Derek Clinger

Derek Clinger is Senior Counsel and Director of Partnerships with the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School. His research interests include voting and elections, campaign finance, direct democracy, and state constitutional law. 

His recent scholarship has appeared or is forthcoming in the Journal of Election Administration Research & Practice, Case Western Reserve Law Review, Wisconsin Law Review, and Wayne Law Review. He has also contributed to State Court Report and The Conversation. His proposal on harnessing state-held unclaimed funds won the Institute for Election Administration Research & Practice's 2025 contest for innovative election administration funding solutions. 

He received his B.A. in Middle East studies and political science and his J.D. from the Ohio State University. Prior to joining SDRI, Derek worked as an associate and then partner at a private practice in Columbus, Ohio, where he focused on election administration, direct democracy, state and local government, and campaign finance. Before law school, he served in the Ohio Secretary of State's office and worked on numerous political campaigns.