Auburn University's Institute for Election Administration Research and Practice, run jointly with the Election Center, has become the home of the only national certification program for election administrators in the United States. The program trains public officials in the skills needed to run accurate, efficient and secure elections, and it reported its largest graduating class to date in 2025, with 139 students earning certification.
How the certification works
The Institute's faculty develops and teaches the curriculum for the Certified Election Registration-Administrator (CERA) credential, offering roughly 70 classes a year through Election Center. According to Dr. Mitchell Brown, the program's director, "Our goal is to support neutral public administration that is accurate, efficient and secure." Basic certification requires completion of 12 courses, each lasting 10 hours, delivered both online and in person at locations across the country. These courses are paired with conferences and professional development opportunities through Election Center, giving participants a credential as well as a professional network. CERA graduate Marisa Crispell said the program "strengthens my commitment to safeguarding fair, transparent elections" and "connects me with leaders who share that mission."
A graduate pathway into the field
Beyond CERA, the Institute offers a 15-credit-hour Election Administration Graduate Certificate embedded in Auburn's Master of Public Administration program. The certificate is designed for working professionals and graduate students seeking a career in election administration. The Institute reports that every student who has completed the program and pursued an elections career has found job placement, though this reflects a specific cohort rather than a guarantee for all future participants.
Research, publishing and national convening
The Institute also publishes the Journal of Election Administration, Research & Practice three times a year, now in its fifth volume, offering research and practitioner resources on U.S. and international election issues. Every two years, it hosts a symposium at Auburn that brings together election officials and researchers; the most recent edition focused on funding innovations and featured keynote remarks from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. Brown noted that such programs "not only improve practice, but they also help create positive innovation." The Institute additionally funds fellowships for Auburn's MPA and Ph.D. students and supports faculty research, with a stated 10-year goal of becoming the nation's leading center for election administration research, training and education.