I test whether minority election officials increase turnout and registration rates of their non-white constituents. Additionally, I examine whether minorities administer elections differently. I find that descriptive representation of Black voters is increasing among election officials, and that minority and white election officials administer elections in similar ways. These findings have implications for the importance of representation among local election officials and may provide insight into reducing the racial turnout gap.