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The Secretary of State’s Guidebook to the Early Voting Obstacle Course

The Secretary of State’s Guidebook to the Early Voting Obstacle Course. Paul Gronke, Director (paul@earlyvoting.net) James Hicks, Research Director (james@earlyvoting.net) EVIC at Reed College – Portland, OR Presentation available at http://earlyvoting.net

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The Secretary of State’s Guidebook to the Early Voting Obstacle Course

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  1. The Secretary of State’s Guidebook to the Early Voting Obstacle Course Paul Gronke, Director (paul@earlyvoting.net) James Hicks, Research Director (james@earlyvoting.net) EVIC at Reed College – Portland, OR Presentation available at http://earlyvoting.net Prepared for the National Association of Secretaries of State Voter Participation Committee MeetingWashington, D.C. February 7, 2009

  2. The Legal Geography Traditional (excuse required ) absentee voting No excuse absentee voting In person early voting

  3. Eighteen Years of Reform

  4. Early Voting forVoters • Pros • Voter satisfaction and flexibility are high • Anecdotal evidence of shorter lines on election day • May increase turnout in non-federal elections • Cons • Voters are generally satisfied with all election systems • Residual vote rates are higher with absentee ballots • Anecdotal evidence of long early voting lines • No evidence that turnout increases in federal elections (voters are simply shifted around)

  5. Early Voting for Election Administrators • Pros • Flexibility and Time • To handle registration problems • To make “real time” adjustments to voter demand • May reduce polling place problems • May reduce election day lines • Cons • Weeks-long election “day” • Upfront costs can be intimidating • May increase administrative costs overall

  6. Obstacle One: Standards vs. Autonomy • Non-uniform rules and procedures • Can NASS, NASED, EAC work with Pew to help establish best practices? • Lack of clear rules can lead to political controversy • Overly specific rules can limit the ability to respond to local needs

  7. Obstacle Two: How Much Access? • How long for early voting? • The earliest absentee ballots were mailed on Sept. 15 (ED-45), while the latest were mailed Oct. 17 (ED-18). • Early in-person balloting may be days or weeks long, starting as early at Sept. 20 or as late as Oct. 31 • How many locations and how many machines? • Can you accept divergent number of early voting stations • Recent research shows income inequities in HAVA implementation, same for early voting? • Who decides?

  8. Obstacle Three: What is the ideal mix? • More options may be better for voters • More options are more difficult and costly to administer • Political differences of opinion • Absentee by mail vs. early in person voting • Ease of access vs. ballot security (particularly for absentee by-mail systems) • Comfort with the status quo

  9. A Plea for Information • Beware the law of unanticipated consequences • Identify your goals • Identify the knowns • Identify the unknowns • Anecdotes are not sufficient • One election is not sufficient • Impossible to answer questions in a vacuum

  10. Examples of good data

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