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A mailing campaign undertaken by the Washington Secretary of State focused on registering eighteen year-olds around the state to vote early. This report discusses the results of that campaign.
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2004 Election Day Survey | SEPTEMBER 2005
The first of its kind from a federal agency, this election administration survey gathers data on voter registration, absentee and provisional ballots, type of voting equipment used, and more. Data is available by state.
The 2006 Election (PDF) | NOVEMBER 2006
Electionline.org's analysis of the 2006 elections reveals some problems, but no proverbial perfect storm of equipment malfunctions, close races, and contested results. The report also highlights a number of things that went right on November 7, and offers some suggestions for the future.
This report summarizes data collected nationwide on a range of topics, including overall voter turnout; provisional balloting; voting machines; and poll workers and polling places.
This report examines a number of problems that occured in Montrose County, CO during the 2006 general election; these issues include voting machine programming errors and problems with electronic pollbooks.
This resource provides an overview of various pieces of legislation regarding election day registration that are pending at the state level.
This resource provides an overview of various pieces of legislation regarding voting by mail that are pending at the state level.
This resource provides an overview of various pieces of legislation regarding voter identification that are pending at the state level.
The 2008 Early Vote | JANUARY 2009
The proportion of citizens who voted early grew substantially in 2008, and this new analysis examines the demographics of who votes early, and why they do so.
The Election Administration and Voting Survey is used to report on the method by which the electorate votes on a whole, and specifically on overseas voters and the implementation of NVRA.
This report provides the results from an evaluation of five projects to improve election data collection in 2008. Overall, the grantees increased their level of core data collection, improving to 80 percent of the core data from less than half in 2006.
2008 Election Surveys | FEBRUARY 2009
Laws governing post-election procedures vary from state-to-state, but these comprehensive databases from the National Association of Secretaries of State can aid voters and election officials alike in determining what rules apply in their jurisdiction.
For many overseas voters, the process of casting a ballot is anything but smooth. This report examines the extent of problems with registration and ballot transmission and makes a series of recommendations to improve the system.
This report examines a range of issues and trends that arose during the 2008 primary season, with a particular emphasis on the challenges created by record levels of voter turnout.
The EAC recently released the results of the 2008 UOCAVA survey, which aggregated information on how many UOCAVA ballots were sent, received, and counted. It is the primary tool by which Congress, federal agencies and the public can monitor the compliance with UOCAVA.
This study uses surveys of general registrars and electoral board members to find significant variation in election administration practices across jurisdictions in the commonwealth.
As election officials continue to prepare for the November midterm elections, Project Vote has assembled comprehensive recommendations to improve election administration in 11 states.
A
Election Day may have been November 7, but countless citizens across the country cast their ballots in advance.
This analysis from the Heritage Foundation examines allegations related to a 1994 election in Alabama, arguing that absentee balloting is particularly prone to fraud.
Because an increasing number of voters in Orange County are requesting absentee ballots, the Orange County Grand Jury issued this report, which examines the procedures used to handle count such ballots.
This report catalogues progress that has been made in New Jersey on compliance with legal requirements for voting accessibility, but also highlights various continued issues in terms of inaccessible polling places.
Submitted as part of an initiative at the National Research Council of the National Academies, this paper argues that voter-verified paper audit trails (VVPATs) can not be made accessible for individuals with disabilities.
This report examines the progress of the Department of Defense and the Election Assistance Commission in developing a secure and usable system by which citizens living overseas and serving in the military can vote in federal elections.
Selker and Cohen find that voters detect many more errors using the VVAATT system than they do with the VVPAT system.
The GAO analyzes how select states maintain their voter registration lists and determines which additional data could facilitate the process.
On Wednesday, February 8, 2006, Senator Barack Obama delivered a keynote address to inaugurate the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project. Senator Obama's address was followed by a discussion of the past and future of election reform among experts in election law, technology, and administration.
On Friday, September 22, 2006, the Election Reform Project hosted a conference entitled "The 2006 Elections--Are We Ready?" After a keynote address by Congressman Rush Holt (D-N.J.), panelists discussed the progress that has been made since the election debacle of 2000 and the hurdles that remain.
This report provides a brief overview of the proposals advanced for election reform as part of an initiative by the Brennan Center and the Lawyers' Committee. Areas for reform include voter registration, electronic voting systems, and election administration.
Ewald’s essay seeks to refute the argument that convicts should be disenfranchised because they might otherwise use their votes to weaken criminal justice laws.
Part of a new initiative launched by the Brennan Center and the Lawyers' Committee, this report highlights reform proposals on a range of topics, including voter registration, electronic voting systems, election administration, and disenfranchisement issues.
This report focuses on the various challenges faced by state and local governments regarding electronic voting machines, and argues that more cooperation across jurisdictions is needed to address these problems.
In this testimony, the director of the GAO's Information Technology Architecture and Systems office outlines the need for intergovernmental cooperation in order to address the wide range of problems with electronic voting systems.
This commentary examines a new proposal by Ohio's Secretary of State for a pilot program of voting by mail in the state.
On Election Day, one-third of the nation's voters will use new voting machines. A new report from Election Data Services describes the changes, highlights geographic patterns, and discusses what lessons past changes may have for this election.
This report examines a variety of alternative voting methods used in particular states around the country, including early voting, Election Day as a holiday, voting-by-mail, vote centers, and weekend voting, and makes recommendations about the feasibility of their widespread adoption.
This report explores a range of dimensions of turnout in the 2008 election, including the relationship between early voting and election day registration and individuals going to the polls.
The AAPD’s Disability Vote Project supports full polling place and voting machine access for the disabled, among other things.
The American Center for Voting Rights Legislative Fund was established to educate the public about the importance of the electoral process, to increase civic engagement in elections, and to support election reform.
The ACLU presents its positions on felon disenfranchisement, absentee voting, and the maintenance of voter registration lists, among other things.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) extended civil rights to disabled citizens. The ADA has been cited to defend the rights of the disabled in the face of numerous voting technology reforms.
Florida’s Division of Elections attributes the continuing drop in the Florida over- and undervote rate to a statewide voter education campaign and voters' facility with new voting machine technologies.
While the concerns raised by election reform experts about the efficacy of Florida's proposal to redo its presidential primary by mail were many, this analysis highlights specific issues related to the accuracy of the addresses that would have to be used under such a proposal.
The Brennan Center and McDonald argue that a report of alleged voter fraud submitted to the New Jersey Attorney General in September 2005 suffers from several serious methodological flaws.
The EAC's annual report on 2008 spending provides detailed information regarding states’ usage of HAVA funds, as well as data on competitive grants distributed by the EAC. Of the $2.96 billion they received from the EAC, states have spent 76% and are expected to use remaining funds in 2010.
Under the Voting Rights Act, any state-level change to voter registration rules must be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice. Georgia’s proposed VoteSafe program, designed to keep private the addresses of victims of domestic violence, was approved by the Department of Justice.
Drawing on site visits, interviews with election officials, survey of county officials, and review of election documents, this report finds significant problems in the administration of the May 2006 primary election in Arkansas.
This report frames the current debate over electronic voting by identifying the questions most in need of answering.
The EAC's organizational issues have received significant attention in both the election reform community and in the broader media, and this report summarizes a set of recommendations on how to improve the way the agency functions.
Electionline.org’s survey of state election directors shows that most states use 'top down' rather than 'bottom up' lists; that states differ over producing the lists 'in house' or outsourcing the work; and that most states conduct registration purges in localities instead of at the state level.
This report contains the results of an extensive audit of Texas's statewide registration database and makes recommendations on how to improve its quality.
This essay lays out an argument for the use of "Election Contest Law Audits" as a mechanism for easing the resolution of disputes over the outcome of elections.
In this paper, Cohen uses a field experiment to compare the effectiveness of paper versus audio vote verification trails and finds that participants were approximately ten times as likely to notice an error in an audio trail as in a paper trail.
The authors analyze differences in voting performance between reading disabled and non-reading disabled voters using full-faced and page-by-page systems in order to develop new interfaces that reduce the errors of disabled and non-disabled voters alike.
A case study on the registration process employed by Selective Service officials provides insight into how government agencies can collaborate to create accurate voter registration files.
B
Despite moving to DRE systems only relatively recently, many states are returning to paper-based systems or are considering doing so. This report looks at six states that have made such a move and examines whether more states are likely to follow.
This report provides practical recommendations in the areas of voter registration and identification, provisional voting, and voting technology certification to help states meet HAVA deadlines.
This paper provides an initial analysis of the issue of undervotes during the 2006 election in Florida's 13th Congressional District.
