Feature Archive | |
Early & Absentee Voting |
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In its first mayoral election since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans exceeded expectations for efficiency and turnout. The state's massive voter education campaign, large multi-precinct vote centers, and use of early and absentee voting yielded a turnout of 36 percent, down only 10 percent from 2002. What can we learn from New Orleans and other cities and states?
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Election Day may have been November 7, but countless citizens across the country cast their ballots in advance. The Election Reform Project’s John Fortier has taken a look at early and absentee balloting issues in a new book, while the GAO recently released a report on the particular challenges facing military voters.
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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.
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While U.S. elections are administered largely at the local level, the issues that officials face extend far outside the boundaries of their jurisdictions. One new report examines how overseas voting is managed across the country, while another offers solutions to the particular problems confronted by military voters.
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An estimated six million Americans living abroad are eligible to vote in federal elections, and they present administrators with unique challenges. A new report from electionline.org looks at these concerns, and innovations that address them, while members of the Election Reform Project team weigh in on the issue as well.
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Citing costs and administrative concerns, Florida Democrats have abandoned a plan to redo that state’s presidential primary by mail, and the decision is likely to be welcomed by various election reform experts who have highlighted the proposal’s potential shortcomings.
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Thanks to rise of early voting, going to polls has become easier for many citizens, and a new analysis examines the demographics of who votes early, and why they do so. Overseas military voters, on the other hand, have been experiencing significant difficulty in voting, and a new study highlights the specific challenges they face and recommends reforms.
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Despite continued efforts to improve their voting experience, military voters and other eligible Americans living overseas continue to encounter challenges when they try to cast their ballots. The Committee on House Administration recently explored this issue; while a new report tackles the basic, yet complicated, question of how many such voters exist.
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On October 28, 2009 the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act was signed into law. This bill represents the largest overhaul in military voting since UOCAVA and the most substantial federal election law change since HAVA. Senator Charles Schumer’s statement on the Senate Floor emphasizes its significance, and a factsheet summarizes the provisions of the MOVE Act.
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We launched the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project in June 2005 with the encouragement and financial support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Five years later we bring the project to a close. We take this opportunity to reflect on the state of election administration in the United States almost a decade after the extended and controversial Florida vote count in the 2000 presidential election and suggest how additional changes in technology, election law and administrative practices might further strengthen American elections in the years ahead.
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