Improving the quality, transparency and resilience of elections across the United States.
The Mechanics of Democracy Laboratory (MODL) at Arizona State University is a nonpartisan initiative focused on improving the quality, transparency and resilience of elections across the United States.
Founded in 2024, MODL was created to meet a pressing national need: modernizing and professionalizing how elections are run. At a time when public trust in democratic institutions is fragile, our lab brings together academic expertise, practitioner experience and cutting-edge technology to create practical solutions for election administration.
MODL provides trainings for election officials, conducts research into improving systems and processes and engages in public education to counter misinformation. MODL’s AI + Elections Clinic is the first of its kind, addressing the opportunities and risks of emerging technologies in voting and election management.
MODL is led by Bill Gates, former Maricopa County Supervisor and Professor of Practice at ASU's Watts College. Drawing from real-world experience in one of the country’s largest election jurisdictions, Gates brings a practitioner’s perspective to the lab’s work.