This memorandum to the Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform advises best practices for a vote-by-mail system based on the experience of Oregon, the only state with an all vote-by-mail system.
Mauer and Kansal present the findings of the first national survey of the re-enfranchisement process in 14 states with permanent disenfranchisement laws. They recommend, among other things, that the states repeal the laws and begin recording re-enfranchisement data regularly.
The EAC advises states on when to mail absentee ballots and how to distribute and receive them, as well as recommends states to inform voters by maintaining up-to-date websites and publish voter guides, among other things.
In this presentation, the authors' analysis suggets that stricter voter identification requirements can be associated with lower turnout and makes recommendations for action by the EAC on issues related to voter ID.
This report examines a range of common ballot design problems, reviews state laws that stand as obstacles to good ballot design, and makes policy recommendations for the future.
Herrnson examines the effect of different types of electronic voting machines on voter satisfaction, voters’ needs for assistance, and the accuracy of votes cast.
Hasen assesses the current state of election administration in the United States and suggests reforms in voter registration, election administration, and the role of the courts in election jurisprudence
As dictated by state law, jurisdictions nationwide vary greatly in the structure of their election governing bodies. This analysis argues, that for many functions, these bodies should be bipartisan.
This study, following up on massive ballot shortage problems in Boston during the November 2006 elections, outlines 14 steps for improving the administration of elections in that city.
In this article, the authors give a brief summary of recent problems with voting technology and the difficulties of studying it. They also make recommendations about how to build "a science of elctions."
This issue brief summarizes the case in favor of modernization of voter registration procedures. It notes that more than two million voters were unable to vote in the 2008 election as a direct result of issues with registration.
This report presents an industry perspective on a range of issues related to voting systems, and makes recommendations for incorporating industry representatives into the regulatory process.
The final report of the Commission, chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker III, urges reforms in voter identification and registration, provisional balloting, voter access, election administration, and more.
In this 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.
C
In recent months, "voter caging" has become an important part of the voting integrity debate, and this report from Project Vote examines the history of the practice.
This report, part of California's top-to-bottom review of its voting systems, highlights various potential vulnerabilities that exist with the machines used in the state.
Examining every step of the election system experienced by voters, this report looks at a range of issues in California, discusses obstacles to reform, and makes recommendations for going forward.
This report summarizes the sessions of the VTP's October 2006 conference on voter authentication and registration issues, as well outlining a set of recommendations to the EAC that grew out of the event.
This website, produced by the National Association of Secretaries of State, provides information for voters on determining if they are registered, the location of their polling place, and identification requirements for voting, as well other information related to participating in elections.
Using data from the 2000 election in Arizona and from a field experiment, a new study by researchers at the Stanford Graduate School of Business finds that the type of polling place can have an effect on voting decisions.
The National Network on Election Reform presents what it believes are the shortcomings of both the process and findings of the Carter-Baker Commission
Most scholarship on the 2006 race in Florida's 13th Congressional District has focused on the 18,000 undervotes that may have affected the election's outcome. This article, however, focuses on the contest procedures used in the dispute and makes recommendations for reform.
Under the Help America Vote Act, first-time voters are required to show identification when they go to the polls. This new study examines how administrators in six states have chosen to comply with that regulation and recommends best practices for use by other jurisdictions.
This report explores the rules, practices, and impact of post-election audits of voting machines, with a special emphasis on California, Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona, and Connecticut.
This report from electionline.org examines and assesses the efforts of various groups of poll watchers, from researchers to partisans.
This report examines partnerships to improve election administration in Georgia, Ohio, Connecticut, Idaho, and Maryland, and explores prospects for future cooperation in other areas of the country.
The final report of the Commission identifies specific questions in ten election reform areas especially in need of further scientific research
This report examines the problems with voting technology and election administration during the November 2006 elections in Denver, Colorado.
One of the last municipalities in the last state to become compliant with the mandates of HAVA, New York City selected an electronic voting system to replace its exist lever system. Choosing Election Systems and Software, the Board of Elections made the January 14 deadline imposed by the state.
This analysis explores the possibility of using a coin flip or a holding a new election in situations like that in Minnesota following the 2008 election, and concludes that, despite their other drawbacks, traditional election contests remain the best way to resolve very close races.
Providing another look at the long-troubled administration of elections in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, this report finds problems with the handling of optical-scan ballots, with damaged voter-verified paper audit trails (VVPATs), and potential corruption of the election database.
This report summarizes the recommendations of a group of voting technology vendors on proposed amendments to HAVA, particularly as related to paper trails, audits, and disclosure of source code.
The website of the Commission, co-chaired by Jimmy Carter and James A. Baker, III, contains the full text of the final report, hearing testimony, and related news and analysis
Goler and Selker investigate the effect of different electronic voting systems on the performance of reading disabled voters and find that a design incorporating features of both touch screen and full-faced LED Direct Record Electronic (DRE) systems is ideal
This report summarizes concisely the major points made and lines of reasoning offered by the Supreme Court in its various decisions upholding Indiana's voter identification law.
Demos’s preliminary analysis of 1,000 provisional ballot complaints and questions registered in the Election Incident Reporting System (EIRS) during the 2004 election reveals poll workers' widespread misunderstanding of state or local procedures governing the ballots
In this paper, to be published in the Policy Studies Journal, Alvarez and Hall examine the current model of election administration and explore alternatives that could give administrators more control over the process.
Karlan examines the causes and consequences of the apparent turn of public opinion against felon disenfranchisement laws and its implications for future litigation
The survey aims to help election management agencies throughout the world plan their budgets by identifying cost-management practices and measures of cross-country comparisons.
Brady and McNulty take advantage of a consolidation of polling places that took place in Los Angeles in 2003 to measure the degree to which a change of polling place decreased turnout.
In this report, state auditors examine the use of poll worker training guidelines issued by the California Secretary of State's office, and makes recommendations for improvement in training programs employed at the county level.
In this opinion, the 7th Circuit upheld Indiana's law requiring voters to present identification at the polling place by a 2-1 majority, arguing that it does not represent an excessive burden.
Ewald documents the implementation of felony disenfranchisement law and finds, among other things, broad variation and misunderstanding in interpretation and enforcement and contradictory policies within states.
D
This report provides a state-by-state analysis of laws governing voting by current and former felons with a focus on changes that have been made in the past ten years.
Alvarez and Nagler critique an analysis of data on voter registration at public assistance agencies. This research finds that results attributing the decline of voter registration to PRWORA are overstated.
Uggen and Manza examine the political consequences of felon disenfranchisement in the U.S. with data from legal sources, election studies, and inmate surveys and find that disenfranchisement laws have played decisive roles in several recent federal elections
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.
As states increasingly turn to electronic voting equipment over paper ballots, they require new methods to detect and deter fraud. Walter R. Mebane, Jr. of Cornell University explores novel methods of how to identify electronic fraud and maintain confidence in our voter systems.
In this new book, Michael Hanmer argues that to understand how these institutional arrangements affect outcomes, it is necessary to consider the interactions between social and political context and these laws.
This research examines the effect of Indiana’s photo identification requirement on counting provisional ballots in the 2008 general elections.
This report examines the changes made in the Federal Voting Assistance Program between the 2000 and 2004 elections. It also highlights the many challenges related to military absentee voting that remain, particularly as the program incorporates new technology.
States have changed their voting technologies substantially over the past six years in response to the Help America Vote Act, and this study examines whether counties with certain socioeconomic characteristics were more likely to make such changes quickly.
As part of a project conducted on behalf of the Colorado Secretary of State, the Elections Division has recently made available for comments a draft voter registration form. It will be accepting comments until October 30, 2009.
This report, commissioned by the EAC, examines the electronic transmission practices implemented by four states--Illinois, Florida, South Carolina, and Montana--and addresses the various challenges such procedures present.
This report outlines the results of a study carried out by a multi-disciplinary team of experts during the Cuyahoga County Primary Election of May 2006 that examined both new electronic voting technology and the administrative procedures associated with it.
This study provides a demographic analysis of those citizens in Wisconsin lacking the types of photo identification that would be necessary in the face of new requirements for voting. It concludes that elderly persons and minorities would be among those seriously affected by a new policy.
E
Concluding that an initial study did not yield sufficient conclusions on the issue of voter identification, the EAC has called for additional, more comprehensive research on the subject.
Kimball and Kropf examine the impact of early and absentee voting on unrecorded votes in the United States and find little average difference between unrecorded votes cast in a precinct polling station and those cast via early or absentee ballots.
This paper summarizes a number of different studies on the usability of electronic voting systems, showing that, by and large, such systems work well.
