By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum
MARCH 20, 2026 | Gwinnett County Elections Supervisor Zach Manifold will join a national nonprofit, the Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions (PLEJ), as deputy executive director on Monday. For the last five years, he had led the Gwinnett Elections Division as it went through many changes in procedures, including providing all voting material in both English and Spanish, now Federal law.
PLEJ is a national, nonpartisan organization that provides a community of support, access to best practices, and peer-to-peer engagement among large election jurisdictions. Election leaders work across the political spectrum to implement safe and secure, free and fair elections around the country. Members are from the biggest 300 counties in the nation, representing 75 percent of the voters in the country.
Manifold, who lives in unincorporated Buford, will work from home, as other members of PLEJ do. “Think of PLEJ as a tool kit of resources for large county elections officials, an ultimate large knowledge connector when it comes to voting. When this came along, I could not turn down the opportunity. It is a dream job for me.” His last day with the county is on Friday (today).
PLEJ began when six large counties in the nation found that they had common problems with voting and elections. That’s when Carolina Lopez of Miami, Fla. organized the group into a nonprofit. She had experience running elections in the Miami area.
The current steering committee of PLEJ consists of elections officials from Durham County, N.C.; Atlantic County, N.J.; Santa Fe, New Mexico; St. Louis County, Mo.; Los Angeles County, Calif.; Denver, Colo.; Cook County, Ill.; and Marion County, Ind.
Besides offering peer-to-peer help, PLEJ brings elections officials together in conferences; opens its meetings to election vendors; seeks grants for operations; promotes retention and development; and supplies non-partisan resources. In effect, these election officials use their knowledge to help other officials around the country.
There are several larger counties in Georgia that are members of PLEJ.
Manifold, 45, is a native of Kettering, Ohio, and is a graduate of Ohio State University, where he majored in political science. He worked in elections in the Columbus area before taking the Gwinnett job in 2021.
He and his wife, Julia, met when 16 years old. She is a teacher in Jackson County. They have been married for 23 years, and have two children, ages 12 and 17, who attend Gwinnett County Public Schools.
Welcome to your dream job, Zachary Manifold!
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