Election Design Fellows

Election Design Fellows are communication designers that assist states in the design of election materials, such as ballots, voter registration forms and educational websites. Fellows help to improve election accuracy and citizen experience, with respect to each state’s local laws and election equipment, by implementing the election reforms mandated by the Federal Election Commission’s Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) and the ballot and polling place design guidelines suggested by AIGA Design for Democracy and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Design for Democracy partners with Secretaries of State and election officials to recruit, select and support well-qualified designers for termed, open positions. The program was initiated in Oregon in 2006 under the leadership of John Lindback, the state’s chief election official and a Design for Democracy advisor, and in 2008 was introduced in the state of Washington, under election director Nick Handy.

Want to become an Election Design Fellow?

AIGA will begin recruiting the next Election Design Fellow for Washington in the fall of 2009 and for Oregon in the fall of 2010. Details will be availible on this page and on AIGA Design Jobs.

Want to hire an Election Design Fellow in your state or county?

Please contact Design for Democracy.

Sarrah Elizondo is serving as Oregon’s third Election Design Fellow, under contract to the office of Oregon Secretary of State, Kate Brown. She is continuing her predecessor’s ballot design reform efforts and helping the state in its commitment to bringing election materials online.

An award-winning designer, Elizondo brings to the position her experience in print gained at a California design firm, as well as her experience with interactive tools gained at Intuit. She holds a bachelor’s degree in art and design from California Polytechnic State University and has a passion for clear visual communication in service of the public.

Jenny Greeve is serving as Washington State’s first Election Design Fellow, under contract to the office of the Washington Secretary of State, Sam Reed. She is working to redesign the state voter registration form and educate local officials about design resources, such as Design for Democracy’s top 10 election design guidelines.

Greeve holds an Associate of Occupational Studies degree in graphic design from Pratt Institute, as well as a BS in political science from Santa Clara University, in California. With experience in the communications industry and a background in graphic design, Greeve brings a solid understanding of communicating effectively through information design and a passion for positively using design in the public sector.

Past Fellows

Amy Vainieri served as Oregon’s second Election Design Fellow in 2008-2009, significantly advancing ballot design reform efforts and updating election manuals. She brought design firm experience, an MFA in graphic design from the Savannah College of Art and Design and her thesis work–exploring presidential candidates’ visual branding and alternatives for neutral communication of candidate positions to voters–to the role.

Matthew Goodrich, Oregon 2007–2008