The <i>Other</i> Early Voting Debate
FEBRUARY 2007
The Other Early Voting Debate
While the media focuses on how the primary calendar for 2008 means that votes will be cast earlier than ever before, researchers are asking other questions about early and absentee voting. A report from the Early Voting Information Center examines whether early voting has a positive impact on turnout, while the EAC is exploring reforms to the absentee ballot process.
Featured Resources
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.
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 authors examine the effects of past reforms such as vote by mail and election-day registration as well as the results of the year 2000 primary election in Arizona and determine that the implementation of Internet voting would likely be detrimental to minority representation.
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.
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.
This project aims to evaluate the current state of reliability and uniformity of U.S. voting systems; to establish uniform attributes and quantitative guidelines for performance and reliability of voting systems; and to propose specific uniform guidelines and requirements for reliable voting systems
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.
Directed by early voting scholar Paul Gronke and housed at Reed College, the Early Voting Information Center provides news and research on and a state-by-state overview of early voting issues.
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
www.aei.org
The Brookings Institution
www.brookings.edu
© Copyright 2006, AEI
and The Brookings Institution