USDR brings free or affordable digital expertise to election offices of all sizes, so you can focus on the work only you can do.
“During an incredibly hectic time in election administration, it is helpful to have a partner like USDR who can bring additional capacity to election offices that are stretched to the limit."
Go into every election with confidence in your tools and your data
Reduce errors, eliminate manual workarounds, and know your systems will hold up when it counts.
Reach voters who face the most barriers
From web usability to language access, identify and remove the obstacles that keep eligible voters from participating.
Run elections your community can trust and verify
Know that when questions arise, you have the records to answer them accurately, quickly, and without scrambling.
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Extra capacity for your most complex challenges
Get access to technical expertise your office doesn't have in-house, expanding what you can deliver for voters without expanding your budget.
A dedicated USDR staff partner from start to finish
One consistent point of contact who understands your office's context, keeps volunteers on track, and makes sure the work lands the way you need it to.
Documentation and training
We don't just deliver a solution and leave. Your staff walks away with the knowledge and tools to maintain, update, and build on the work themselves.
Website health check
Most election offices have a website with everything voters need but voters can't always find it. USDR reviews your site from the outside, identifies key risks and issues, and delivers a prioritized list of recommendations your team can actually act on. You'll work alongside USDR volunteers to implement improvements before your next election and build your team's skills so they can manage and update the site independently.
AI-Assisted language access
Reaching voters in their preferred language doesn't have to mean long vendor timelines or expensive translation contracts. USDR helps your team use generative AI to produce accurate, plain-language voter communications faster with your staff in the loop at every step. We'll help build your internal capacity to guide AI using prompts, glossaries, and quality rubrics, all tailored to election-specific content. No technical background required.
Data visualization & geospatial analysis
Visualize election night results and voter registration data in formats the public can read and trust. Map drop box locations against population and drive-time data to maximize voter access. USDR helps you turn your data into clear visuals and maps that inform better decisions and give your community a clearer picture of how elections work.
Share your challenge, we'll find a solution
Election offices face challenges that don't come with off-the-shelf solutions. If you don't see what you need in our services chances are we can still help. We adapt our approach based on where you are and what you need.
Read about real impact we've helped create with election offices across the country
Exploring alternatives to signature verification
King County Elections partnered with USDR to research and pilot alternatives to signature-based ballot verification for voters who face higher challenge rates. The April 2025 pilot achieved the county's second-lowest signature challenge rate in over a decade, with 91% of users saying they'd use the alternative method again.
Read the full story
Helping Milwaukee voters find what they need online
The City of Milwaukee Election Commission had a website with everything voters needed, but staff couldn't update it without risking broken links or deleted pages. A six-week USDR partnership delivered a homepage refresh before November 2024 and left staff confident managing the site themselves.
Read the full story
Modernizing vote-by-mail operations
Three ways election offices are using data and digital tools to improve vote-by-mail: optimizing drop box placement, digitizing chain of custody documentation, and streamlining absentee ballot tracking.
Read the full story
Our services are free where legally allowed, and affordable where they aren't. Ask your jurisdiction's legal counsel about any local laws that apply. USDR serves all election offices equally, regardless of political affiliation.
Every partnership starts with understanding your specific challenges and constraints. We adapt our approach to match your timeline, capacity, and goals. Typical engagements last 8 to 12 weeks.
What happens
1. Understand the problem – We start with your challenges, not our solutions
2. Deliver and coach – Your team works alongside ours, learning while we deliver
3. Build capacity – Leave with both recommendations and skills to continue
What you can expect
1. Regular check-ins and transparent communication
2. Deliverables you can actually use (not just reports that sit on shelves)
3. Knowledge transfer so insights don't leave when we do
4. Options for follow-up projects as needs evolve