Tokaji examines problems in the 2004 election, including voting equipment, voter registration, and provisional balloting, and recommends avoiding future difficulties by upgrading technology, deciding litigation prior to the election, and establishing clear administrative rules, among other things
This paper re-examines the question of whether early voting increases voter turnout, concluding that such an effect is limited.
In this paper, the authors document the effect of voter identification requirements in the 2000-2006 elections, examining both aggregate and individual-level data.
Undertaken in collaboration with Design for Democracy, this report from the EAC seeks to identify best practices in the areas of ballot design, polling place signage, and other voter information materials.
This study explores voters’ opinions of vote centers, finding that voters rate them better than traditional polling places and that poll workers are especially important under this alternative model.
Election officials investigate controversial administration issues in the 2004 election and suggest reforms in voter registration, early, absentee, and provisional balloting, voting technology, and election administration
This supplemental report provides in-depth information on each state's election system.
This report, undertaken by the EAC in partnership with two consultants, reviews the existing literature on "election crimes," develops a working definition of that term, and lays out suggestions for further research on the issue.
This piece discusses whether states are prepared for a variety of emergencies that could affect their successful administration of elections, and recommends a set of questions for consideration when developing a plan to deal with such situations.
This analysis explores Election Day Registration (EDR) as a potential threat to voting integrity, concluding that states with EDR have not experienced increased amounts of voter fraud.
Election Day Registration is an increasingly popular way to ease the registration process, and this report outlines a set of best practices for implementing such a policy.
Stein and Vonnahme study the use of county-wide Election Day Vote Centers in Larimer County, Colorado, where they have been in use since 2003. They conclude that the centers have increased voter turnout within the county.
This report examines the potential effects of election day registration in Iowa, concluding that overall turnout could increase by nearly five percent.
This analysis explores the potential turnout-boosting effects of Election Day Registration (EDR) in Massachusetts.
The latest in a series of analyses, this paper examines the potential effects on turnout of implementing Election Day Registration in Nebraska.
This report takes a comprehensive look at Ohio's election system, report highlighting both successes and failures and making a range of recommendations.
The Ohio Secretary of State conducted this legislative analysis of House Bill 260, the election enhancements bill introduced by State Representatives Dan Stewart and Tracy Heard.
A computerized system for recording and analyzing data about voting problems before, during, and after elections
Hasen’s blog covers issues in election reform, as well as campaign finance, redistricting, and the Supreme Court nomination process
In response to a request by the Election Commission, the Hawaii Office of Elections produced this report outlining the plan for the 2010 elections. A focus of this report is the effect of the reduced budget for the office on staffing and the number of precincts which will be open for the elections.
What can voters expect when they go to the polls on November 7? A new report from electionline.org looks at issues voters may encounter in the areas of voting technology, voter identification requirements, voter registration databases, and third-party voter registration.
Prior to November's historic election, electionline.org examined a broad range of issues that voters potentially confronted when going to the polls.
Electionline.org surveys the state of election reform in 2006 and compares it to that of 2000. The report provides state-by-state data in the areas of voting systems, voter ID requirements, provisional voting, and more.
The nonpartisan Institute seeks to create auditable and transparent election systems by uniting county election officials and citizens with expert researchers and engineers
This paper explores whether voters who used specific types of machines in the 2008 election encountered more problems than other voters, and whether voter confidence varied by the type of system used.
Alvarez and Hall provide research and analysis on election reform, voting technology, and election administration
The project aims to objectively investigate the accuracy of American elections by creating and analyzing a nationwide database of precinct-level election data
This report examines Election Day Registration (EDR), which is often offered as a way to increase voter turnout. Contrasting Montana's EDR program (which was new in 2006) with Minnesota's (which has been in place for more than 30 years), the authors examine potential promises and pitfalls of EDR.
This report summarizes the variety of voting systems used in the states, territories, and the District of Columbia, how these systems are certified, the other procedures used to ensure their security and accuracy, and how problems with the systems are addressed.
This report details a range of election administration challenges faced in the United Kingdom, and makes recommendations for reform.
This paper examines the impact of electoral laws on turnout in elections. The authors find that by aggregating turnout among different demographic groups, they can estimate the impact of electoral reforms over time.
This paper examines how overall voter confidence has changed since the 2000 presidential elections. The decisions at the state level regarding voting systems have been very intensely politicized, which have affected the attitude of voters towards individual technologies.
In this paper, the authors explore problems with the particular electronic voting system being adopted by South Carolina and urge more extensive testing and review.
This report details arguments about the shortcomings of electronic voting machines, focusing on anecdotal information from the 2004 election.
Simons details flaws and issues that have arisen with Diebold and ES&S voting machines and recommends alternative designs and more extensive certification procedures to guard against malicious code and other threats.
This report examines preparations states are taking to accomodate an expected surge in voter turnout for the 2008 presidential election.
Based upon election data collected since the passage of HAVA, this Project Vote memo recommends adopting a number of policies in order to increase the number of provisional ballots counted in future elections.
Tojaki's blog focuses on issues of election reform, the Voting Rights Act, and the Help America Vote Act.
A pilot study examined the effectiveness of combining in-person training with on-line educational tools. Those who participated in on-line training performed better, were more confident in their work, and knew the specifics of their job better than those who had not participated in on-line training.
This article, authored by a member of the federal Election Assistance Commission, provides an overview of the EAC's involvement with voting systems, including its Voluntary Voting System Guidelines and its testing and certification programs.
This is a collection of papers presented at the VoteID 2009 Conference, the Second International Conference on E-voting and Identity, held in Luxembourg from September 7-8, 2009. The papers cover a wide range of issues, including voting technology in the United States and around the world.
This report finds that the increase in the no-valid-vote rate in the 2008 presidential race in Florida was due to excessive overvoting statewide, not to the change in voting technologies.
In this testimony, John Fortier summarizes the history of absentee voting and voting by mail, and offers a series of cautions about embracing its expansion.
This report studies voter registration systems in sixteen countries and in four provinces in Canada, assessing different technologies. From these results the authors propose strategies taken from these countries' experiences that can be applied to voter registration in the United States.
This report examines North Carolina's successful efforts at increasing compliance with the National Voter Registration Act's mandate that states provide opportunities for voter registration in state public assistance offices.
This report explores how Minnesota's recount processes were employed in Franken/Coleman election contest, arguing that while the system functioned quite well, reforms can be made.
F
After an in-depth statistical analysis of data from Sarasota County, Mebane and Dill lay out a number of patterns occuring among the over 18,000 undervotes, but conclude that a complete explanation based on voter, machine, or ballot characteristics cannot be reached without further investigation.
Fairvote presents research and advocacy in a variety of election reform issues
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued its decision regarding the state of Washington’s law prohibiting the right to vote for felons. The court’s decision, that the law violated civil rights protections, conflicts with three other federal appeals court decisions.
This study from the GAO examines security problems currently confronting electronic voting systems, how federal and nonfederal organizations have responded, and what further action ought to be taken
This report looks at the EAC's program to accredit laboratories that certify voting equipment for use in federal elections, finding some effective procedures while also identifying room for improvement.
This report provides an overview of reform proposals growing out of a summit convened by Ohio's Secretary of State to examine comprehensively the state's entire election system.
In this piece, the Election Reform Project's Jessica Leval argues that further reforms are needed to make voting for soldiers serving overseas easier.
In this series of guest posts on Rick Hasen's Election Law Blog, various election reform experts look back at the 2008 election and make recommendations for future reform.
This report examines issues of voter participation following Hurricane Katrina and its unique challenges for election administrators.
Written by the former Los Angeles County clerk, this report summarizes the challenges that Florida is facing this fall as local jurisdictions are complying with a new state law requiring the use of optical scan ballots for early voting.
Foley's blog explores a wide range of election reform issues from a legal perspective.
Using evidence from Pasco County, the authors find that electronic voting systems diminish voter error rates, but also increase the number of affirmative votes in judicial retention races and therefore may affect voters' incentives in low information races.
This report takes an exhaustive look at the complete election administration systems of Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, highlighting both successes and failures, and making suggestions for reform.
Part of the GAO's continued investigation into the large number of undervotes in the 13th District of Florida in 2006, this report summarizes the results of testing already completed and discusses whether future testing should be pursued.
Although states are continuing to pass laws and reach decisions to comply with the mandates of HAVA and related laws, Daniel Tokaji argues that the United States still lacks a well-functioning independent electoral management body.
G
Voting by mail is being considered by increasing numbers of states, and this report summarizes its advantages and downfalls and lays out a set of potential best practices.
Getting Ready for 2008 | NOVEMBER 2007
H
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was enacted following the 2000 presidential election. Providing for the acquisition of better voting technology and the creation of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the passage of HAVA represented a landmark event in electoral reform.
