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AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project Launch
February 08, 2006
On Wednesday, February 8, 2006, Senator Barack Obama delivered a keynote address to inaugurate the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project. Norman Ornstein, Resident Scholar at AEI, and Thomas Mann, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, then moderated a discussion of the past and future of election reform among experts in election law, technology, and administration. See below for panelist information, the conference agenda, and a complete video and transcript of the event.

Transcript
Video Event Agenda:

Introduction:
Strobe Talbott, President, The Brookings Institution

Keynote Address:
The Honorable Barack Obama, United States Senator, Illinois

Panel One: HAVA – How Is It Working?

Moderator:

Norman Ornstein, Resident Scholar, AEI

Panelists:
Paul DeGregorio, Chair, Election Assistance Commission
Honorable Deborah Markowitz, Vermont Secretary of State
Doug Chapin, Director, electionline.org

Panel Two: Election Reform – Looking Ahead

Moderator:
Thomas Mann, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

Panelists:
Michael Alvarez, Professor and Director of the Cal Tech-MIT Voting Technology Project
Richard Hasen, the William H. Hannon Distinguished Professor of Law, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
Robert Pastor, Executive Director, Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform
Paul Vinovich, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration


Featured Resources
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 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 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.
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 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.
Research Projects
Election Law @ Moritz, run through Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University, contains both explanation and commentary on a wealth of election reform issues from a legal perspective.
Center for Democracy & Election Management was established at the School of Public Affairs at American University in 2002. Their broader goal is to pave the way for and strengthen democracy through improved electoral performance.
The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law is a non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on fundamental issues of democracy and justice.
electionline.org provides daily news updates on election reform issues, as well as deeper analysis of selected topics, including recent reports on voter registration, recount procedures, and the progress in implementing the Help America Vote Act since 2002.
Dēmos is a non-partisan public policy research and advocacy organization founded in 2000. A multi-issue national organization, Dēmoscombines research, policy development, and advocacy to influence public debates and catalyze change.
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