Building Secure and Transparent Elections Through Standard Operating Procedures (PDF)
Restoring public confidence in the electoral system remains an overarching objective of election reform efforts nationwide, and various researchers have proposed different, specific policy options for reaching this objective. In a new report, R. Michael Alvarez and Thad Hall explore how thorough and standardized chain of custody procedures can help avert election fraud and make recommendations regarding best practices for their implementation.

Read the report (PDF).
Featured Resources
U.S. Election Assistance Commission Public Meeting: Effective Ballot Design and Polling Place Signage | JULY 2006
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
On July 13, the Election Assistance Commission held a public meeting to hear testimony on issues of polling place signage and ballot design from advocates and state officials.
Long Lines, Voting Machine Availability, and Turnout: The Case of Franklin County, Ohio in the 2004 Presidential Election (PDF) | 2005
Benjamin Highton (University of California, Davis), PS: Political Science & Politics
Using precint-level data from Franklin County, Ohio, Highton finds a causal link between voting machine scarcity and lower voter turnout. He notes, however, that much of the association between machine availability and voter turnout is caused by factors other than machine availability.
Registration Bottlenecks: Will They Be a Problem in ’08? | JULY 2008
Nathan Cemenska, Election Law @ Moritz
With states facing record numbers of new registrants for this election cycle, this analysis examines the challenges that may arise, including with third-party registration groups and with the matching of social security and/or driver's license numbers.
Viewpoint: Reform Before, During, and After | JULY 2007
Timothy J. Ryan, AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project
Voting, Vote Capture, and Vote Counting Symposium (PDF) | JUNE 2004
Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Drawn from a symposium held at Harvard, this paper suggests best practices for the implementation of new voting technology, strongly endorses voter-verified paper trails, and calls for increased poll worker training.
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.
Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project
Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project
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
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.
Early Voting Information Center
Reed College
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.
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