Linda Phillips

Linda Phillips began her tenure as the administrative leader of the Shelby County Election Commission in May 2016, when she relocated from Lafayette, Indiana. She has been a lifelong voter, and has never missed voting in an election. She says she believes voting is the most important thing citizens can do, because it is their most fundamental right as Americans.

Phillips earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Consumer and Family Services at Purdue University. She went on to earn a Master of Science in Management, also at Purdue.

She began her career in elections in the early 1990s as a poll worker in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. In 1999, Phillips went to work in that county as a member of the Board of Registration. Later she was promoted to Co-director of the Tippecanoe Board of Elections and Registration. After serving for several years, she was elected Clerk of the Courts, the chief election officer in Indiana.

After leaving Tippecanoe County government, Phillips took a job at an international election company, working on elections all over the U.S. and in Canada.  

Since she joined the Shelby County Election Commission, she has improved security, internally and externally, and the chain of custody process. She introduced a new, expanded public test of election equipment. Additionally, she has expanded the outreach programs at the Election Commission, frequently giving informational classes about voting to many age groups throughout the county. 

She spearheaded a project to replace the county’s voter registration system, scheduled for completion by 2nd quarter 2018. She plans to implement replacement and upgrade of the voting machines by 2021.

Phillips believes it is important to give back to the community. Since relocating to Shelby County, she has volunteered at the American Cancer Society, Shelby County Schools, the League of Women Voters, and at the Dave Wells Community Center. Before moving to Shelby County, she volunteered at many organizations in Tippecanoe County, including the Wabash Valley Trust for Historic Preservation and the Montessori School of Greater Lafayette Indiana.