AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project

Election Reform Newsletter, Issue #47

Election Reform Newsletter

March 5, 2008

On Topic: Election Administration

Proposals for Progress

While research highlighting widespread problems in election administration often proves useful to policymakers and local officials, concrete suggestions on areas for improvement can be even more valuable. In a new piece, MIT’s Ted Selker lays out eight steps to improve the conduct of November’s election, while a new report recommends better management practices for the EAC.
Read more »


»	OPINION/ANALYSIS: "Viewpoint: Eight Immediate Steps to Avoid Over One Million Lost Votes in November 2008," Ted Selker (Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project), AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project (March 2008)

»	REPORT: "Assessment of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission's Program and Financial Operations" (PDF), Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Election Assistance Commission (February 2008)


Paper Ballots: Back to the Future?

Only six years after spending millions of dollars to purchase new direct recording electronic (DRE) voting systems under the auspices of the Help America Vote Act, states across the country are reacting to voter confidence and security concerns and moving away from touch-screen balloting. A new study from electionline.org examines six states that have gone from paper to DRE back to paper and explores whether additional states are likely to follow the same path. Read more »


Feelings About Fraud: The Public and ID Laws

With the Supreme Court hearing a challenge to Indiana’s voter identification law in January, voter fraud issues have been the subject of significant debate both in the media and in the reform community. Courts have thus far pointed to prevalent fears of voter fraud as a justification for ID requirements, but in a new article, Stephen Ansolabehere and Nathaniel Persily determine that voters’ perceptions of fraud do not have an effect on whether or not they turn out to vote. Read more »

New Resources

TECHNOLOGY ISSUES


Internet Voting in Estonia (PDF) Alexander Trechsel (European University Institute), R. Michael Alvarez (Caltech), and Thad Hall (University of Utah) Caltech-MIT Voting Technology Project (January 2008)

Study Shows Ballot Design and Voter Preparation Could Have Eliminated Sarasota Florida Voting Errors (PDF) Ted Selker Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project (February 2008)

VOTING INTEGRITY


Report of the Investigation into the November 2, 2004 General Election in the City of Milwaukee (PDF) Special Investigations Unit, Milwaukee Police Department (February 2008)


ELECTION ADMINISTRATION


Ohio's Primary: What Will Go Wrong? Daniel Tokaji Election Law @ Moritz (March 2008)

Judging Cuyahoga and Ohio Electoral Success (PDF) Center for Election Integrity, Cleveland State University (March 2008)

MORE ON ELECTION REFORM

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

Events

Voting Technology: The Not-So-Simple Act of Casting a Ballot
AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project
March 21, 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.

» Read More

The Brookings Alert
is a weekly e-mail of events, activities, and publications from the Brookings Institution. Sign up for the Alert on the Brookings homepage.

AEI in an Instant
is a bi-weekly e-mail of events, publications, and other activities at AEI. Sign up for AEI in an Instant on the AEI homepage.


	To unsubscribe from the Election Reform Newsletter, click here or send a blank e-mail to: %%email.unsub%%.



	The Election Reform Newsletter is a periodic e-mail publication from AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project http://www.electionreformproject.org

	AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW \| Washington, DC 20036

Quick Start Management Guide for Voting System Certification (PDF) | AUGUST 2007

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Part of a series, this guide provides advice for election officials on issues such as testing voting systems at the national and state levels and how to read certification numbers.

Maryland Registered Voters' Opinions About Voting and Voting Technologies (PDF) | FEBRUARY 2006

Donald F. Norris, National Center for the Study of Elections, Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research

In a telephone study of 800 Maryland voters, the state's new voting system received largely favorable ratings on issues of efficiency, reliability, and trustworthiness. Many respondents, however, also displayed a lack of familiarity with concepts like paper trails and voting receipts.

Threat Analysis Survey (PDF) | 2005

electionline.org, University of Utah Center for Public Policy and Administration, Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project

The survey is currently being conducted to measure respondents’ perception of threat or risk of voting systems.

Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) Survey Report (PDF) | SEPTEMBER 2007

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

As mandated by HAVA, the EAC analyses data on UOCAVA voters in the 2006 election, highlighting the challenges they face and making recommendations for improving the process in the future.

Political Participation and the Accessability of the Ballot Box (PDF) | JUNE 2003

James Gimpel and Jason E. Schuknecht, Political Geography

Authors use voter turnout records to determine the effect of polling place accessibility on voter turnout, and find that easy accessibility does in fact raise turnout.

More Resources »

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.

Electionline.org

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.

More Research Projects »