The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives about Election Administration

Election Data Dispatches

Election Data Dispatches provides data, research and analysis about election administration in the U.S.

Voting Information Tools Used by Millions

When it comes to finding your polling place, more people are looking online than ever before. The Voting Information Project (VIP), developed by The Pew Charitable Trusts and Google in partnership with state and local election offices, provides voters with the information they need, when they need it, and in the place — online — they are most likely to look for it.

Full Elections Performance Index Data Now Online

Pew’s Elections Performance Index, or EPI, released last February, was the first empirical examination of election administration performance and policy across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Online Voter Lookup Tools

How do voters find the information they need on and before Election Day? Many voters turn to online resources, such as state election websites, to find polling locations, the status of absentee ballots, and other key information before casting their votes.

Who Uses Online Voter Registration in Maryland?

A recent analysis of Maryland’s online voter registration system finds that new voters using the online system are slightly more likely to register as Republicans compared to those registering by paper.

Democrats, Voting Rights Activists Strike Back on Elections Laws

In 2012 Democrats were focused on fighting against voter ID laws and other measures that restricted voting. Now they are turning the tables.

Long Lines at the Polls in Rhode Island in 2012

In reviewing the November general election, Rhode Island’s House Committee on Oversight found a number of reasons for the long lines voters encountered at several polling places.

2012 Absentee Voting Rates in Mississippi Vary by County

A 2012 post-election report by the Mississippi secretary of state’s office shows that statewide, 1,285,584 ballots were cast in last year’s presidential election. Of those ballots, 106,722, or 8.3 percent, were absentee. Looking across the state’s 82 counties, however, the report found significant variation in the rate of absentee voting.

Fewer Minnesota Absentee Ballots Rejected in 2012 Election

A recent report from the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of the State found that even though more than twice as many absentee ballots were cast in 2012 than in 2010, fewer were rejected in last November’s general election.

Infographic: Online Lookup Tools For Voters 2012

How do voters find the information they need on and before Election Day? Third in a series of reports on this subject, Pew outlines which online election tools are made available for voters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Which tools does your state offer?

Prince William County, VA, 2012 Election Analysis

Like its neighbor Fairfax County, Prince William County, VA, established a bipartisan task force to examine long lines faced by some of its voters at the polls during last November’s general election.

States Push Bills to Ease Voting

Nearly half the states are considering measures to ease voting access, according to a new report.

North Carolina Provisional Ballots

North Carolina provides access on its board of elections website to some of the most detailed elections data in the country. This includes information about provisional ballots cast, such as not only the number but also why they were issued—hard-to-find data in most states.

Early Ballots and Provisional Voting in Pima County, AZ

After the November 2012 election, Pima County, AZ, joined its neighbor, Maricopa County, in providing detailed postelection data, specifically related to provisional ballots

Long Lines at the Polls in Fairfax County, VA

A recently released report from the Bipartisan Election Process Improvement Commission of Fairfax County, VA, identified several reasons voters faced long lines at the polls during last November’s election.

Provisional Ballot Use Increases in Nevada County, CA

Nevada County, CA, released a report analyzing its elections over the past decade. The study found that although the number of registered voters and ballots cast remained steady, the number of provisional ballots issued increased significantly.

Johnson County, KS, Elections

Brian Newby, elections commissioner in Johnson County, KS, recently reached a milestone. Since he became commissioner in January 2005, the county has administered 50 elections, but only 26 of these were planned.

Most Election Jurisdictions Have Small Populations

Recent data confirm previous research showing that most election jurisdictions have a relatively small electorate.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Retains Conservative Tilt

The Wisconsin high court’s perceived conservative tilt will remain after a justice was re-elected in Tuesday’s vote.

Virginia Online Voter Registration

In February, Virginia became the most recent state to pass legislation allowing online voter registration, joining 13 other states that permit it.

Balance of Power, Future of Key Issues at Stake in Wisconsin Court Race

Two years after one of the most contentious and bruising Supreme Court elections any state has ever seen, Wisconsin voters will return to the polls Tuesday to cast their votes in another judicial election.

Maryland Releases 2012 Elections Data

Maryland recently released its 2012 election administration and voting survey, becoming the first state to make its 2012 data available to the public online.

Governing Magazine: Building an Election System That Works

Sue Urahn: To achieve an election system that is convenient, accurate and fair, state and local leaders need data to review and track their voting processes—from registration to ballot counting.

Election Day Registration in the 2012 General Election

In the eight states — Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Wyoming — and the District of Columbia that allow Election Day registration, nearly 1.25 million voters registered or updated their information and cast ballots on Election Day last November.

Ohio Provisional Ballots in the 2012 General Election

Nearly 210,000 provisional ballots were issued in Ohio in last November’s general election, almost the same number issued in 2008.

The Cost of the 2012 General Election in Wisconsin

Last year, we noted Wisconsin’s extensive efforts to provide and share data on the costs to administer elections in the state. Recently, the state provided updated figures showing that the November general election cost slightly more than $10 million.

