The Contra Costa County Elections Division has been selected as a recipient of the 2026 People’s Choice Award by members of Election Center for the 2024 ad campaign, Show, Don’t Tell: Building Voter Trust in a Polarized Era. Also known as the National Association for Election Officials, Election Center is the largest national professional association for election officials in the United States.
Each year, members can submit professional practice papers detailing innovations in election administration in June. Submissions are reviewed by the Program Development and Awards Committee and Election Center’s Board of Directors in eight different award categories presented at the annual conference ceremony. This decades-old program was expanded in 2024 to include the People’s Choice Award, allowing members of the National Association for Election Officials to have a direct say in which of their peers receive recognition for outstanding efforts.
“The innovation that is created by local offices all across the country and the sharing within the election administration community is the hallmark of the Election Center and its contribution to improving elections and supporting the work of these public service professionals,” said Tom Wilkey, Chair, Board of Directors of the Election Center.
“Show, Don’t Tell,” was a year-long campaign, funded by a national grant awarded to just 16 jurisdictions nationwide. The initiative focused on showing voters how elections work — from ballot security to vote counting — through direct outreach, advertising and digital content.
Central to the countywide campaign was training nearly 100 Election Ambassadors to share accurate, accessible information through social media and in-person speaking engagements. A companion website, secure-election.org, supported their efforts with videos, fact sheets and Q&As that demystified every step of the process.
Through consistent and prevalent messaging, Contra Costa County increased trust in its election system by 12% and 45% of voters previously wary of elections reported gaining a fact-based understanding of how elections work.
“One of our most important duties is building trust within our communities. We do that by being transparent and accessible,” said Kristin B. Connelly, Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters. “Elections are more secure than ever, and this campaign is a broader continuation of our work to proactively engage with our diverse communities and ensure everyone is aware of who we are, what we do, and why we are confident in our elections process. We are thrilled to have been selected to receive the People’s Choice Award for this important work.”
The Election Center is a non-profit association of voter registrars, election administrators, and service providers throughout the United States and the U.S. territories. Its membership, which includes township, city, county, and state elections officials and other election-related organizations, is dedicated to promoting and supporting continuous improvement in the administration of elections and voter registration through research, professional education, conferences, networking, and consulting.
For more information about the Election Center and its activities, please visit our website at electioncenter.org.
