Election Reform Reports
This page is an annotated bibliography of election reform research reports and other resources published by numerous academic and advocacy organizations. Reports are organized in categories (listed below), and sorted by publication date within each category.
Categories
Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Implementation / Election Operations
Voter Registration / Election Day Registration
Voting Rights / Vote Suppression / Voter Intimidation
Voting Technology / Voting Machines
2004 Review
Democracy at Risk: The road forward after two dubious elections
A special report on American Democracy
THE AMERICAN PROSPECT, Jan. 2005, A2 - A23
This special report reviews the 2000 and 2004 elections. Articles compare American elections to those in other countries, explore possible reforms, discuss the grass-roots impact and fate of Democratic "527" groups, the civil rights implications of vote suppression, the roll of the courts in social policy, the state of bipartisanship, and voting technology.
Voting in 2004: A Report to the Nation on America's Election Process
December 7, 2004
The Century Foundation, Common Cause, and The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
28 pages
Common Cause, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and The Century Foundation sponsored a daylong forum on the 2004 election on Capitol Hill. This document reports on that event and includes highlights and descriptions of the following panels: Welcome and Opening Remarks, Election Protection Overview, Voter Registration, Provisional Ballots, Voting Machines, Voter Suppression & Intimidation, Polling Place Operations and Poll Workers, Absentee Ballots. Panelists included four Members of Congress, election administrators, academics, and representatives from numerous organizations concerned about civil and voting rights. The executive summary includes 14 bullets highlighting problem areas in Nov 2004 election and 13 recommendations to fix the system.
Report form the Voters: A First Look at 2004 Election Data/Common Cause Agenda for Reform
December 7, 2004
Common Cause
11 pages
This report reviews problems that occurred up to and on Election Day. Common Cause and its coalition partners launched a voter alert and information line, 1-866MYVOTE1. Voters called the line to be find out their polling location, be connected to their elections officials and to record complaints and observations about their election experience. This report uses transcribed voice recordings from the 1-800MYVOTE1 line to bring in personal stories which depict election process problems. The report discusses problems with registration, absentee ballots, long lines at the polls, ballot problems, incidents of voter suppression and intimidation, illegal requests for identification, problems with voting machines, and provisional ballots.
Shattering the Myth: An Initial Snapshot of Voter Disenfranchisement in the 2004 Election
December 2004
People for the American Way, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the NAACP
74 Pages
The Election Protection Coalition fielded more than 25,000 volunteers, including more than 8,000 lawyers, who monitored the polls at more than 3,500 precincts nationwide and answered the nationwide Election Protection Hotline. The idea that the election ran smoothly, the idea that the problems we saw in 2000 did not recur in 2004, is simply a crock.
December 2004
Electionline
24 pages
This briefing analyzes electronic voting, provisional voting, early and absentee voting, and election observers in the 2004 general election. Even though the presidential election "exceeded the margin of litigation," the reforms initiated after the 2000 election are not complete. The availability of provisional ballots was a marked improvement over 2000, but the distribution and counting of provisional ballots varied widely. Electronic voting was a significant improvement in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, and Nevada but was problematic in North Carolina and one Ohio county. Long lines were a problem on Election Day in Ohio and for early voters in Florida. Poll watchers were generally welcomed and helped to avert some problems and take complaints.
Votewatch Exit Poll Albuquerque General Election 2004
November 20, 2004
Votewatch and Common Cause
45 pages
This report details the results of the Votewatch/Common Cause survey of voters in Bernalillo County, New Mexico on November 2, 2004. The survey examined voter experiences with registrations, polling location, voting equipment and overall voting process.
2004 Preview
Election Preview 2004: What's Changed, What Hasn't, and Why
October 2004
Electionline
62 pages
This report summarizes the status of election systems nationwide immediately before the 2004 general election. The authors raise questions about poll workers, voting machines, voter registration, provisional voting, absentee and early voting, voter identification, and litigation (both lawsuits filed before the election and possible lawsuits after Election Day). If the election is close, it will likely expose remaining flaws in the voting machinery.
