Resources

This report examines poll workers in the current election environment, including recruitment challenges, training needs, and the role poll workers play in shaping the voter experience and in building public confidence in elections.

In this paper, authors provide recommendations from disability voting rights advocates on how to improve the physical accessibility of polling locations and the usability of accessible voting equipment.

In this paper, authors examine the impact of same day registration (SDR) policies on younger voters. They find that SDR disproportionately increases turnout among individuals aged 18–24 and is especially pronounced in presidential elections. The effects of early voting and other reforms are smaller and do not consistently vary by age.

Authors use official statewide voter file and mail-in ballot data from the 2018 midterm election in Georgia to test whether certain voters are more likely to cast a mail ballot that does not count. In their analysis, authors distinguish between ballots rejected for lateness and those rejected for a mistake on the return envelope, finding that newly registered, young, and minority voters have higher rejection rates compared with their counterparts.

This paper examines whether minority and Democratic-leaning voters in Florida receive lower poll worker staffing. Using data from multiple elections, authors find evidence of partisan disparities in staffing levels, with Democratic-trending counties receiving worse service relative to Republican-trending counties. They apply operations management methods to document systemic resource allocation inequities in polling place operations.

This report examines barriers that prevent voters with disabilities from voting privately and independently. The report recommends several actions to overcome these barriers, including improving the accessibility of voting information and access to accessible voting technology, and integrating the disability community into all aspects of voting, among other things.

This paper challenges the HAVA minimum of one ADA-compliant device per polling location as insufficient and recommends that local election officials determine the number of accessible devices based on the proportion of voters with disabilities in their jurisdiction.

In this PhD dissertation, Schmidt introduces optimization and simulation models to support the design and operation of resilient in-person election voting systems. Three core contributions: (1) a discrete-event simulation of pandemic-resilient polling-place design, with a case study of Milwaukee, WI; (2) the Polling Location Consolidation Problem (PLCP), an integer programming model applied to Richland County, SC; and (3) an optimization model for ballot drop box siting in Milwaukee.

In this PhD dissertation, Bernardo develops a simulation-based framework to examine how in-person election system conditions affect voter wait times and throughput. Three core contributions: (1) observational time studies of voting operations across multiple Rhode Island elections to calibrate arrival-rate and service-time parameters; (2) discrete-event simulation models of polling-place operations under varying equipment types, layouts, and resource levels; and (3) application of the models to COVID-19 social-distancing scenarios, precinct-consolidation decisions, and minimum requirements for accessible equipment.

This report summarizes the findings of a 2022 national survey of eligible voters with and without disabilities to understand the role of the internet in accessing voting information. Topics covered include computer and internet use, sources of information on the voting process used in 2020, and accessibility of information sources, among other topics.

Authors examine the effects of state election administration laws on voter turnout at the state and individual levels for people with disabilities and compare them to that of the non-disabled population. They find that convenience voting reforms such as same-day registration and election-day registration boost turnout for both populations while all mail elections decrease the turnout gap between people with disabilities and the non-disabled.

This report highlights key trends in voter turnout among voters with disabilities in the 2022 elections. Authors note an increase in turnout among these voters compared to the 2018 midterms, especially in states with expanded vote by mail policies. However, approx. 14% of voters with disabilities reported some difficulties voting.