Resources

Use our resource library to explore the latest research in the field of election science.

156 Resources

Voter Trust Reports

This survey report focuses on election misinformation, fraud narratives, or public misperceptions and their effects on confidence in U.S. elections. It is relevant because beliefs about fraud and exposure to misleading claims are central mechanisms through which confidence in election outcomes rises or falls. For this dataset, it helps explain why the 2020 election became a turning point in public debates over fraud, mail voting, certification, and legitimacy.

Democracy Fund2021
Voter Trust Reports

This evaluation report examines philanthropy & trust-building in relation to the entry’s stated focus on election security; confidence; field-building. It is relevant to the dataset because it connects election rules, information environments, or administrative performance to public confidence and perceived legitimacy.

United States Postal Service2021
Voting by Mail Reports

This United States Postal Service (USPS) report outlines the scope of election mail handled by USPS and identifies key service challenges including poorly designed ballot envelopes, tight state deadlines that don't align with postal delivery windows, and inconsistent postmarking requirements. The report identifies the "extraordinary measures" taken by USPS during election periods to effectively process and deliver election mail.

John Fortier and Charles Stewart IIIMIT Election Data and Science Lab/ American Enterprise Institute2021
In-Person Voting Reports

This report reviews multiple topics related to conducting the 2020 general election, including meeting the challenge of voting in person during the COVIS-19 pandemic.

Workforce Reports

The 2021 Local Election Official Survey explored the views and opinions of 233 local election officials. The survey finds that most election officials are motivated by desires to serve their local community, are concerned about harassment while on the job, and believe that social media is increasing political division.

Jennifer MorrellDemocracy Fund2020
Audits & Validating Elections Reports

In this report, Morrell guides jurisdictions through planning and conducting risk limiting audits pilots, including stakeholder preparation, logistics, and post-pilot evaluation.

Lisa Schur, Douglas KruseU.S. Election Assistance Commission2020
Usability & Accessibility Reports

This report highlights key trends in voter turnout among voters with disabilities in the 2020 election. Authors note a significant increase in turnout among these voters compared to the 2016 general election, reducing the turnout gap with voters without disabilities to 5.7 percentage points. However, approx. 11% of voters with disabilities reported some difficulties voting.

Lisa Schur, Douglas KruseRutgers University2020
Usability & Accessibility Reports

This report summarizes projections of how many people with disabilities would be eligible to vote in the November 2020 elections, using data from the Census Bureau’s 2014-2018 American Community Survey combined with Census Bureau population projections for 2020-2021. The report breaks down key demographic characteristics of eligible voters with disabilities.

Patty Ferguson-Bohnee, James Thomas Tucker2020
Usability & Accessibility Issue Briefs

Authors describe the difficulties that vote-by-mail presents for Native American voters. Specifically, “members of the 574 federally recognized tribes” face barriers to political participation to a greater degree than any other racial or ethnic group. The authors also define measures that can be taken to level the field, all while respecting social distancing.

James T. Tucker, Jacqueline De León, Dan McCool2020
Usability & Accessibility Reports

This paper examines the barriers that Native Americans face
when trying to register and participate in elections. Through conducting several field hearings, authors uncover several important findings related to polling place access and first generation voting barriers that prevent them from casting a ballot.

Lynn Baumeister, Alex Haraseyko, Whitney QuesenberyCenter for Civic Design2020
Usability & Accessibility Reports

This report details the design and usability testing of an accessible ranked-choice voting ballot interface built to work for voters who are blind or very low vision, have limited or no use of their hands, or have cognitive or attention disabilities. Testing with participants with various disabilities found that no single design can be fully optimized for all modes, but a workable default is achievable.

Charles Stewart IIIMIT Election Data + Science Lab2020
Voter Trust Reports

This post-election survey reports on how Americans cast ballots in 2020 and how confident they were that votes were counted accurately.