October 20, 2004
Tova Wang, The Century Foundation
14 pages
In 2002, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act to improve the voting process. The new law promised to be a first step toward improving elections and expanding accessibility to voters who had been historically disenfranchised. Yet, in many jurisdictions around the country, the law is being implemented in ways that will disenfranchise voters rather than ensure that every eligible citizen can vote and that every vote is counted.
Deja Vu All Over Again? A Report by Common Cause Florida on the State's Readiness for the 2004 Election
October 2004
Common Cause Florida
17 pages
This report by Common Cause Florida raises troubling questions about the state's ability to conduct a smooth election in 2004. The report details problems with Florida's election administration prior to the 2004 election including the purging of alleged felons from voter rolls. The report reviews and questions Florida's elections officials' ability to properly administer provisional ballots and absentee ballots and offers a critique of the state's I.D. requirements, voting machines, no-recount rule and primary election process.
A Reporter's Guide to Voting in 2004
October 2004
Common Cause Education Fund
16 pages
This report gives reporters background on the 2000 election and the provisions of the Help America Vote Act. It outlines a list of problem areas that reporters should examine and articulates sample questions. This includes questions about I.D. requirements, provisional ballots, registration databases, poll worker training, disability-accessible voting machines, absentee ballots, registration deadlines, felon disenfranchisement, and voting machines.
What to Watch For At The Polls: A Guide for Citizens and Groups on Election Day
October 2004
Common Cause
12 pages
This guide gives citizens background on the 2000 election and the provisions of the Help America Vote Act. It describes how new provisions of HAVA will affect various aspects of voting and what citizens should be aware of. The document specifically reviews provisional ballots, poll worker training, voter education and information, voter I.D. requirements, registration databases, voting machines, absentee ballots and early voting, felon disenfranchisement and voter suppression. The guide also discusses how the 1-866-MYVOTE1 can be used.
Election Reform 2004: What's Changed, What Hasn't, and Why
January 2004
Electionline
71 pages
Electionline's third annual report seeks to give readers a national overview of the scope and progress of changes to elections around the country. With a presidential election looming in the fall, 2004 provides the best opportunity since the Supreme Court stopped the protracted Florida recount more than three years ago to look at how elections have changed, how they haven't, and why - and what that could mean this year.
Primary Education: Election Reform and the 2004 Presidential Race
January 2004
Electionline and The Century Foundation
42 pages
The 2004 primary elections will be the first presidential contest since the 2000 election and the first federal election since the passage of the Help America Vote Act. This report reviews national election reform issues and examines changes to voting procedures - and potential voting problems - in the 22 early primary states that will be the key battlegrounds in the Democratic primary elections.
Other Overviews
Democracy and Elections in North America: What Can We Learn from Our Neighbors? (not freely available)
Election Law Journal
June 2004, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 396 - 593
Ed. Robert A. Pastor, American University, Washington, D. C.
This symposium reviews the 2000 elections in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It finds that, in general, the Canadian elections were conducted well. More surprisingly, Mexico has recently overcome a history of election fraud to establish highly credible national elections, while the United States has substantial problems that raise concerns about the validity of its elections.
Not Making the Grade: A Year After Florida, Little Action in States on Election Reform
Fall 2001
Common Cause Education Fund
74 pages
A year after the 2000 general election, most states have done very little to address the fundamental problems in their election systems. This report grades every state on their statewide voter registration system, provisional balloting, re-enfranchisement of ex-felons, and the rate of uncounted votes.
To Assure Pride and Confidence in the Electoral Process
August 2001
The National Commission on Federal Election Reform
106 pages
This report presents the findings of the National Commission on Federal Election Reform, which was formed after the 2000 election and co-chaired by Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. The Commission identified wide-ranging problems in the 2000 election and made policy recommendations, many of which were incorporated into the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Implementation / Election Operations
HAVA Implementation in the 50 States: A Summary of State Implementation Plans
November 1, 2003
Demos
59 pages
A chart with a comprehensive summary of plans in each state for implementation of the Help America Vote Act, focusing mainly on the issues which will most directly affect voters, including accessibility for voters with disabilities, minority language accessibility, provisional balloting, statewide voter registration lists, Election Day registration, voter I.D. requirements, and voting machines in use.
