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Election Data Dispatches

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

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Voter List Maintenance in Orange County, California

Late last year, we featured the significant amount of post-election data provided by the registrar’s office in Orange County, California. The office also provides a great deal of information related to other aspects of election administration, including reports on voter registration accuracy and voter list maintenance.

Cost of Eliminating Election Day Registration in Wisconsin

Recently, several Wisconsin legislators have discussed drafting legislation to end Election Day registration, which the state has allowed for more than 35 years.

Colorado and Mobile Voter Registration

This past election, Colorado became the first state to optimize access to its online voter registration system via a mobile device.

Voter Registration Problems—and Solutions

Reports from a number of states this past Election Day found voters going to the polls thinking they had registered to vote only to discover they were not on the rolls.

112-year-old Voters in North Carolina?

Early voting began in North Carolina in October, and soon after almost 900 voters aged 112 reportedly cast ballots.

Online Voter Registration in LA County

In October, we wrote about preparing for elections in Los Angeles County, including the processing of hundreds of thousands of voter registration applications in the month leading up to Election Day. With the election now upon us, new data show a significant number of voters registered using the state’s new online system

Elections 2012 Infographics

This collection of infographics covers the issues of the 2012 elections and the potential impact on states. The issues featured include the economy, health care, taxes, clean energy, voter ID, economic mobility and employment.

Voter ID Rulings Vex Administrators Ahead of Election Day

Recent court rulings and ongoing lawsuits have prompted widespread concerns about whether election laws can work smoothly next Tuesday.

The State of Voter Registration in the 2012 Election

This infographic discusses the partnership among Pew and seven states to launch the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a tool which helps securely compare voter records between states to better maintain voter records, save money, and streamline processes. Additionally, 13 states now offer online voter registration.

Online Voter Registration Update

Earlier this month, we wrote about 13 states that now allow voters to register or update their registration information online, including five that rolled out this option statewide for the first time this year.

Facebook and Voter Turnout

A study conducted by the University of California, San Diego found that peer pressure on Facebook helps increase voter turnout.

U.S. Supreme Court To Hear Arizona Voter Registration Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether states may require a would-be voter to first prove their citizenship — a case likely to answer larger questions about the sometimes conflicting roles of state and federal governments in regulating elections.

States Roll Out and Expand Online Voter Registration, Increase Efficiencies

In Nevada, new registrations jumped following a campaign to promote online registration, including television and radio ads, meetings with business leaders and students, and promotional outreach for National Voter Registration Day.

Voter Registration Lookup Tools

Registration lookup tools provide voters essential information, such as whether they are registered to vote and whether their information is accurate, in the place many people look first—online.

Voter Registration Lookup Tools

More and more Americans look to the Internet to find a variety of information, and going online has increasingly become a part of peoples’ daily lives. Registration lookup tools provide voters essential information, such as whether they are registered to vote and whether their information is accurate, in the place many people look first—online.

Not Dead Yet—Purging Voters from the Rolls in Texas

A law passed in 2011 in Texas mandated the state match its voter list with the Social Security Administration’s master death file. After a recent comparison of the lists, more than 80,000 matches were found statewide.

New Voter Registrations Decline in Florida

Recent research finds that Florida’s House Bill 1355, which placed new restrictions on organizations conducting voter registration activities in the battleground state, was a factor in a decrease in new voter registrations.

Wisconsin Voter ID Law Unlikely to Apply in November

Wisconsinites this November won’t likely need to show photo identification at the polls. That’s because the state Supreme Court says it won’t immediately consider whether to reinstate a voter ID law blocked in a lower court.

Voter Registration: The Unlikely Voter’s View

A recent poll by USA Today and Suffolk University specifically targeting unregistered and unlikely voters found that more than one-quarter of respondents do not register to vote because they are too busy or don’t have the time. Additionally, while the majority of respondents thought the process to register to vote was easy, 16 percent said it takes too much time or is too complicated.

