WASHINGTON D.C., May 30, 2017 – U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) proudly announces Christopher M. Thomas as a new member of its Executive Board. The announcement is in anticipation of Mr. Thomas’ retirement from his post as Director of Elections for the Michigan Secretary of State at the end of June 2017.
“With the insights and expertise I have gained in my work at the Michigan Bureau of Elections and with the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, I fully intend to continue to contribute to initiatives that foster increased participation in elections at every level of government in the United States”, stated Mr. Thomas.
“Chris Thomas is one of the most–respected and longest-tenured election officials in the nation. During his 40 years in elections, Chris successfully led Michigan through enormous changes in the field, consistently improving the administration of elections and protecting the rights of its voters”, commented U.S. Vote’s Chair of the Board, Don Morrison.
Under his leadership, Mr. Thomas greatly expanded the Michigan Bureau of Elections’ role in ensuring uniform election administration, developing and implementing technology-based services and ensuring the franchise is accessible and secure for all Michigan electors.
“Mr. Thomas’ experience and expertise in election administration will be invaluable as US Vote expands its current federal and state level initiatives to the local election level,” added Mr. Morrison.
A founding member of the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED), Mr. Thomas was elected NASED’s President in 1997 and 2013. In 2012, he received NASED’s Distinguished Service Award. He also served as a member of President Obama’s Presidential Commission on Election Administration from 2013-2014 and as Chair of the Board of Advisors to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission from 2006-2008. [See bio]
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U.S. Vote Foundation is a non-profit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization that works to facilitate and increase the participation of U.S. domestic, overseas and military voters worldwide through civic data, technology development, and access to personalized voter information services. Further information see www.usvotefoundation.org