Thank you for following the work of the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project. We’ll continue looking at the issues of election reform at AEI and Brookings. For new work on congressional redistricting, please visit www.redistrictingproject.org.

Evaluating On-line Training
Election Day success is dependent on the performance of poll workers, but improving the training of this crucial segment of election administrators is often overlooked by officials. A pilot study, conducted in Ohio and Texas counties, examined the effectiveness of combining traditional in-person poll worker training with on-line educational tools. Those who participated in on-line training were more confident in their work, knew the specifics of their job better, and ultimately performed better on Election Day. While limited to studying the efficacy of a single on-line training tool, the results from this study provide evidence to support further research into and implementation of on-line training resources to better prepare poll workers for their important work.

Read the report here.
Featured Resources
As election officials continue to prepare for the November midterm elections, Project Vote has assembled comprehensive recommendations to improve election administration in 11 states.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Research Projects
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.
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.
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.
FairVote develops and promotes practical strategies to improve elections at the local, state and national levels.
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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