Roads to Reform: Planning for the Help America Vote Act
September 2003
Electionline
19 pages
This briefing gives a comprehensive analysis of state Help America Vote Act compliance plans. Although state plans vary, there are patterns in their reform efforts. Three states that went ahead with election reform before HAVA have new voting machines largely in place and are focusing on registration databases, while states that waited for the federal legislation and largely use punch cards or lever machines will spend much of their money on new voting machines.
Securing the Vote: An Analysis of Election Fraud
April 14, 2003
Lori Minnite (Barnard College) and David Callahan (Demos)
49 pages
This report studies the problem of election fraud as the states begin to implement the Help America Vote Act. The authors find that fraud has a minimal impact on electoral outcomes in the United States and that recent electoral reforms (including HAVA and the National Voter Registration Act) have not increased fraud. They recommend that HAVA provisions requiring states to upgrade voting technology be fully funded, that more forms of I.D. be accepted to reduce the burden on voters, that partisan control of elections be reduced, and the Election Day registration becomes the norm.
March 2003
Electionline
17 pages
This briefing provides and indication of where state governments believe they are in implementing the reforms mandated by the Help America Vote Act, shortly after HAVA became law. No state currently meets all three key requirements of HAVA: voter identification, provisional voting, and statewide voter registration databases. Eleven states currently meet one of the requirements; four states and the District of Columbia meet two requirements; the remaining 35 states currently meet none of HAVA's requirements.
Working Together? State and Local Election Coordination
September 2002
Electionline and The Constitution Project
15 pages
This report reviews the degree to which state governments oversee election management. Arrangements vary widely; some states run elections centrally, some provide guidance or funding and certify or train local election officials, and some leave all decisions to local government. The report includes a state-by-state summary of funding, training and election authority.
Felony Disenfranchisment
Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States
March 2005
The Sentencing Project
3 Pages
Since the founding of the country, most states in the U.S. have enacted laws disenfranchising convicted felons and ex-felons. Today, almost all states have disenfranchisement laws. In the last 30 years, due to the dramatic increased use and expansion of the criminal justice system, these laws have significantly affected the political voice of many Americans.
Barred for Life: Voting Rights Restoration in Permanent Disenfranchisement States
February 2005
Mark Mauer and Tushar Kansal, The Sentencing Project
24 Pages
Fourteen states disenfranchise persons who have been convicted of a felony even after the completion of their sentence. The only means by which these persons can have their voting rights restored is through action by the state. This report represents the first survey of the restoration process in each of the 14 states. Nationwide, about 1.5 million persons are denied voting rights following completion of a felony sentence. The restoration process is frequently cumbersome and not widely used.
The Vanishing Black Electorate: Felony Disenfranchisement in Atlanta, Georgia
September 2004
Ryan S. King and Marc Mauer, The Sentencing Project
24 Pages
Disenfranchising persons with a felony conviction has a particularly corrosive impact on citizenship and democratic rights in the African American community. In areas of high disenfranchisement, the dilution of a community's political voice is of particular concern. This report examines the effects of disenfranchisement at the local level, in Atlanta, Georgia. In Atlanta, one in seven black males is disenfranchised due to a felony conviction, and black male registration rates are disproportionately affected by disenfranchisement policies.
Purged! Will Eligible Voters Be Purged From Election Rolls?
October 27, 2004
ACLU and Demos
36 pages
ACLU and Demos surveyed the procedures for purging convicted felons from voter registration lists in 15 states and graded those states on the compilation of purge lists, the criteria used to determine matches, and the notification of voters who have been purged from voter rolls. The report finds that purge lists are vulnerable to inaccuracies and recommends procedures to streamline list compilation and improve communication between agencies. None of the surveyed states have uniform criteria for matching lists, and only a few surveyed states have statutory notification requirements.
