AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project

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Election Reform Newsletter, Issue #73

Election Reform Newsletter

April 15, 2009

On Topic: Election Administration

Leveraging Levels of Government for Reform

Effective election administration requires collaboration between federal, state, and local officials, and two new reports explore specific ways to leverage different levels of government to improve practices. A study from the Brennan Center focuses on reform in Ohio, while a Georgetown Law Journal article examines the procurement process for voting systems.
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»	REPORT: "Final Report, 2008-2009, Ohio Election Summit and Conference" (PDF), Lawrence Norden with Jessie Allen, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law (April 2009)

»	REPORT: "Procurement at the Polls: How Sharing Responsibility for Acquiring Voting Machines Can Improve and Restore Confidence in American Voting Systems" (PDF), Philip J. Peisch, Georgetown Law Journal (April 2009)


Is an Index the Answer?

Since 2000, election reform experts and advocates have been attempting to gain traction for systemic change to the nation’s election system with limited success. On April 7, the Election Reform Project hosted a discussion exploring a new book by Heather Gerken of Yale Law School that advocates bringing sustained attention to the need for reform through a “Democracy Index” that ranks state and local governments on the performance of their election systems. Read more »


Permitting Watchers at the Polling Place

Academics and advocates alike find sending observers to polling places on Election Day extremely useful, but in some states like Ohio, their efforts have been challenged under state law. This article from the Harvard Journal on Legislation explores the constitutionality of poll watcher statutes, arguing that laws permitting their presence at voting locations are permissible under the U.S. Constitution. Read more »

New Resources

ELECTION ADMINISTRATION


Viewpoint: How Do You Measure Election Reform? Jessica Leval AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project (April 2009)

The 2008 Election: A Look Back on What Went Right and Wrong U.S. House Committee on House Administration (March 2009)

VOTING INTEGRITY


Inventing the "Right to Vote" in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board (PDF) Thomas Basile Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy (April 2009)


VOTER REGISTRATION


Election Day Registration: Best Practices (PDF) Dēmos (March 2009)

America Goes to the Polls: A Report on Turnout on the 2008 Election (PDF) Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network (March 2009)

MORE ON ELECTION REFORM

» Voter Registration
» Voter Access
» Early and Absentee Voting
» Provisional Balloting
» Technology Issues
» Election Administration
» Voting Integrity
» More Resources

Events

Check here for information about future election reform events.

» Events

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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