Supreme Court Probes Arizona Voter Registration Law

The Supreme Court justices dissected Arizona’s challenge to a federal voter registration law during arguments Monday, even as they seemed to avoid the broader issues of states’ rights versus federal authority underlying the case.

Voter Registration in Supreme Court Spotlight

It’s gotten less attention than the challenge to the Voting Rights Act, but an Arizona challenge to the National Voter Registration Act could upset elections administration around the country.

Voting Equipment Costs in Massachusetts

Replacing old voting equipment does not always mean buying new machines. In Lawrence, MA, voters cast paper ballots that are then counted by optical-scan technology. The voting booths where they fill in their ballots can wear out, too.

Special Ballots in the District of Columbia

In 2012, the District of Columbia issued voters an unprecedented number of special ballots—which are the same as provisional ballots, according to the city’s 2012 After-Action report. This was due in part to the city’s use of Election Day registration for the first time in a presidential election.

Vote by Mail Election in Albuquerque, New Mexico

The city of Albuquerque is holding a special election to amend the city charter that will be conducted entirely by mail, and the early returns show some problems with the process.

The Cost of Eliminating Election Day Registration in Wisconsin, Part Two

The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board recently released its final report on the cost of ending Election Day registration in the state. The study estimated the price tag at $14.5 million, almost three times as much the initial projection provided in a preliminary report last December.

Deep Divide Apparent as Supreme Court Considers Voting Rights Act

The justices divided along ideological lines in the Voting Rights Act case, leaving the outcome in doubt.

Supreme Court to Weigh States’ Rights vs. Voting Rights

States’ rights will once again take center stage at the Supreme Court Wednesday as arguments are heard over a challenge to the Voting Rights Act.

Voter Registration in Colorado

In a review of Colorado’s 2012 general election, the secretary of state’s office describes its participation in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a data center the state formed in partnership with Pew and six other states. In mid-September, using reports from ERIC, the state identified more than 720,000 Coloradans as eligible to vote but unregistered and invited them to register online, rather than using the traditional and inefficient paper forms.

Early Voting in Tennessee

In 1994 Tennessee became one of the first states to allow in-person early voting. And like other states, Tennessee has seen the number of voters casting ballots before Election Day increase significantly in the years since.

Pew Experts Respond to President's State of the Union Address

In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama raised two issues that are relevant to the work of The Pew Charitable Trusts: economic mobility and elections.

Election Initiatives Response to Bipartisan Voting Commission Announcement

In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama announced a commission to improve the voting experience on Election Day. This is an important step forward. Pew Election Initiatives Director David Becker released the following in response to the president's announcement.

St. Lucie County, Florida, Election Costs Double

St. Lucie County, Florida, which had a number of problems this past Election Day, paid twice as much for elections in 2012—$760,000—as they did in 2004 and 2008—approximately $375,000 per year.

Despite Governor’s Push, Voting Rights for Felons Fails in Virginia

A House subcommittee chose not to take up legislation that would have amended the constitution to automatically restore those rights after nonviolent felons pay their debt to society.

Elections Performance Index

Earlier this week the Pew Charitable Trusts released the Elections Performance Index, which examines election administration across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Virginia Republicans Advance Voter ID Legislation

Virginia Republicans are moving forward with plans to tighten voter ID laws for the second time in two years.

Measuring State Elections Performance

The Elections Performance Index is the first-ever comprehensive assessment of election administration in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Military and Overseas Voters in 2012

At its recent summit, the Overseas Vote Foundation released its fifth post-election survey of military and overseas voters. Read more about the findings.

States, GOP Lawmakers Eye Tougher Election Laws

The run-up to the 2012 elections was one of court battles and legislative jockeying over Republican-backed voter ID and elections laws that critics called bald-faced attempts to suppress turnout and disenfranchise Democratic voters.

New Hampshire Voter ID Update

We noted late last year that New Hampshire was, for the first time, going to send confirmation letters to voters who arrived at the polls without the ID required by the state’s new law and had to sign affidavits before voting.

Online Voter Registration in California

A recent study from the University of California, Davis found that after online voter registration became available in the state on September 19, 2012, approximately half of all voter registrations came via this method.

After Chaotic Election, Florida Governor Backs Voting Changes

The Republican governor said he is backing three major changes: adding early voting days and extending hours, including the Sunday before Election Day; opening more early voting locations; and shortening a wordy ballot that last year ran six pages long, confusing voters and increasing wait times.

Provisional Ballots in Cuyahoga County, Ohio

The use of provisional ballots has been the subject of much discussion in Ohio, with the state issuing these ballots at some of the highest rates in the nation over the past several elections.

Absentee Voting in Miami-Dade County, Florida

Miami-Dade County, Florida’s largest election jurisdiction, which attracted attention on Election Day for long wait times at the polls, also experienced a dramatic rise in the number of absentee voters in November 2012 as compared with 2008.