After presenting an overview of HAVA requirements and how these changes will affect elections in New York. the authors provide information regarding New York's current level of compliance (as of 2003) with HAVA and useful recommendations on how to implement changes.
In this report, researchers at electionline.org explore a variety of issues related to America's poll workers, including state requirements for training, compensation, and absenteeism penalties.
In an attempt to avoid the up-to-five hour long lines that plagued some Ohio jurisdictions in 2004, the Franklin County Board of Elections has analyzed the underlying issues and made recommendations to improve the process for this November.
Demos finds that four of the five states with the highest turnout of the voting-eligible population in the 2004 presidential election all employ Election Day Registration (EDR)
This explores how voters in jurisdictions around the country obtain and complete voter registration forms and how much time before the election they have to do so. It also emphasizes the ways in which voter registration procedures have failed to keep pace with technology.
We reflect on the state of election administration in the United States almost a decade after the 2000 presidential election and suggest how additional changes in technology, election law and administrative practices might further strengthen American elections in the years ahead.
This paper examines public perceptions of the voter registration process and argues that efforts to reform the voter registration process should be carefully targeted to certain segments of the population who have the most difficulty with the existing system.
Highlighting three key factors, this report examines why a bill implementing same-day registration was successful in North Carolina.
Poll workers are an integral part of ensuring that Election Day runs smoothly, and this study finds that they can also play a major role in shaping voters' confidence in the electoral process.
I
Studies on college campuses demonstrate that face-to-face interactions, rather than direct mail or e-mail contact prove to be the more effective method of registration for voters, especially those who are most likely not to vote.
Taking a broader look at the issue of voter ID, this report examines the increasing importance of identification in American society and lays out a set of what its authors term "progressive principles for identification systems."
The EAC presents its biennial report to the U.S. Congress on the influence of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) on the administration of federal elections from 2002 to 2004
The Election Assistance Commission recently published its eighth report on implementation of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which focused on the administration of the November 2006 and November 2008 elections.
Required biennially by law, this report examines the impact of the "Motor Voter" law in the federal elections of 2005 and 2006 and lays out recommendations for continued improvement in the law's implementation.
In this article, the authors analyze the effects of voting by mail beyond voter turnout, including its impact on roll-off and straight-ticket voting.
The authors find that the adoption of new voting technology, especially the elimination of punch cards and lever machines, in Florida between the 2000 and 2004 elections helped reduce the residual vote rate
This report examines a number of accessibility issues presented by current electronic voting systems and makes recommendations for reform.
This report, part of Kentucky's recent review of its certification of voting systems, highlights a number of changes that could be made to improve the process.
Maintaining accurate registered voter rolls requires coordination and energy both to add first-time registrants to the database and maintain accurate registration information for existing voters. This report provides recommendations to improve the accuracy of voter registration databases.
Alvarez and Hall examine difficulties one encounters when using the EAC's Election Day Survey data and recommend strategies for improved data collection in future surveys.
This NIST report presents recommendations to improve voting system usability and accessibility based on NIST's review of research, guidelines, standards, and evaluation methodologies.
This Century Foundation study explores various proposals to increase voter turnout, including Election Day registration, making Election Day a national holiday, and provisional ballot reform.
This report lays out ways for states to effectively and correctly choose appropriate new voting technology and argues for more transparency in the status of various forms of election technology.
In a new report written for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Roy Saltman argues for the importance of auditing direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines and explores several alternatives for doing so.
The Indiana Election Division published its Outreach Library for the 2010 elections. Among the resources available for both voters and election officials are guides for military and overseas voters, voter identification requirement outlines, and a handbook for election officials.
On March 12, 2008, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration held a hearing to explore issues related to in-person voter fraud.
While the U.S. struggles with using electronic voting systems in its polling places, other countries have been exploring the prospect of internet voting. This study explores internet voting in Estonia, where such a system has been in place for two national elections.
The security risks inherent in internet-based voting today pose significant barriers to the adoption of this method in nationwide elections. The author suggests changes to both internet security and the allocation of election tasks to improve the applicability of the internet in elections.
Exploring the ways in which technology can be better utilized to improve the accuracy of voter registration databases can provide valuable guidance. Researchers undertook a pilot project to determine the feasibility of using database matching to identify voters in Oregon and Washington.
Ansolabehere and Konisky find that introducing voter registration requirements to counties not previously possessing them depresses turnout, but to a lesser degree than previously thought
This law review article explores a range of the legal issues the Supreme Court confronted in the Indiana voter ID case.
This report examines Colorado's compliance with the public assistance agency provisions of the National Voter Registration Act, and finds that the state has made some progress recently but that room for improvement still exists.
In this report, the author examines the dramatic decline in the number of citizens registering to vote at public assistance agencies in Missouri, concluding that the state is largely out of compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).
This study finds that, despite the absence of laws requiring it, many voters—especially African-Americans and Hispanics—are being asked to show ID at the polls; they also have to wait in longer lines and are more likely to have problems with registration.
This research report reviews the success of policy initiatives to reach overseas voters.
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This resource, framed around ten general issue areas, examines which states are likely to experience different election administration problems in November.
Dean C. Logan, director of elections in King County, Washington, explores the benefits of shifting to an all vote-by-mail system and suggests a practical timeline to implement the change.
Although the Senate recount in Minnesota resulted in a winner, questions still remained regarding the classification of unopened, rejected absentee ballots. A district court concluded that these ballots are public data and that the plaintiffs, state television news organizations, may view them.
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The Committee’s Voting Rights Project presents its positions on felon disenfranchisement and election reform, as well as links to its National Commission on the Voting Rights Act and the Election Protection Coalition
The League presents its positions on election reform as well as various resources
The opinion in the case of League of Women Voters of Indiana, Inc. v. Todd Rokita, Indiana Secretary of State.
This piece, drawn from a talk given by Representative Holt, discusses the importance of voter confidence in voting systems and offers a set of policy prescriptions for ensuring that trust.
This letter, from the Indiana Secretary of State, was written the day after the Indiana Court of Appeals handed down its decision on the state’s voter ID laws. It outlines the impact of the ruling on State laws and the Secretary’s plan to argue his case in front of the Indiana Supreme Court.
Drawing on testimony from federal, state, and local officials, this report assesses the readiness of electronic voting systems in the November 2006 elections. Election officials express concern about a number of areas, including the implementation of HAVA and state legislative requirements.
Relatively little quantative research has assessed how polling places actually function on Election Day; this report uses data from election observers who collected data on poll workers, voting machines, and voting regulations.
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 study finds that early voting is most popular in neighborhoods filled with time-pressured individuals and that early voters spread the word, creating a spatial effect among individuals with less significant time constraints.
Through an Election Day field study, the authors examine the commonality of lines at polling stations. They find inefficiencies in all three steps of casting a ballot, which they define as voter arrivals, voter is served by poll workers, and voter interaction with voting machine.
Using precint-level data from Franklin County, Ohio, Highton finds a causal link between voting machine scarcity and lower voter turnout. He notes, however, that much of the association between machine availability and voter turnout is caused by factors other than machine availability.
On December 4, the Election Reform Project co-sponsored an event looking back at the 2008 election. Here, staff summarize the conference's highlights.
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While a number of explanations have been offered to explain the high undervote rate in Florida's 13th Congressional District in 2006, this study focuses on whether mechanical failures were to blame and concludes that a range of machine events could have contributed to the problem.
Drawing on surveys from hundreds of election officials around the country, this report examines the degree to which 120 potential threats to electronic voting machines would be successful in altering the outcome of a hypothetical statewide election.
This report explores the usability of various voting systems and examines different ways in which local election administrators can maximize the usability of their systems. Particular areas of focus include residual vote rates and voter confidence in voting systems.
Part of the Brennan Center's broader analysis of voting technology, this report explains the legal requirements for accessible systems, explores the demographics of disabled voters, and examines six different systems on a wide range of accessibility criteria.
This report explores a wide range of issues regarding voting technology by laying out sets of key principles to maximize security, accessibility, and usability while considering cost, and then evaluating available systems based on these criteria.
This NASS document provides a state-level review of voter registration list maintenance practices.
Casting a ballot remains persistently difficult for overseas military voters. In this analysis, the Election Reform Project’s Jessica Leval proposes ways to make voting easier for this particular population, including simplifying the process and incorporating the Internet into procedures.
In this paper, Sharon Laskowski and Janice Redish analyze ballots from several recent elections around the country, highlight the best practices in the field, and argue for the importance of accessible language.
