Resources

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

141 Resources

Gordon Pennycook, David G. Rand2021
Voter Trust Academic Papers

This research finds that a majority of Trump voters in the survey sample falsely believed that election fraud was widespread, and that Trump won the election. It also finds that Trump conceding or losing his legal challenges would likely lead a majority of Trump voters to accept Biden’s victory as legitimate, although 40% said they would continue to view Biden as illegitimate regardless.

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.

Katherine Clayton, Nicholas Davis, Brendan Nyhan, Ethan Porter, Timothy Ryan, Thomas Wood2021
Voter Trust Academic Papers

This academic article studies how messages from political elites influence public confidence in elections and acceptance of democratic norms.

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.

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.

Colin J. Jones, Robert M. SteinRice University2021
Workforce Academic Papers

In this paper, Jones and Stein test an expanded explanation for poll worker recruitment focused on reducing the demand for poll workers through efficiency gains. Based on the results of a national panel survey of election officials, authors find that in-person precinct voting on Election Day is a significant source of difficulty in obtaining poll workers. They offer widely available and political neutral strategies aimed at reducing poll worker scarcity.

Thessalia MerivakiMississippi State University2021
Workforce Academic Papers

The Administration of Voter Registration: Expanding the Electorate Across and Within the States analyzes the evolution and application of administrative election procedures at the state and local levels. It provides foundational knowledge for understanding the complexity of administering elections, specifically in regard to voter registration, and the key processes of administering elections.

John Curiel, Charles Stewart III, Jack WilliamsMIT Election Data + Science Lab2021
Voter Trust Reports

This MIT Election Data + Science Lab analysis explains the 2020 “blue shift,” where later-counted ballots disproportionately favored Democrats, and why that pattern mattered for public interpretation of results.

Jennifer Gaudette, Seth Hill, Thad Kousser, Mackenzie Lockhart, Mindy Romero, Laura UribeCenter for Inclusive Democracy2021
Voter Trust Academic Papers

Report offering solutions on how public information campaigns by state election officials could mitigate polarized trust in election integrity.

Markie McBrayer, R. Lucas Williams, Andrea Eckelman2021
Workforce Academic Papers

This paper explores whether officials in county governments follow their partisan allegiances when selecting and siting early voting locations. Authors find that the partisanship of county governments does not influence the location of early voting sites, but has modest effects on the number of early voting sites.

Adam M. Enders, Joseph E. Uscinski, Casey A. Klofstad, Kamal Premaratne, Michelle I. Seelig, Stefan Wuchty, Manohar N. Murthi, John R. Funchion2021
Voter Trust Academic Papers

Employing national surveys from 2012, 2016, 2018, and 2020, this paper that beliefs in election fraud are common and stable across time, and only occasionally relate to partisanship.

Yochai Benkler, Casey Tilton, Bruce Etling, Hal Roberts, Justin Clark, Robert Faris, Jonas Kaiser, Carolyn ScmittBerkman Klein Center2020
Voter Trust Reports

This research summary addresses how mail voting, absentee-ballot procedures, or claims about mail-ballot fraud affect voter confidence and perceived legitimacy. 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.