Election Reform Newsletter, Issue #47
Election Reform Newsletter
AEI | The Brookings Institution.
March 5, 2008
Election Reform Newsletter.
On Topic.New Resources.Events. Forward to a Colleague.
On Topic: Election Administration
While research highlighting widespread problems in election administration often proves useful to policymakers and local officials, concrete suggestions on areas for improvement can be even more valuable. In a new piece, MIT’s Ted Selker lays out eight steps to improve the conduct of November’s election, while a new report recommends better management practices for the EAC.
Read more »
»  OPINION/ANALYSIS: "Viewpoint: Eight Immediate Steps to Avoid Over One Million Lost Votes in November 2008," Ted Selker (Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project), AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project (March 2008)
»  REPORT: "Assessment of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission's Program and Financial Operations" (PDF), Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Election Assistance Commission (February 2008)
 
 
 
 
Only six years after spending millions of dollars to purchase new direct recording electronic (DRE) voting systems under the auspices of the Help America Vote Act, states across the country are reacting to voter confidence and security concerns and moving away from touch-screen balloting. A new study from electionline.org examines six states that have gone from paper to DRE back to paper and explores whether additional states are likely to follow the same path.
Read more »
 
 
 
With the Supreme Court hearing a challenge to Indiana’s voter identification law in January, voter fraud issues have been the subject of significant debate both in the media and in the reform community. Courts have thus far pointed to prevalent fears of voter fraud as a justification for ID requirements, but in a new article, Stephen Ansolabehere and Nathaniel Persily determine that voters’ perceptions of fraud do not have an effect on whether or not they turn out to vote.
Read more »
 

New Resources
TECHNOLOGY ISSUES
Internet Voting in Estonia (PDF)
Alexander Trechsel (European University Institute), R. Michael Alvarez (Caltech), and Thad Hall (University of Utah)
Caltech-MIT Voting Technology Project (January 2008)
Study Shows Ballot Design and Voter Preparation Could Have Eliminated Sarasota Florida Voting Errors (PDF)
Ted Selker
Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project (February 2008)
VOTING INTEGRITY
Report of the Investigation into the November 2, 2004 General Election in the City of Milwaukee (PDF)
Special Investigations Unit, Milwaukee Police Department (February 2008)
ELECTION ADMINISTRATION
Ohio's Primary: What Will Go Wrong?
Daniel Tokaji
Election Law @ Moritz (March 2008)
Judging Cuyahoga and Ohio Electoral Success (PDF)
Center for Election Integrity, Cleveland State University (March 2008)
MORE ON ELECTION REFORM
 
Events
Voting Technology: The Not-So-Simple Act of Casting a Ballot
AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project
March 21, 2008
Washington, DC
 
 
About The Election
Reform Project
The AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project aims to synthesize election-related research, link the research and policy communities, track and assist the implemen-
tation of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and encourage improvements in HAVA and in election conduct and administration.
 
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Featured Resources
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.
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.
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.
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.
Research Projects
Project Vote is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) that works to empower, educate, and mobilize low-income, minority, youth, and other marginalized and under-represented voters.
FairVote develops and promotes practical strategies to improve elections at the local, state and national levels.
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.
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.
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.
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