Democracy Denied: The Racial History and Impact of Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States
Demos
February 26, 2004
7 pages
This brief reviews the history and social and racial implications of disenfranchising convicted felons in the United States. Felony disenfranchisement laws have a disproportionate racial impact.
Punishing at the Polls: The Case Against Disenfranchising Citizens With Felony Convictions
November 24, 2003
Alex Ewald, Demos
59 pages
This report argues that laws barring criminal offenders from voting should be repealed. Felony disenfranchisement laws are rooted in post-Civil War era explicit racial discrimination and still have an extraordinary deleterious effect on communities of color. Disenfranchisement laws are not part of the criminal justice code and are ineffective as a form of punishment. The report reviews the legal history and arguments in favor of and against criminal disenfranchisement.
Disenfranchised Veterans in the United States
June 2003
The Sentencing Project
1 Page
An estimated 4.6 million Americans are currently unable to vote as a result of laws that disenfranchise persons with a felony conviction. This briefing paper analyzes the available data and finds that an estimated 585,355 veterans are unable to vote as a result of a felony conviction.
Identification
Voter Identification
April 2002
Electionline and The Constitution Project
15 pages
This briefing reviews state practices for verifying voters' eligibility and identity. Identification practices vary widely around the country: some states require a signature, some require ID in different circumstances, and some require only that the voter state his or her name.
Provisional Ballots
Solution or Problem? Provisional Ballots in 2004
March 2005
Electionline
19 Pages
November 2, 2004 marked the first time all states offered federally-mandated provisional ballots in a general election. Nearly 1.1 million provisional ballots - out of 1.6 million cast - were counted. Many of those voters would have been otherwise disenfranchised. However, there is no uniform, national standard for counting provisional ballots, which raises civil rights concerns.
Continuing Failures in "Fail-Safe" Voting: A Preliminary Analysis of Provisional Voting Problems in the 2004 Election
December 7, 2004
Demos
7 pages
Demos presents a preliminary analysis of problems with provisional voting in the 2004 general election and finds serious problems around the nation. Many problems affected voters whose names were erroneously missing from registration lists. The six states with Election Day registration had far fewer provisional ballot problems and significantly higher voter turnout.
Placebo Ballots: Will "Fail-Safe" Voting Fail?
October 28, 2004
Ari Z. Weisbard, Demos
7 pages
Demos examines the practice of provisional balloting (mandated by HAVA) in this report issued shortly before the 2004 general election. States have limited the effectiveness of provisional balloting through narrow readings of HAVA and overly restrictive rules governing the counting of provisional ballots. These problems violate the spirit of HAVA as it was enacted by Congress in 2002. In some cases, voters may be even worse off in 2004 than they were in 2000 because they are given "placebo ballots" which will not be counted.
The Provisional Voting Challenge
December 2001
Electionline and The Constitution Project
11 pages
This report reviews the various "provisional voting," provisions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, under the National Voter Registration Act (the "motor voter" bill). No two states have the same safeguard procedures. There are three basic types of practices - "provisional" ballots, "affidatvit" ballots, and "fail-save voting" - which offer varying degrees of protection.
Redistricting
Drawing Lines: A Public Interest Guide to Real Redistricting Reform
February 17, 2005
Ari Weisbard (Demos) and Jeannie Wilkinson (Center for Governmental Studies)
29 pages
A review of current legislation and proposed initiatives to reform the redistricting process in California finds that all three reviewed proposals fail to sufficiently address the needs of the public. The report recommends an independent redistricting commission with a diverse membership consisting of retired judges and other citizens, three Commissioners from each major political party and three Commissioners from neither major party. The report also makes recommendations for redistricting criteria, transparency and public accountability, and implementation and review.
Voter Registration / Election Day Registration
Making Voting Easier: Election Day Registration in New York
R. Michael Alvarez, Jonathan Nagler, and Catherine H. Wilson, Demos
April 2004
12 pages
This report analyzes the potential impact of Election Day registration (EDR) in New York. EDR would eliminate a significant registration barrier and may increase turnout by as much as 8.6 percentage points in presidential elections, with higher increases among groups, such as young, minority, poorly educated, and naturalized citizens, who have difficulty maintaining an up-to-date voter registration record. Drawing on the experience of successful EDR states, New York could effectively limit added expense and voter fraud.
