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.

Ensuring that Provisional Ballots are Counted
Based upon election data collected since the passage of HAVA, this Project Vote memo recommends adopting a number of policies in order to increase the number of provisional ballots counted in future elections. These include counting provisional ballots separately for each office on the ballot, to allow for votes for state-level and nationwide offices to be included in the vote tally, and altering the provisional ballot to be distinguishable from regular ballots and easier to understand.

Read the memo here.
Featured Resources
The Indiana Election Division published its Outreach Library for the 2010 elections. Among the resources available for both voters and election officials are guides for military and overseas voters, voter identification requirement outlines, and a handbook for election officials.
This supplemental report provides in-depth information on each state's election system.
This analysis finds that 70% of the more than two million provisional ballots submitted nationwide during the 2008 election were counted. It also finds that the major reason for rejected provisional ballots was that the voter was not registered in the state.
The Ohio Secretary of State conducted this legislative analysis of House Bill 260, the election enhancements bill introduced by State Representatives Dan Stewart and Tracy Heard.
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.
Research Projects
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.
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.
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.
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.
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
www.aei.org
The Brookings Institution
www.brookings.edu
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