After reviewing some specifics of voting processes in the United States and the provisions of the Help America Vote Act, this paper lays out a roadmap for future reseach on electronic voting, with particular emphasis on reliability and access.
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 article, Gans examines the effects of state-level reforms in the areas of absentee and early voting and finds little evidence that these reforms succeed in boosting voter turnout.
This national survey presents the first comprehensive summary of state voter registration practices following the Jan. 1, 2006 HAVA requirement of statewide registration databases, as well as recommendations for improvements.
Alvarez, Nagler, and Wilson find that adopting Election Day registration (EDR) in New York could improve the state's long-run turnout rate, especially among those who have the most difficulty registering, without increasing administration costs or fraud
This report surveys four major studies on the reliability and vulnerability of direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines.
In a telephone study of 800 Maryland voters, the state's new voting system received largely favorable ratings on issues of efficiency, reliability, and trustworthiness. Many respondents, however, also displayed a lack of familiarity with concepts like paper trails and voting receipts.
This paper summarizes what the existing evidence about the performance of the voting process in 2004 and proposes a comprehensive system of performance measures that would allow citizens and officials to assess the quality of the voting system in future elections.
Absentee voters currently serving in the military present unique challenges for election administrators at all levels of government, and this report examines ways to overcome these particular obstacles.
For Ohio, with an outdated and inefficient registration process, modernizing its voter registration system is a priority.
In this essay, the authors argue that the federal government should not only establish mandates for the running of elections, but also be responsible for providing funding to states and localities to administer them in exchange usable and accurate data about how elections are administered.
Using data from a national voter complaint hotline from 2006, the authors examine particularly problematic aspects of election administration in the United States.
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This NASS factsheet summarizes the different provisions of the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act, which was signed into law on October 28, 2009.
This report summarizes the state of the nation's voting systems for the 2008 election, highlighting the fact that fewer jurisdictions are using electronic equipment than in 2006.
Some of HAVA’s provisions faced an early test during the 2004 general election. In a recent study, the U.S. Government Accountability Office explored the law's implementation and the challenges faced by election officials.

Read the report.

NACo, a national organization representing county governments, provides legislative, research, and technical services to members and liaises with other levels of government
The NACRC is a professional organization of elected and appointed county administrative officials that aims to engender dialogue and help share ideas
A nonpartisan professional organization for Secretaries of State and Lieutenant Governors, the NASS maintains election reform resources, including fact sheets, surveys, and election office contact information by state
The NCSL, a bipartisan organization for state legislators and their staffs, provides research and technical assistance on a variety of subjects, including elections, campaigns, and redistricting
The NIST aims to improve voting technology by maintaining the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program and the National Software Reference
This project of the Social Science Research Council, which concluded its work in September 2005, provides a national clearinghouse of data, independent research, and other resources for election reform
Also known as the “Motor Voter Act,” the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) requires states to provide individuals with the means to register to vote when applying for a driver’s license, to offer registration opportunities at certain state offices, and to allow citizens to register by mail.
Focusing on the four major provisions of the National Voter Registration Act, Project Vote’s report reviews implementation of voter registration programs at the state level.
The NVRA was meant to increase registration levels across the country and as a result, increase participation in elections. Despite the fifteenth anniversary of NVRA in 2008, registration problems remain an issue, as Estelle Rogers, a Consulting Attorney with Project Vote finds.
NVRI details its election law litigation and resources
In this analysis, researchers at the Heritage Foundation attempt to replicate the results of researchers at the Eagleton Institute of Politics, arguing that some of the earlier findings are unfounded.
Taking a wide angle look at election administration in New Mexico, this report utilizes researcher observations on election day, as well as survey data from voters and pollworkers.
This report summarizes the results of an extensive post-election audit conducted in Bernalillo County, New Mexico and makes a variety of recommendations for future reform.
As states have relaxed the rules for absentee voting, more and more citizens have taken advantage of the option. This audit identifies several issues with the process in New York and proposes reforms.
Alvarez and Hall investigate the challenge of creating electronic transaction standards (ETS) for election administration in order to make elections less expensive and more accurate, and advocate a greater role for the EAC implementing them
A two-day workshop sought to decide upon a common data format for voting systems. Setting the requirements for a common data format will encourage transparency, interoperability, integration, and eventually assist in the transition to an electronic system of recordkeeping.
While voting has become more convenient for many, overseas military voters have been experiencing significant difficulty in voting. This study highlights the specific challenges they face and recommends reforms.
This paper, part of the University of Maryland's larger initiative on technology and ballot design, discusses the results of a field experiment designed to measure the degree to which voters, using a number of different electronic voting systems, are able to complete voting tasks as intended.
Using data collected via exit polls at the three sites in Georgia during the 2006 election, this paper reveals that voters generally found the electronic voting system with a paper trail easy to use and expressed high levels of confidence in the systems' accuracy and security.
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Law professor Foley draws comparisons between the unrest following the Mexican elections of July 2006 with potential problems that may arise during the fall 2006 elections in the United States, particularly in Ohio.
Ohio Senate Bill 8 | DECEMBER 2009
The Ohio State Senate approved legislation to reform various aspects of the elections process. Among the measures are enhancements to early voting rules, adoption of a matching system between voter registration files and driver’s license data, and compliance with the recently passed MOVE Act.
In this hearing, the Senate Special Committee on Aging explored a variety of unique election administration issues presented by elderly voters.
This report explores the concept of open source software as it applies to voting systems, suggesting areas in which it may benefit the market but cautioning against a too-enthusiastic embrace of the technology.
OVC advocates the use in public elections of open voting systems, those systems with open source software and voter verifiable paper ballots
On October 20, the Election Reform Project co-sponsored an simulated adjudication of a hypothetical Supreme Court case, McCain v. Obama. In a unanimous decision, the special panel ruled in favor of counting the case's disputed provisional ballots.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) promotes democratization by observing election administration in over fifty regions and offering election assistance when necessary.
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This Project Vote study analyzed efforts in South Dakota, Kansas and Delaware to implement paperless voter registration systems.
The Committee to Modernize Voter Registration, composed of former state and federal lawmakers, state election administrators, election law experts, and academics was recently formed to advocate for an automated, transferable system to replace today's out-of-date and patchwork system.
In this paper, the authors express skepticism regarding the integrity of existing electronic voting systems. Alternatively, they call for the implementation of auditing and verification tools.
This paper investigates investigates the effect of voter identification requirements on the number of provisional ballots cast in 2006.
PFAW presents various election reform resources, as well as its positions on voter registration, pending election reform legislation, and more
This report examines how statewide permanent voter registration is implemented in several states across the country, and suggests that this policy should be incorporated into all states' voter registration reforms.
Berinsky concludes, contrary to popular opinion, that electoral reforms that ease restrictions on casting ballots in fact increase socioeconomic biases in the composition of the voting public. He advocates shifting the focus of electoral reform from institutional changes to political engagement
in advance of the 2004 general election, Wang examines a number of election reform issues, with particular emphasis on registration procedures, provisional balloting, and voting technology.
Authors use voter turnout records to determine the effect of polling place accessibility on voter turnout, and find that easy accessibility does in fact raise turnout.
This essay provides a wide-angle view of the ongoing controversy related to voter fraud allegations and the Department of Justice, with suggestions on where the debate may go from here.
This report takes a wide-angle look at voter fraud, offering a definition of the term, suggesting that the problem is not nearly as widespread as some claim, and calling for better data collection and election administration as a way to improve public discourse and create better policies.
John R. Logan of Brown University analyzes the impact of voter displacement due to Hurricane Katrina on the results of New Orleans’s recent mayoral race. He finds that although black voters turned out in lower numbers than whites did, the displacement was not decisive in the election.
This report discusses the results of a post-election audit of Connecticut's memory cards, finding that while all cards used in the election were properly programmed, there is still room for improvement.
In this report, researchers from the Brennan Center and the Samuelson Clinic survey current literature on post-election audits and make recommendations for future audit policy.
Rivest introduces the concept of preliminary voting, by which a voter may cast a preliminary ballot before the close of elections but must visit the polling site on Election Day to confirm the vote officially, as a potentially convenient and cost-effective compromise to Internet voting
In this report, the authors provide a detailed review of election reform progress in the key 2004 primary election states.
Brookings and AEI are collaborating to promote transparency in redistricting. An advisory board of experts and good government groups was convened to articulate principles for transparent redistricting and identify barriers to the public and communities who wish to create redistricting plans.
This paper explores the privacy issues involved in implementing electronic voting systems.
Though redoing the Florida presidential primary by mail struck many as an appealing option, this piece outlines a variety of security and administrative concerns related to such a plan.