Testimony before Connecticut General Assembly, Government Administration and Elections Committee Hearing on Election Day Registration
February 9, 2004
Steven Carbó, Demos
8 pages
Demos strongly supports Election Day Registration and S. B. 20. EDR boosts voter turnout, with no significant vote fraud, and minimal marginal costs.
Massachusetts General Court, Joint Committee on Election Laws: Testimony on Election Day Registration
July 24, 2003
Demos
9 pages
Problems with voter registration lists in Florida and many other states in 2000 caused states to loose between one-half and three million votes. Pre-Election Day registration is a source of frustration and an impediment to voting for many potential voters. Election Day registration increases voter turnout in the six states where it is currently practiced, and Demos endorses its use. Demos recommends amendments to bills before the Massachusetts House and Senate to achieve better results.
Statewide Voter Registration Databases
March 2002
Electionline and The Constitution Project
15 pages
Accurate, up-to-date voter registration lists can help safeguard against disenfranchisement and guard against fraud. Statewide registration systems can help with the challenge of managing registration records. Ten states currently have unified statewide databases; 27 states compile statewide databases from county databases (of these states, 13 allow counties to access the statewide database); and 13 states do not maintain statewide databases. The level of local control over the databases and responsibility for maintenance varies.
Expanding the Vote: The Practice and Promise of Election Day Registration
January 2002
Sarah Tobias and David Callahan, Demos
20 pages
Election Day registration has consistently increased voter turnout in the six states which have it. Voter registration deadlines before Election Day limit voter participation, particularly among the disproportionately young, poor, and minority voters who move frequently.
Overdue Reform: The Need for Statewide Computerized Voter Registration Systems
January 2002
Charis Varnum and David Callahan, Demos
18 pages
Statewide computerized voter registration systems help to maintain accurate voter registration lists and allow poll workers to resolve Election Day problems quickly. Computerized registration lists also help to increase voter participation and aid compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
California Votes: The Promise of Election Day Registration
January 2002
Michael Alvarez (CalTech) and Stephen Ansolabehere (MIT), Demos
24 pages
This report examines the potential impact of Election Day registration in California. It finds that EDR will substantially increase voter participation and registration, and that fraud and cost increases due to EDR can be minimized. The main challenge in implementing EDR is to ensure that voters register at the correct polling place on Election Day.
Voting Rights / Vote Suppression / Voter Intimidation
The Long Shadow of Jim Crow: Voter Suppression and Intimidation in America Today
Undated; 2004 before general election
People for the American Way and the NAACP
26 Pages
In every recent national American election, voters - particularly African American voters and other other minorities - have faced calculated and determined efforts at intimidation and suppression. Although most violence, poll taxes, and literacy tests have disappeared, more subtle, cynical, and creative tactics have taken their place. This report details incidents and tactics of voter suppression since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Department of Justice's Activities to Address Past Election-Related Voting Irregularities
September 14, 2004
United States Government Accountability Office
9 pages, 1 enclosure, 5 attachments (106 total pages)
This GAO review (requested by Sen. Lieberman, Rep. Waxman, and Rep. Conyers) analyzes activities in the Voting Section of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to help ensure voter access to the polls and actions to address allegations of voting irregularities. The review identifies changes that the DOJ has implemented since November 2000 to address these issues and makes two recommendations to the Voting Section. The report also includes a response from the DOJ.
Voting Technology / Voting Machines
Identifies the election equipment used throughout the country for standard elections, absentee voting, early voting, and provisional voting.
