Next Monday, April 30, civic-minded coders will join forces near Washington, D.C., to build new applications that help voters get the information they need on Election Day. The event, co-sponsored by the Pew Center on the States, The Sunlight Foundation, and Microsoft will focus on the tools and data provided by the Voting Information Project (VIP), which answers common questions including “Where is my polling place?” “Who is on my ballot?” and “How do I navigate the voting process?”

In an era of persistent budget deficits, at least a dozen states are moving to adapt and implement a cutting-edge tool for policy research and analysis, beginning with criminal justice policy and eventually expanding to other areas. States are under increasing pressure to ensure that scarce resources are invested in programs that yield the best results. In addition, many policy makers are looking for information that would allow them to target cuts more strategically, rather than making across-the-board reductions that treat effective and ineffective programs alike.

For the first time, Idaho Republicans are trying presidential preference caucuses on Tuesday. Jonathan Parker, the state party's executive director, is excited about the chance to hold party building exercises on such a broad scale. "For the first time, maybe ever, Idaho is relevant in the nominating process," he says.

Re “Voter Rolls Are Rife With Inaccuracies, Report Finds” (news article, Feb. 14) The release of the Pew Center report serves as a bold reminder that outdated voter registration systems across the country have become barriers to voter registration and election participation.