Resources

This research seeks to expand the current understanding of usability by exploring its relationship to trust in two contexts - popular consumer products that people can choose to use and voting systems that citizens must use to participate in an election. In both studies, authors found that more usable systems were the most trusted.

This report highlights key trends in voter turnout among voters with disabilities in the 2010 elections. Authors find that turnout by voters with disabilities was 3 percentage points lower than voters without disabilities. Authors analyze this trend by state, age, vote method, and employment status, among others.

Creek and Karnes provide one of only a handful of analyses focusing on rural election administration. Their 2010 paper examines the challenges and costs of implementing HAVA requirements in rural jurisdictions, and whether state support can help equalize the costs of implementing these requirements in rural versus urban jurisdictions.

This report highlights key trends in voter turnout among voters with disabilities in the 2008 elections. Authors find that turnout by voters with disabilities was 3 percentage points lower than voters without disabilities. Authors analyze this trends by state, age, vote method, and employment, among others.

An early assessment of the growing trend of states expanding the use of absentee and early in-person voting in elections.

In this paper, Berinsky examines electoral reforms design to make it easier for registered voters to cast their ballot. He finds that these reforms increase socioeconomic biases in the composition of the voting public and recommends using political engagement strategies to improve ballot access, rather than institutional changes.

This paper analyzes postregistration costs and state policies that can make it easier for registered citizens to vote. Authors find that mailing each registrant a sample ballot and information about the location of their polling place, and providing a longer voting day enhance turnout, especially by the young and the less educated.

Stein's article "Early Voting" provides a foundational analysis of who votes early, how early voters behave in contrast to election-day voters, and whether their ballot choices differ. The article discusses findings related to attitudinal and demographic differences between early and election-day voters, and partisan advantage, among others.

In this paper, authors develop a resource model of political participation whereby time, money, and civic skills are distributed differently among socioeconomic groups. Access to these resources help individuals overcome voting barriers and thus have a strong impact on political participation.

In this paper, Aldrich asserts that voting is a "marginal activity" which is affected by costs. He finds that because the costs and benefits of voting are low, small "non-rational" factors such as social pressure or psychological stakes can impact a person's decision to vote. These findings are foundational to academic literature on voter turnout.

This resource provides an overview of the federal laws that facilitate voting by people with disabilities. It contains links to resources and tools for election officials and organizations to understand the experiences of voters who are blind or low vision and to learn how to better serve them. This includes materials that educate and encourage blind voters to become poll workers.

Use this tool to estimate how long it takes voters to mark a ballot.