Analysis and Report of Overvotes and Undervotes for the 2004 General Election
January 31, 2005
Florida Department of State, Division of Elections
8 pages
This report analyzes undervotes (ballots left blank) and overvotes (ballots voting for multiple candidates) in the 2004 general election in Florida. Since 2000, there has been a continuing trend in the reduction of the number of ballots cast without valid votes. In 2000, undervotes and overvotes accounted for 2.9% the votes cast in the presidential race. In 2002, that number dropped to 0.8% due largely to new voting systems. In 2004, the number dropped to 0.4%. An unprecedented voter education campaign combined contributed to the continuing trend. There was no significant difference in undervotes between touchscreen and optical scan ballots.
Poll Monitors' and Poll Workers' Guide to Electronic Voting: Tools for Election Protection
October 24, 2004
Verified Voting
45 Pages
This guide provides poll workers, election officials, and other interested parties with detailed information on the voting machines used in polling places and central tabulation facilities with pointers to how to keep voting technology working successfully and improve elections operations. The guide also covers how to investigate and get help when something goes wrong with voting technology.
Voters' Guide to Electronic Voting (PDF)
Tools for Election Protection
October 15, 2004
Verified Voting
21 Pages
This guide is a resource for voters. It contains a summary and brief description of the voting technologies in general use in this country - optical scan, electronic voting machines, punch cards, lever machine, and hand-counted paper ballots - and instructions for using and reporting problems with various electronic voting machines.
Making Each Vote Count: A Research Agenda for Electronic Voting
October 2004
Mark S. Frankel, Tova Jacobovits, and Adrianne Kroepsch (American Association for the Advancement of Science)
30 pages
This American Association for the Advancement of Science report examines the current state of voting technology and the effects of the Help America Voting Act. It also reviews the U. S. voting system, including voter registration, absentee voting, accessibility, ballot design, counting of votes, recounts, security, and accountability. Lastly, the report lays out a research roadmap to improve understanding of each of these issues.
The Paperless Chase: Electronic Voting and Democratic Values
September 2004
Daniel P. Tokaji (The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Center for Law Policy and Social Science)
95 pages
This article examines the debate over electronic voting, which raises fundamental questions about the democratic values that should guide the administration of elections. Electronic voting has the potential to advance racial equality, disability access, and multilingual access. A voter-verified paper trail is unlikely to resolve concerns about the implementation of this technology. Election reform should no longer be viewed as a once-in-a-generation occurrence, but as an ongoing process that should proceed for as long as voting technology continues to improve.
The Business of Elections
August 2004
Electionline
23 pages
This report reviews the market for election-related goods and services - most notably, electronic voting machines. With election administration now a front-page issue, election companies are at the center of the national debate, with the public wary over the role of private companies in elections. Electionline found, however, that there is no partisan trend in the industry. Diebold gave primarily to Republicans, but Election Systems & Software and Sequoia Voting Systems gave primarily to Democrats. There is no clear evidence that political contributions and lobbying efforts by these companies have influenced procurement decisions.
Testimony at U. S. Election Assistance Commission: Hearing on the Use, Security, and Reliability of Electronic Voting Systems
Demos (U. S. Election Assistance Commission)
May 7, 2004
The accurate counting of votes is one of many impediments to providing every citizen an equal opportunity to vote. Demos supports the use of Direct Record Electronic Voting Machines with a voter verified paper trails and data-to-voice capabilities; computerized voting systems that separate vote casting and vote counting; open source code systems; and strong federal guidance.
Securing the Vote
Electionline
April 2004
19 pages
This report analyzes the security of the voting process with electronic voting machines. Public perception is critical in this debate, particularly because the arguments are too technical for most non-computer scientists. There is substantial disagreement over the importance of paper audit trails; many consider certification of voting machines with standards of performance and specifications of the voting systems to be the most crucial piece of election security.
Other
Ballot Barrier: Will Proposition 62 Limit Voter Choice in California?
October 4, 2004
Ari Weisbard, Demos
11 pages
This report analyzes the probable effects of Proposition 62 in California, which would replace party primaries with a system in which voters would vote for any candidate and the top two vote-getters would advance to the general election. The report looks at the similar system in use in Louisiana, finding that the system does not halt declining turnout, limits minor parties, favors extremists as often as moderates, weakens the accountability of political parties, and erects information barriers for voters.