Out-Of-State Students May Vote in New Hampshire, Judge Rules

Out of state students in New Hampshire will be able to vote in November, a state judge ruled Monday, reversing the legislature’s attempt to say otherwise.

In New Hampshire, a Primary Full of Unfamiliarity

John Lynch, New Hampshire’s popular moderate Democratic governor, is not seeking reelection this year, creating a window of opportunity for Republicans wishing to take back the office.

Online Voter Registration

In August, New York became the 11^th state to roll out online voter registration, and the state’s citizens seem to be taking advantage. As of the 17^th of the month, approximately 1,000 applications had been submitted, and the early interest led to some brief capacity issues for the new website.

Florida Non-citizen Voter Roll Purge

Florida, not a stranger to controversy over election procedures, has been in the news again recently.

Infographic: Voter Turnout in National Elections

It’s well-known that more people turn out to vote in presidential election years than in mid-term years, but the numbers also show a general upward trend over the past two decades for both kinds of elections.

Registering, Casting, and Counting Ballots in the U.S.

A new interactive graphic from the Pew Center on the States helps shed light on how voters in each state, and the nation overall, participate in each step of the elections process.

Pennsylvania Judge Refuses to Halt Voter ID Law

A Pennsylvania judge on Wednesday refused to block the state’s controversial voter ID law, smoothing the way for its use during the November election.

New Voter Registrations in Virginia and Florida

A recent analysis by the Pew Center on the States examined the surge in voter registrations that takes place right before a presidential election. These same data also reveal other interesting patterns.

Voter Registration in Four States

A recent analysis from the Pew Center on the States reveals the massive challenge election officials face in processing registration forms right before a presidential election. Data from four states—Colorado, Florida, Maryland, and Virginia—clearly show that, every four years, election offices must deal with a huge spike in voter registration applications.

Voter Registration in Four States

Data from four states—Colorado, Florida, Maryland, and Virginia—show that election offices must deal with a huge spike in voter registration applications every four years.

Punch-Card Voting in Idaho

Nearly 12 years ago, the world learned about the hanging, dimpled, and pregnant chads produced by punch-card ballots. That voting technology and the chads that come with it are now mere memories—except for voters in four Idaho counties.

Voter Registration Among Hispanic and Black Voters

The Washington Post recently reported that according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS), the number of black and Hispanic registered voters fell sharply between 2008 and 2010—declining 7 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

Photo ID and Election Day Registration in New Hampshire

In New Hampshire, 126,063 first-time voters registered and cast ballots on Election Day during the 2006, 2008, and 2010 general elections, combined.

Notable Counties—The Return of Maricopa County

Last year, we noted the great elections data available online from the Maricopa County, Arizona Recorder’s office. Well, the county, with approximately 60 percent of the state’s registered voters, is at it again, sharing more compelling data. This time, they are

Revisiting Dead Voter Allegations in South Carolina

Following up on a dispatch from earlier this year, further investigation by the South Carolina State Election Commission (SEC) found no conclusive evidence of ballots fraudulently cast by deceased voters.

David Becker: Upgrading Voter Registration

David Becker answers questions about problems in the nation’s voter registration system and about collaboration among states to implement solutions.

Inaccurate Voter Registrations

At least 51 million eligible citizens—more than 24 percent of the eligible population—still are not registered to vote, according to a new report from the Pew Center on the States’ Election Initiatives.

Inaccurate, Costly, and Inefficient

Research in Pew's report underscores the need for registration systems that better maintain voter records, save money, and streamline processes.

Data in South Carolina Answers Questions about Deceased Voters on the Rolls

New data in South Carolina provide insight into whether voters flagged as potentially deceased on the state’s rolls had ballots cast in their names.

St. Louis Makes Progress Reducing Duplicate Voter Registrations

As of late June 2011, the City of St. Louis had significantly decreased the number of potential duplicate voter registrations on its rolls, according to the Missouri State Auditor. An auditor’s report released in December 2011 found 2,400 duplicates, down from more