Jacob Kipp is Operations Director and Chief of Staff of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Center for Election Innovation & Research, overseeing the organization’s day-to-day operations and working with election officials and others to support election integrity, voter confidence, and the overall health of our democracy. Jacob also drives CEIR’s special initiatives, developing, launching, and operationalizing new projects like the Election Official Legal Defense Network.

Before joining CEIR, Jacob spent time working in politics, government, and the nonprofit space. During the 2016 election cycle, he clerked for the general counsel of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In that role, Jacob drafted legal and practical guidance to aid GOP Election Day operations and prepare for potential recounts in battleground states.

Earlier, Jacob established the Northern Virginia operations of Revive My Vote, a nonprofit dedicated to helping those with prior felony convictions restore their right to vote. Jacob also managed a hard-fought campaign against an incumbent Virginia state delegate.

Jacob is a graduate of William & Mary Law School, where he led the William & Mary Election Law Society and received the Thomas Jefferson Prize for his published student note on the regulation of hybrid political action committees. Prior to law school, Jacob graduated with distinction from Indiana University, where he studied cognitive science and chemistry.