This article explores the ways that various states distribute authority for the purchase of new voting technology, and argues that the procurement process can be improved through cooperation and shared responsibility.
This study finds high usability ratings among a variety of electronic voting machine interfaces (optical scan, touch screen, buttons and dials, membrane buttons), but sees variation depending on machine characteristics and the voting tasks required
This paper, presented at the 2006 meeting of the American Political Science Association, explores ways in which voter turnout is negatively affected by different voter identification rules ranging from simply requiring voters to state their names to mandating that they present photo identification.
This article explores the constitutionality of poll watcher statutes, arguing that laws permitting their presence at voting locations are permissible under the U.S. Constitution.
Foley analyzes the circumstances in which provisional ballots of unregistered voters will be counted.
This analysis finds that 70% of the more than two million provisional ballots submitted nationwide during the 2008 election were counted. It also finds that the major reason for rejected provisional ballots was that the voter was not registered in the state.
This report explores the rejection rates for provisional ballots in 2006, examines the causes of these rejections in Florida and Ohio, and makes recommendations for reform
This paper explores the determinants of early voting, finding a number of expected trends: early voters are older, better educated, and more cognitively engaged in the campaign and in politics.
In a survey conducted with public assistance agencies in 40 states and the District of Columbia, Dēmos asked about the feasibility of implementing an upgrade of voter registration databases based upon the records kept by these agencies.
This report from researchers at the University of Missouri explores public opinion on a select set of issues, including Election Day registration, voting by mail, photo identification requirements, and early voting.
This response to the Election Assistance Commission’s proposed voluntary guidelines calls for transparency in machine certification and source code and a voter-verified audit trail (VVAT), among other things
Manza and Uggen investigate the impact of disenfranchising nonincarcerated felons by examining the history of the laws in the United States, their political impact in recent elections, and their associated racial dynamics
In this piece, Edward Foley summarizes a number of issues relating the use of provisional ballots when a voter believes his or her name has been unduly purged from the voter rolls.
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The U.S. Election Assistance Commission highlights key steps administrators should follow when implementing new voting systems. A more comphrensive guide will follow.
Part of a series, this guide provides advice for election officials on issues such as testing voting systems at the national and state levels and how to read certification numbers.
Following a similar document for new voting systems, the Election Assistance Commission released a set of guidelines for election officials on issues such as on software security, physical security, personnel security, and the security of the voting machines themselves.
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The implementation of convenience voting practices like vote-by-mail and early voting raises questions concerning the effect of these changes on turnout. Research based on turnout in California studies the effect of the increasing number of vote-by-mail voters in presidential elections.
This report examines the expected total costs of implementing the Real ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005 and setting new requirements for the documentation required to obtain the state-issued identification that may soon be required to vote.
Convened to provide guidance to the state of Utah in the areas of election law, the Commission made recommendations regarding voter registration. Joining a number of other groups in proposing automatic voter registration, the Commission adopted all of its recommendations unanimously.
Electionline.org’s survey of state election directors regarding procedures to recount and audit ballots reveals different practices throughout the country
This project of The Century Foundation contains research and commentary on election reform issues, including complete materials from the 2001 National Commission on Federal Election Reform, co-chaired by former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford
This study highlights the recent success in Missouri of voter registration in public assistance agencies from August 2008 through May 2009, which is mandated in the 1993 National Voter Registration Act. Missouri registered over 112,000 new voters in one year through public assistance agencies.
With states facing record numbers of new registrants for this election cycle, this analysis examines the challenges that may arise, including with third-party registration groups and with the matching of social security and/or driver's license numbers.
While the controversy over the EAC-commissioned report on election crimes has faded somewhat since the report's release in December 2006, the issue returns to the spotlight with the release of the results of the EAC's internal investigation into how the contract was handled.
Various jurisdictions in Maryland experienced polling place problems during the 2006 primary election, and this report summarizes the findings of an extensive investigation into their causes by the Maryland Attorney General's office.
The result of an extensive investigation by the Milwaukee Police Department, this report summarizes findings on various claims of voter fraud during the 2004 election.
This report summarizes the ways in which individual states have used the nearly $3 billion distributed by the federal government under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
This report from the California Secretary of State highlights a software glitch that resulted in the deletion of almost 200 ballots from in the official results in one county last November and describes several other issues with the package that require attention before the next election cycle.
Although ethnic diversity of the U.S. has been increasing, voter registrations have not followed this trend. A new report finds that although the voting population is still unrepresentative of the American population at large, the 2008 voting population was more diverse than in years past.
The Research Database on the U.S. Voting System and Voting Technology provides access to empirical and analytical research about voting and elections to inform evidence-based reforms.
Ansolabehere and Stewart III find that in presidential races the residual vote rate increases as one moves from paper ballots to optically scanned ballots, mechanical lever machines, DRE’s, and punch cards. Lever machines and punch cards perform poorly in gubernatorial and senatorial races
This response to the report of the Carter-Baker Commission rebuts its recommendations for a national, mandatory voter ID card, the use of social security numbers in voter registration, and only limited felon re-enfranchisement
Fifteen months and three rounds of testing later, the U.S. Government Accountability Office has issued its final report on the high undervote rate in the 2006 election in Florida’s 13th Congressional District.
This report explores an effort undertaken by Vermont during the 2008 election aimed at serving the state’s elderly population by sending trained workers to residential care facilities; it outlines the various benefits of such an approach.
This literature review organizes research on NVRA into two categories: the impact of NVRA on overall registration and turnout, and its effect on equality in participation.
An Election Reform Project task force analyzes the EAC's Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) and makes recommendations for its improvement.
The EAC is currently considering a new set of standards that future voting systems will have to meet in order to earn federal certification. In this report, a task force convened by the AEI-Brookings Election Reform project analyzes that document and makes recommendations for its improvement.
This report, aimed at assisting officials in this Seattle-based county with purchasing decisions, examines particular issues at the intersection of voting-by-mail and voting technology.
After three consecutive years’ of governor vetoes, the Rhode Island assembly succeeded in enacting into law a teen voter pre-registration bill. It joins Hawaii and Florida, as well as Puerto Rico, in permitting pre-registration for teenagers.
Tova Andrea Wang makes the case for modernizing voter registration practices in the states, in the context of the upcoming gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia. Both states have large percentages of recently naturalized and first generation Americans.
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The Florida Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of Sarasota County’s charter election law amendments, finding that state law does not bar individual counties from creating their own election laws.
This paper presents a complete study of a Diebold AccuVote-TS voting machine. Analysis of the machine shows that it is vulnerable to extremely serious attacks, the mitigation of which require changes to the its hardware and software and the adoption of more rigorous election procedures.
This is the statement by Senator Charles Schumer, the Chairman of the Committee on Rules and Administration, in support of the MOVE Act, given on October 22, 2009.
The Sentencing Project presents research and advocacy to urge reconsideration of felon disenfranchisement laws
The EPC’s preliminary analysis of complaints registered in the Election Incident Reporting System (EIRS) during the 2004 presidential election reveals problems in registration processing, absentee balloting, machine errors, voter suppression or intimidation, and provisional ballots
This electionline.org briefing finds that the number of provisional ballots counted varied widely by and within states and that the use of statewide voter registration databases did not necessarily decrease the number of ballots counted, though it might have decreased the number cast
In this piece, Tokaji examines the issues at stake in the congressional election in Florida's 13th District, including the possibility that voting technology, ballot design, and election administration procedures may have impacted the outcome of the election.
This report from electionline.org provides a preview of the election reform issues likely to be tackled at the state level in the upcoming year.
The second of two reports, this analysis lays out a set of recommendations for improving Alaska's election system, both in terms of technology and procedures.
This report reviews the election process across all fifty states, using the Carter-Baker Commission’s recommendations as guidelines.
Different states have different requirements regarding community-based voter registration drives, and this report summarizes the relevant laws in all fifty states.
Post-election audits determine whether discrepancies between hand and machine ballot counts exist. Analysis of the 2008 election results in Connecticut find discrepancies in the vote counts caused by hand counting errors or vote misallocation, not as a result of machine tabulations.
This testimony summarized the progress made thus far by the GAO into the problems experienced in Florida in 2006, and lays out additional questions for analysis.
This report outlines the preliminary findings of two consultants retained by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission as part of the EAC's examination of voter fraud.
As the debate over direct recording electronic (DRE) machines continues, this report argues against a paper requirement, such as the one proposed by pending legislation in the House of Representatives.
Kimball and Kropf provide data on the party affiliation and selection methods for the over 4500 local election officials in the United States and discuss the considerable variation in selection procedures among jurisdictions.
This report examines the impact of criminal convictions on voter registration and turnout, using North Carolina as a case study.
