Election Initiatives commissions and oversees research, projects, and case studies aimed at helping states improve their elections systems. Because effective elections systems are fundamental to our nation’s democracy, we work with election officials, policy makers, researchers, technology experts, businesses, and other stakeholders in the election process to help guide our research and test our recommendations.
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RESEARCH from the Project
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- Dispatch
- Election Initiatives
Voter Identification in Pennsylvania
While the recently enacted law requiring photo identification at the polls in Pennsylvania continues to generate controversy, a June Quinnipiac University poll found 66 percent of the state's voters approve of the new rule and 32 percent oppose it. more
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- Dispatch
- Election Initiatives
Confidence in the Accuracy of Vote Counting
A majority of Americans are generally positive about the accuracy of vote counting in the U.S., according to the most recent edition of a survey that has been conducted annually since 2004.
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The Impact of Election Jurisdiction Size
A recent draft paper by David Kimball, University of Missouri-Saint Louis, and Brady Baybeck, Wayne State University, found that, in the 2008 presidential election, large jurisdictions—those serving more than 50,000 voters—accounted for approximately two-thirds of the nation’s voters.
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Waiting to Vote in Combined Locks, Wisconsin
During June’s recall election, the average time voters waited in line in Combined Locks, Wisconsin was one hour. The jurisdiction has one polling place, where 1,588 voters cast ballots.
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Provisional Ballots in Ohio, Part 2
A previous data dispatch examined the number of provisional ballots cast and counted in Ohio in 2009 and 2011. Data recently released from the state’s March 2012 primary sheds more light on the process in the Buckeye State. more
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- Dispatch
- Election Initiatives
The Cost of Voting Technology
Cost information on election administration is challenging to find. However, over the past decade election officials, academics, and advocates have made efforts to quantify the costs of one significant part of elections—voting technology.
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Voter ID in Michigan
As noted in a recent dispatch, measuring the impact of state photo ID laws presents certain challenges. There have been a few pieces of data from several states examining how many voters show up to cast a ballot without the proper identification. Recently, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) added to this picture with new data from Michigan.
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New York City Polling Places
Across the country on Election Day, news reports frequently highlight stories of polling places opening late. However, it’s often hard to put these reports in perspective without knowing another crucial piece of information: how many polling places open on time.
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Precincts or Vote Centers
When policy makers and election officials have to make choices about how to run elections, cost considerations are often an important part of the process. more
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- Dispatch
- Election Initiatives
The Cost of Ranked-Choice Voting in St. Paul, Minnesota
In November 2011, St. Paul, Minnesota used ranked-choice voting (RCV) for the first time. This system lets voters choose candidates in order of preference, and if no candidate gets a majority of the vote, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated and those votes go to those voters’ second choice. more
