What Happens When Voters Don't "Match"?
Among the Help America Vote Act (HAVA)’s mandates was a requirement that all states develop and utilize statewide voter registration databases, and that these databases match voter information against other records to ensure accuracy. In this analysis, Daniel Tokaji of Election Law @ Moritz examines a recent controversy in Wisconsin related to database matching, and highlights several problems that could occur nationwide this November.

Read the analysis here.
Featured Resources
From Punchcards to Touchscreens: Some Evidence from Pasco County, Florida on the Effects of Changing Voting Technology (PDF) | APRIL 2006
Michael C. Harron (Dartmouth College) and Jeffrey B. Lewis (University of California, Los Angeles)
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.
Electronic Voting Machines in South Carolina: A Position Paper (PDF) | NOVEMBER 2004
Duncan Buell and Carter Bays (University of South Carolina), Committee on a Framework for Understanding Electronic Voting, National Research Council of the National Academies
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.
Viewpoint: Reform Before, During, and After | JULY 2007
Timothy J. Ryan, AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project
Additional Data Could Help State and Local Elections Officials Maintain Accurate Voter Registration Lists (PDF) | JUNE 2005
U.S. Government Accountability Office
The GAO analyzes how select states maintain their voter registration lists and determines which additional data could facilitate the process.
A Review of Proposed Voluntary Voting System Guidelines
A Review of Proposed Voluntary Voting System Guidelines | MAY 2008
AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project VVSG Task Force
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.
More Resources  »
  Back To Top
Research Projects
Election Law @ Moritz
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.
Electionline.org
Electionline.org
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.
More Research Projects  »
  Back To Top
Related Topics
Project made possible by:
Voter Registration |  Voter Access |  Early and Absentee Voting |  Provisional Balloting |  Technology Issues |  Election Administration |  Voting Integrity |  Events | About Us | Contact Us | Projects and Experts | Resources | Home
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
www.aei.org
The Brookings Institution
www.brookings.edu
© Copyright 2006, AEI
and The Brookings Institution