AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project

Election Reform Newsletter, Issue #59

Election Reform Newsletter

September 17, 2008

On Topic: Election 2008

Problems in November: Predictions and Preparations

With approximately six weeks to go before Election Day 2008, election administrators are attempting to anticipate potential problem areas and take the appropriate steps to address them. A new resource from Election Law @ Moritz highlights possible legal issues in key states, while, at the federal level, the Senate Judiciary Committee recently examined the Justice Department’s readiness for November.
Read more »


»	RESOURCE: "Key Questions for Key States," Election Law @ Moritz (September 2008)

»	HEARING/EVENT: "Protecting the Right to Vote: Oversight of the Department of Justice's Preparations for the 2008 General Election," U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary (September 2008)


A Closer Look at Laboratories

Under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), voting systems nationwide must be certified before they can be used. In response to concerns about the Election Assistance Commission’s program to sanction laboratories that perform this vital testing, the GAO recently undertook a review of the accreditation process, finding many effective procedures but also laying out a number of steps that could be taken to improve the overall system. Read more »


Revisiting the Research Landscape

While much of the country was focusing its attention on the national party conventions in late August, political scientists had an additional object of interest: the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association. In this analysis, Election Reform Project staff summarize a range of relevant research presented at the conference and highlight a number of directions that future research is likely to take. Read more »

New Resources

ELECTION ADMINISTRATION


Uniformity in Election Administration: A 2008 Survey of Swing State County Clerks, New Mexico Edition (PDF) Daniel Weaver, Alison McNeely, and Adam Fogel FairVote (August 2008)

Electoral Administration in the United Kingdom (PDF) Electoral Commission of the United Kingdom (August 2008)

VOTING INTEGRITY


Absentee Ballot Fraud: A Stolen Election in Greene County, Alabama (PDF) Hans A. von Spakovsky Heritage Foundation (September 2008)


Voter Registration


State Restrictions on Community-Based Voter Registration Drives (PDF) Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law (August 2008)

Election Law Litigation: Van Hollen v. Government Accountability Board Election Law @ Moritz (September 2008)

MORE ON ELECTION REFORM

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

Events

Public Meeting
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
September 18, 2008
Washington, DC

» 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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Voters Win with Same Day Registration | JANUARY 2010

Dēmos

Rather than submit a provisional ballot, some unregistered voters are able to both register and vote on Election Day. Same Day Registration has been enacted in nine states and the District of Columbia. This memo explores this policy’s effect on turnout.

Expanding Democracy: Voter Registration Around the World (PDF) | JUNE 2009

Jennifer S. Rosenberg & Margaret Chen, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law

This report studies voter registration systems in sixteen countries and in four provinces in Canada, assessing different technologies. From these results the authors propose strategies taken from these countries' experiences that can be applied to voter registration in the United States.

Procurement & the Polls: How Sharing Responsibility for Acquiring Voting Machines Can Improve and Restore Confidence in American Voting Systems (PDF) | APRIL 2009

Phillip J. Peisch, Georgetown Law Journal

This article explores the ways that various states distribute authority for the purchase of new voting technology, and argues that the procurement process can be improved through cooperation and shared responsibility.

Recommendations for Making Voter Registration Automatic and Portable | DECEMBER 2009

Governor's Commission on Strengthening Utah's Democracy

Convened to provide guidance to the state of Utah in the areas of election law, the Commission made recommendations regarding voter registration. Joining a number of other groups in proposing automatic voter registration, the Commission adopted all of its recommendations unanimously.

A Right to Vote: Modernizing Voter Registration | OCTOBER 2009

Tova Andrea Wang, Demos

Tova Andrea Wang makes the case for modernizing voter registration practices in the states, in the context of the upcoming gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia. Both states have large percentages of recently naturalized and first generation Americans.

More Resources »

Dēmos

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.

Brennan Center for Justice

NYU School of Law

The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law is a non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on fundamental issues of democracy and justice.

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.

Center for Democracy & Election Management

Center for Democracy & Election Management was established at the School of Public Affairs at American University in 2002. Their broader goal is to pave the way for and strengthen democracy through improved electoral performance.

FairVote

FairVote develops and promotes practical strategies to improve elections at the local, state and national levels.

More Research Projects »