[Image via votinginfoproject]

Yesterday, Alexis Schuler of The Pew Charitable Trusts posted this announcement on the Voting Information Project blog:

Request for Applications Signals Next Step in Voting Information Project Transition

In March, the Voting Information Project (VIP) announced that it had begun the process of identifying a new home for the project in 2018 and beyond.

Today, that transition takes another major step with the release of a request for applications (RFA) by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The RFA encourages entities to indicate their interest in and qualifications for taking on VIP’s work serving voters across the nation.

Applicants will have an opportunity to demonstrate how they will:

  • Adhere to the key VIP principles set out by a group of stakeholders from the fields of election administration, technology (including civic technology), and academia.
  • Manage the current and future technical challenges of aggregating official election data in the VIP form and ensuring the success of voter-facing tools established by VIP and its collaborative partners.
  • Maintain and nurture the strong relationships with state and local election officials that are instrumental to VIP’s success.

At the end of the RFA process, Pew hopes to identify a new home for VIP, which will assume responsibility in early 2018 and commit to its long-term success.

Expressions of interest are due Tuesday, July 11, 2017, and full responses are due Monday, Aug. 21. Pew and VIP will host an informational conference Tuesday, July 18, to further explain the RFA process and answer any questions that prospective applicants may have.

All of us associated with VIP are excited about this next stage and look forward to thoughtful and skilled responses from a variety of leaders in the field.

The RFA can be found here. Any questions about the process and requirements can be directed to Jasen Andersen at jandersen@pewtrusts.org.

This is a huge step forward for VIP and a key turning point in the project’s evolution from a purely Pew-driven asset to one shared by the entire election field. It will be interesting to see who steps forward and what that means for VIP in 2018 and beyond. Stay tuned …

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