The 2006 Elections: Are Voting Systems Up to the Task?
SEPTEMBER 2006
The 2006 Elections: Are Voting Systems Up to the Task?
Mishaps during recent primaries in Maryland raised important questions about the readiness of electronic voting systems for November’s elections. Reports from the Election Science Institute and the National Academies have examined similar issues, and an upcoming Election Reform Project event will seek to offer answers as well.
Featured Resources
The CRS surveys more than 1,500 local election officials in fifty states regarding their views on voting systems, HAVA, and voting system vendors
This paper, part of the Committee on a Framework for Understanding Electronic Voting initiative at the National Research Council of the National Academies, lays out criteria for evaluating new voting systems.
This report summarizes the variety of voting systems used in the states, territories, and the District of Columbia, how these systems are certified, the other procedures used to ensure their security and accuracy, and how problems with the systems are addressed.
Part of the GAO's continued investigation into the large number of undervotes in the 13th District of Florida in 2006, this report summarizes the results of testing already completed and discusses whether future testing should be pursued.
This Executive Summary provides the results of two studies commissioned by the Maryland State Board of Elections to investigate the technical and usability issues of various voting products with verification features.
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
© Copyright 2006, AEI
and The Brookings Institution