This report, written by a bipartisan Indiana delegation after observing the performance of county-wide vote centers in Colorado, examines the applicability of such centers to their own state.
The House of Representatives recently concluded that machine malfunction was not likely the cause of the high undervote rate in the 2006 election in Florida's 13th District. In this report, Ted Selker reaches a similar conclusion, laying out evidence that bad ballot design was the likely culprit.
This paper explores whether certain voting systems work better in some places than in others. Though the authors do not find evidence of such an effect, they do argue that punch cards work poorly in all regions and calls for greater consistency and transparency in the reporting of election results.
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This joint report finds that numerous states are failing to comply with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993’s public assistance requirements and offers policy recommendations to states, federal agencies, and advocates so that they can meet their federal obligations
This testimony, by the chair of the committee charged with making recommendations to the EAC about voting technology, summarizes likely changes to voting technology standards.
On August 2, 2007, EAC Chair Donetta Davidson and Vice-Chair Rosemary Rodriguez testified before Congress on issues related to oversight of their agency.
In recent testimony before the U.S. House Committee on House Administration, the Election Assistance Commission discussed its efforts to implement the Help America Vote Act and what we should expect to see in the November, 2006 elections.
In testimony before the U.S. House Committee on House Administration, the members of the Election Assistance Commission and the Secretaries of State of Iowa, New Mexico, Indiana, and Kansas discussed the implementation of the various provisions of the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
On June 7, 2007, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to examine proposed legislation to prevent deceptive practices and voter intimidation.
A federal legislation search engine
This report examines a number of security issues that arise with the transmission of UOCAVA ballots and recommends implementing a set of best practices to improve the process in the future.
Preventing non-citizens from voting is an argument commonly employed by supporters of voter ID legislation; this analysis examines this problem and makes suggestions for solutions.
As part of a workshop on threats to voting systems, state and local election officials, researchers, lawyers, vendors, and others from the public and private sectors submitted threat analyses of voting systems.
The comprehensive report of the Commission, co-chaired by former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, Lloyd Cutler, and former Representative Robert Michel, contains recommendations that served as the basis for HAVA.
The California Secretary of State recently began an effort to complete a full, top-to-bottom review of all voting machines used in that state.
The National Voter Registration Act requires states to offer voter registration forms at public assistance agencies, and this report examines five states (North Carolina, Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Missouri) that have had exceptional success in implementing this policy.
The Voting Rights Act's language minority provisions have consequences for election administrators nationwide, and this report highlights the challenges the requirements present, the role technology plays in the implementation of the provision, and pending litigation and legislation on the topic.
To what extent should the software code for electronic voting machines be available to the public? Hall explores the tradeoffs between expediency and transparency and concludes that giving the code to qualified individuals is the optimal solution.
The first in a series of reports examining Tennessee's election system, this study examines its voting machines and lays out recommendations for improving them.
This paper explores a number of issues in the current debate over voter fraud, offering a definition of the term, analyzes common types of alleged fraud, and evaluates a set of individual case studies.
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The U.S. Election Assistance Commission was established by the Help America Vote Act (2002) in order to serve as a resource for information and review
The voluntary guidelines update those passed in 2002 and are effective in December 2007
On July 13, the Election Assistance Commission held a public meeting to hear testimony on issues of polling place signage and ballot design from advocates and state officials.
Election Assistance Commission (EAC) stakeholders and representatives of other certification programs provide testimony regarding the implementation of the EAC Voting System Certification Program
Representatives from voter registration agencies, state boards of elections, voter registration organizations testified before the EAC on the efficacy of the NVRA.
The EAC will hear testimony on vote counting and recounting from representatives of Washington, Virginia, and California, as well as from election reform scholars.
The FEC enforces the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), discloses campaign finance information, and oversees the public funding of Presidential elections
The research of the GAO, an independent and nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, includes election reform issues
The Committee on House Administration is charged with the oversight of Federal elections, as well as the daily functions of the U.S. House of Representatives
The jurisdiction of the Committee on Rules and Administration encompasses Federal elections, among other things
Ned Foley’s post on Election Law @ Moritz delves into the issue of uncounted ballots. This category includes absentee ballots either wrongly rejected or arriving late (usually from overseas) and provisional ballots that haven’t yet been evaluated.
This article reviews the numerous issues and controversies involved in the implementation of electronic voting machines.
This report outlines the shortcomings of the NVRA's implementation over the past twelve years, and highlights particular areas for reform.
The survey reports statistics provided by the states and concludes, among other things, that many states are not currently tracking data in the manner HAVA requires and that states store data in different formats, which impedes data collection.
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) provides overseas and military citizens with “back-up” ballots when their application to vote is valid, but they have not received their general ballot in time.
As mandated by HAVA, the EAC analyses data on UOCAVA voters in the 2006 election, highlighting the challenges they face and making recommendations for improving the process in the future.
As part of a broader project to assess whether swing states are prepared for the resource challenges presented on Election Day, this report analyzes the situation in the state of New Mexico.
The Project provides accurate election statistics, electoral laws, research reports, and other useful information regarding the U.S. electoral system
The 2008 election cycle saw record numbers of new registrants, but many argue that there is still work to be done. This report summarizes the current state of registration policy in the United States and make a number of recommendations for reform.
Overseas and military voters present unique challenges for election officials, and this report surveys the state of the research on addressing these needs.
After Maryland adopted new Diebold voting machines. the authors conducted field testing on them and offer practical suggestions to improve access and reliability.
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Verified Voting is composed of an educational and a lobbying organization devoted to “championing reliable and publicly verifiable elections.” Verified Voting strongly favors the institution of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPAT).
In this piece, Election Reform Project intern Jamie Hester examines voting machine irregularities in New Jersey's presidential primary and calls for more transparency from systems manufacturers for investigating similar incidents in the future.
On Election Day, many voters are presented with a "straight-party option" on their ballots; here, Paul Herrnson and his team of researchers analyze the implications of that capability for voter accuracy.
Drawing on their extensive research on ballot design, David Kimball and Martha Kropf present a set of "dos and don'ts" for designing good ballots.
In this Roll Call column, the Election Reform Project's Norm Ornstein takes on a variety of "big picture" election reform issues addressed by new legislation in Congress.
In this piece, the Election Reform Project's Jessica Leval reviews Heather Gerken's book, The Democracy Index, which details a proposal for creating a ranking system for state and local governments based on the performance of their elections.
In this analysis, the Election Reform Project’s Molly Reynolds looks at what responses from a 2008 survey can tell us about what the public prefers in terms of election reform proposals—and the limits of relying on such data in this particular area.
In this analysis, the Election Reform Project's Jessica Leval describes administrative problems--both ones encountered as a individual voter, and ones that affected the city as a whole--in the recent District of Columbia primary.
In this piece, Election Reform Project staff examine a number of steps that election officials in Utah have taken to increase the security of their direct-recording electronic (DRE) voting systems.
Nearly one million Americans living overseas requested absentee ballots in 2004--but only a third were successfully cast. The Election Reform Project's Jessica Leval examines the issue of overseas voting and makes recommendations for improving the process.
In this piece, the Election Reform Project's examines evidence on problems with New Jersey's electronic voting machines and makes recommendations for reform.
Estimates put the number of poll workers needed for the 2008 election at nearly two million. This analysis explores the ways that a variety of jurisdictions address the challenges of recruiting, training, and retaining these workers.
This analysis from the Election Reform Project looks at a growing problem faced by election administrators--a shortage of poll workers--and makes suggestions on how local officials can ensure they have enough competant individuals to make Election Day run smoothly.
In this new piece, the Election Reform Project’s Jessica Leval reviews The Hidden Costs of Clean Election Reform, by Frederic Charles Schaffer, summarizing Schaffer’s major points and examples, and assessing his proposals for mitigating the potentially negative effects of policy change.
In this piece, staff from the Election Reform Project review the current state of play in the election reform research field.
In this analysis, Election Reform Project staff summarize a range of relevant research presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association and highlight a number of directions that future research is likely to take.
This analysis highlights the increasing importance of the Hispanic electorate and examines a number of the particular election administration issues that that community faces.
When the U.S. Senate reconvened to start the 111th Conngres, it did so with only one senator from Minnesota. Here, the Election Reform Project’s Jennifer Marsico examines ways that reforms to the election administration system could improve the recount process in that state.
Over the past three decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of absentee and early voters. This piece summarizes a range of early voting options and addressing several pending questions on the topic.
In this Roll Call column, the Election Reform Project's Norman Ornstein reacts to the Supreme Court's decision in the Indiana voter ID case by laying out a common sense approach for moving forward.
