Back to the Future: Considering New Voting Systems
SEPTEMBER 19, 2007
Back to the Future: Considering New Voting Systems
With paper trail legislation on the calendar for consideration in Congress this week, voting system issues remain in the spotlight. The EAC has released a draft of new voting machine guidelines, while the Election Reform Project’s Tim Ryan has weighed in on the importance of considering new technologies when developing policy in the field.
Featured Resources
Using data collected via exit polls at the three sites in Georgia during the 2006 election, this paper reveals that voters generally found the electronic voting system with a paper trail easy to use and expressed high levels of confidence in the systems' accuracy and security.
Foley's blog explores a wide range of election reform issues from a legal perspective.
This report explores the usability of various voting systems and examines different ways in which local election administrators can maximize the usability of their systems. Particular areas of focus include residual vote rates and voter confidence in voting systems.
Stewart III’s working paper examines the decrease in the residual vote rate between the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections and attributes it to better voting machines, as well as non-technology factors, including improved administrative practices and fewer voter abstentions
In this analysis piece, Dan Tokaji argues that Congress--whose primary election reform-related attention is focused on the paper trail debate--should instead be focusing on issues like ID requirements and statewide voter registration databases.
Research Projects
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.
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 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.
As part of its broader research focus on elections, campaign ethics, campaign finance, and the legislative process, the Center for American Politics and Citizenship at the University of Maryland is engaged in research projects on voting technology and ballot design specifically.
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
www.aei.org
The Brookings Institution
www.brookings.edu
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and The Brookings Institution