Building Secure and Transparent Elections Through Standard Operating Procedures (PDF)
Restoring public confidence in the electoral system remains an overarching objective of election reform efforts nationwide, and various researchers have proposed different, specific policy options for reaching this objective. In a new report, R. Michael Alvarez and Thad Hall explore how thorough and standardized chain of custody procedures can help avert election fraud and make recommendations regarding best practices for their implementation.

Read the report (PDF).
Featured Resources
Doyle, Clerk & Recorder of Larimer County, Colorado, explains his county's experience with countywide Election Day vote centers.
Despite wide press reports indicating that Election Day 2006 went smoothly, Foley argues that, perhaps, we should not issue a ringing endorsement of the nation's electoral system just yet.
This piece looks at a recent proposal for a rating system for states' election administration systems; Foley points out the strengths in such an idea and also makes suggestions for further consideration.
On April 6 and 7, 2006, scholars and policymakers met in Princeton, New Jersey, to discuss the implementation of the Help America Vote Act, as well as the Voting Rights Act and the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.
In this report, the authors provide a detailed review of election reform progress in the key 2004 primary election states.
Research Projects
Election Law @ Moritz, run through Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University, contains both explanation and commentary on a wealth of election reform issues from a legal perspective.
Part of the Institute for Governmental Studies at the University of California at Berkeley, the Election Administration Research Center (EARC) aims to improve the administration of elections.
Electionline.org provides daily news updates on election reform issues, as well as deeper analysis of selected topics, including recent reports on voter registration, recount procedures, and the progress in implementing the Help America Vote Act since 2002.
As part of its broader research focus on elections, campaign ethics, campaign finance, and the legislative process, the Center for American Politics and Citizenship at the University of Maryland is engaged in research projects on voting technology and ballot design specifically.
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
www.aei.org
The Brookings Institution
www.brookings.edu
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and The Brookings Institution