This analysis examines a number of issues related to voter confidence, its determinants, and what steps election administrators might take to help increase it.
In this piece, Election Reform Project staff members examine the unique issues presented by two groups of voters: the homeless and ex-felons.
This GAO survey examines local election officials’ views on managing voter registration lists and provisional ballots in the 2004 election
The Election Assistance Commission has produced voluntary guidelines for the statewide computerized voter registration lists that HAVA mandates.
In preparation for their final release in 2008, the EAC has released a draft of its new guidelines for voting machines.
The Vote by Mail Project serves as a source for education and advocacy efforts on behalf of vote by mail systems, which have become increasingly popular on the West Coast.
Doyle, Clerk & Recorder of Larimer County, Colorado, explains his county's experience with countywide Election Day vote centers.
The state of Indiana, for example, piloted vote centers in three counties in 2008, and a report from one county summarizes their experience, highlighting voters’ satisfaction with the process and the cost savings produced by the switch.
Carrier examines flaws in electronic voting, including reduced transparency and security controls, as well as vote counting flaws in the 2004 election. Carrier concludes with suggestions to improve vote counting, including voter-verifiable paper trails, open source software, and random audits.
Voter fears of fraud have been offered as a justification for the strict ID requirements enacted in Indiana and elsewhere, but as the authors of this article find, citizens' perceptions of fraud have no relationship to whether or not they turn out to vote.
Still’s blog discusses issues in election, voting, and campaign finance law, among other things
Voter Assurance | JULY 2007
In this article, the author highlights the importance of voter confidence in voting systems and examines how to increase that confidence as election reforms are enacted.
This report examines some of the determinants of voter confidence in elections, looking specifically at support for a winning candidate and access to a voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT).
Drawing on exit poll data from 2006 collected in California, New Mexico, and Washington, this paper concludes that immigrant and minority voters are significantly less likely to provide multiple forms of identification.
This study examines various perspectives on the creation of a photo identification requirement for voters, and argues that careful review of existing research, as well as new empirical examinations, are necessary before lawmakers implement new policy.
This report explores one of the fundamental claims being made in the Indiana voter ID case--that a large number of people would be dienfranchised because they lack the necessary ID--and suggests that the problem may not be as widespread as some have argued.
Recognizing the increasing use of the internet by voters to obtain information about all aspect of the elections process, this study examines web sites aimed at providing information about where and when to vote, how to request an absentee ballot, and a range of other information.
Voter Purges (PDF) | SEPTEMBER 2008
This report examines voter purges (the removal of individuals from the voter rolls), summarizing types of purges and the problems associated with them and making policy recommendations for the reform of their use.
Voter registration issues proved to be one of the most persistent problems affecting voters' experiences during the 2008 election. In this article, Dan Tokaji examines a range of legal and policy issues that arose and proposes a framework for reform.
Challenges faced by some new registrants in 2008 highlighted the need to modernize the overall system and procedures involved in the registration process. This report makes a series of recommendations for reform in this area.
Fischer and Coleman identify characteristics of ideal voter registration systems but conclude that states currently lack of standards measuring successful implementation as well as metrics for those standards.
In this paper, the authors highlight several ways that improper removal could occur under current list matching procedures and argue for several measures to guard against the accidental removal of registered voters from the rolls.
This study evaluates the experience of both voters and election officials with a voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) pilot program in three Georgia counties during the 2006 election.
This report explores a wide range of topics related to the 2006 elections in Missouri, including the accuracy of voter registration lists, voter identification issues, and accessibility of equipment for disabled voters.
Rather than submit a provisional ballot, some unregistered voters are able to both register and vote on Election Day. Same Day Registration has been enacted in nine states and the District of Columbia. This memo explores this policy’s effect on turnout.
After briefly exploring the history of the manipulation of elections in the U.S., this article discusses the inevitablity of a certain level of error and lays out a set of approaches, drawn from engineering, to examine the issue of security.
This paper attempts to replicate widely-cited results from a prior study that show that voting-by-mail increases turnout in Oregon. They conclude that any increases derive from the novelty of a new voting technique and from unique circumstances surrounding the first three vote-by-mail elections.
Responding to a request regarding the feasibility of adopting a vote-by-mail system in Los Angeles, the City Clerk wrote this memo. In it she discusses the potential impact of this change on voter turnout and the cost of implementing such a program.
This report examines ten states with a history of election problems and potentially close races in the 2006 election cycle. Asking "are we any better off today than we were two years ago?," the authors explore issues including voter registration, voter identification, and pollworker recruitment.
In this analysis, Tova Wang assesses the 2008 election, arguing that work remains to be done despite the lack of a catastrophic meltdown.
Examining ten states that are likely to be very competitive during the 2008, presidential election, this report summarizes a variety of challenges they are likely to face in areas including voter registration, voter identification, and poll worker recruitment and training.
The VRA effectively prohibited discriminatory denial of the right to vote. Its passage ended the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, and other methods used to disenfranchise minorities.
Using information from Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, this report documents the failure in Alabama to enforce 2003 law designed to expedite voter resoration rights to people who have completed their sentences for certain crimes.
In March of 2007, the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project held a workshop designed to bring researchers and industry representatives together in an effort to identify key questions in voting technology.
This VTP working paper reviews aspects of voting during the 2008 elections: the people involved, the process that took place, and the technological aspects of voting. Hall also discusses the state of voting technology in the U.S. and around the world, and suggests improvements.
Tokaji assesses the history of problems in voting technology, the current state of affairs, and suggestions for future reform.
Drawn from a symposium held at Harvard, this paper suggests best practices for the implementation of new voting technology, strongly endorses voter-verified paper trails, and calls for increased poll worker training.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recommends that the EAC broaden the scope of its definition of voter verifiable paper audit trails (VVPAT) currently contained in its 2005 voluntary voting system guidelines. NIST also proposes a scheme to audit VVPATs effectively.
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In this analysis piece, Dan Tokaji argues that Congress--whose primary election reform-related attention is focused on the paper trail debate--should instead be focusing on issues like ID requirements and statewide voter registration databases.
The CRS surveys more than 1,500 local election officials in fifty states regarding their views on voting systems, HAVA, and voting system vendors
In this article, the author, a computer scientist, summarizes a number of potential explanations for the undervote problem in Florida's 13th Congressional District in 2006, and offers several ideas for future progress.
In this analysis, Daniel Tokaji examines a controversy in Wisconsin related to its new statewide voter registration database, and highlights several problems that could occur nationwide this November.
This report reviews individual state guidelines regarding registration when voters move, and finds that they are inconsistently applied, confusing to both voters and officials, and that current federal and state law protections are overly limiting.
This paper examines the question of where college students can and should vote, concluding that college towns cannot exclude them from registering, but that they can require those wanting to register to demonstrate residence in other ways.
Where's the Voter Fraud? | DECEMBER 2006
Is voter fraud at the polling place really a problem? In this piece, Tova Wang presents one perspective on the issue, arguing that the situation has been significantly overstated.
Alvarez, Hall, and Llewellyn's survey examines public preferences for election administration-whether elections should be run by partisan or nonpartisan officials, whether the officials should be elected or appointed, and whether elections should be administered by a single individual or commission.
The authors analyzed the effects of Oregon's Vote by Mail provisions using individual-level turnout data. Though the system raised overall turnout, it did so by making it easier for regular voters to continue voting, rather than by introducing new voters. is obtained in a counterintuitive way.
In this analysis, Edward Foley examines a range of issues surrounding the judges who might hear the Franken-Coleman election contest in Minnesota and makes recommendations to help reach a fair outcome.
Alvarez, Hall, and Sinclair find that certain types of absentee ballots and voters have higher likelihoods of their ballots being counted but that partisan composition is not a significant determining factor.
Bringing their expertise in election reform with them, the electionline.org staff traveled to various potential hotspots around the country on Election Day. Read their analysis of election administration procedures, the impact of new laws and requirements, and more.
Taking advantage of a "natural experiment" in California, this report challenges the assumption that voting by mail will increase voter turnout across the board while highlighting other potential costs and benefits.
In this paper, the authors examine one specific aspect of the debate over voter identification by analyzing which segments of the population possess driver's licenses and how those individuals are likely to vote.
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Faced with mounting five elections in one twelve month period, the San Francisco Department of Elections has faced a wide range of administration challenges; this report examines those issues and makes recommendations for improvement.
While the debate over the efficacy of abandoning recently acquired electronic voting systems continues across the country, this report makes recommendations on how jurisdictions can increase the security of the systems they already have in the interim.
In this report, Project Vote examines issues in the security and administration of various forms of voting by mail and lays out recommendations to improve the process.
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