Minnesota saw a sharp decline in the number of same day registrations and an increase in the total number of ballots cast from 2008 to 2016. While at first the decline in registration may seem alarming, this is actually good news for voters in the state of Minnesota. What likely happened was that ERIC was…
Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Husted v. A. Phillip Randolph Institute, the latest election law case to come before the Court. At issue in the case is whether Ohio’s voter list maintenance process complies with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). In that process, in place…
As news continues to trickle out about efforts of other nations to interfere and tamper with American elections, the line between working in U.S. elections and working internationally is blurring, as cyber-security and other issues require us to consider threats that go beyond our borders. It is timely, then, that for the past two days,…
2016 saw more states than ever before use vote centers for early or Election Day voting. In addition to providing multiple locations for voters to cast a ballot, vote centers can have the additional benefit of saving money for election officials. They often require an up-front investment in e-pollbooks to ensure that all locations have…
It’s been a busy few months for the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR)! We just attended and presented at the NASED and NASS conferences in DC last month and updated the attendees on what we’re working on, and we want to share this information with all of you. First, it might be helpful…
Prior to the November general election, many wondered how negative feelings towards both presidential candidates would impact other races on the ballot, since voters in a presidential election often go to the polls to cast a ballot for president and then drop-off for other races. Drop-off measures the difference in turnout between the race at…
1. Heavy turnout in the morning, lighter but still heavy turnout in the evening. While there is some variation, the busiest time for voting will be in the morning before 9am, getting less-busy midday and potentially picking up again after work. If you’re voting on Election Day, the best time to go to avoid a…
As we reported in September, Facebook outreach to its users contributed to a significant increase in online voter registration activity in the days preceding National Voter Registration Day on September 27. Online registration transactions – both new registrations and updates to existing registrations – appear to have increased more than seven times on average September 23rd…
UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL DATA AS OF SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 Today, September 27th, is National Voter Registration Day – a day when non-profits, campaigns, and government officials from across the political spectrum join together to encourage everyone to check and update their voter registration, and register to vote if they haven’t already. In just a few…
As of today, 32 states and the District of Columbia have online voter registration, and that number is growing. The benefits are well known and well documented: online voter registration is more convenient, more efficient, and more secure than paper, and while it requires an initial modest investment, it saves states money in printing costs…
