A recent report from the Center for Bipartisan Policy reveals a notable turnover among election officials, marking the highest rate in a quarter-century during the last presidential election.

The analysis, released on Tuesday, highlights that nearly 41% of the officials overseeing the upcoming 2024 elections were not in their positions during the 2020 elections. This shift represents a substantial increase over the past two decades, growing from about 28% in 2004 to 40.9% last year.

This rising trend in resignations can be attributed to various challenges faced by election officials. They dealt with the complexities of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and now they are confronted with harassment claims and unfounded conspiracy theories related to election integrity.

The updated analysis, brought forth by the Bipartisan Policy Center—an organization aimed at fostering cooperation in Washington, D.C.—builds upon previous findings from 2004 to 2022.

This shift has resulted in a decrease in the collective experience among election officials. The survey indicates that just 47% of local election chief executives had more than six years of experience in 2024, down from 60% in 2006.

Interestingly, despite the turnover, 60% of election officials did have experience managing presidential elections in their areas last year.

“Even with increasing turnover and diminished experience, most electoral staff have run at least one presidential election cycle,” the analysis notes. “This is significant because presidential elections typically garner the highest voter turnout.”

On a broader scale, the data reveals that turnover rates among election officials are steadily rising, particularly in smaller jurisdictions, defined as those with fewer than 100,000 voters. In these smaller areas, turnover climbed from 27% in 2004 to 40% in 2024, with a sharp spike near 46% last year. Conversely, larger jurisdictions saw their turnover leap to 31% in 2018.