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.
Resources
Use our resource library to explore the latest research in the field of election science.
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.
This MS thesis examines how polling place layout and path directionality affect voting system performance across turnout levels. The author models a two-step voting system in a theoretical 1,000 sq ft polling place using discrete event simulation, testing multiple layout configurations and voter routing strategies. They find that perimeter layouts with unidirectional voter flow minimize average travel distance and time-in-system across turnout levels.
This paper examines which voters are disenfranchised by voter ID laws, finding disproportionate impacts on Latino and Black voters who are more likely to lack required identification.
This toolkit helps election officials design and produce the materials poll workers need to set up and operate a polling place or vote center, including layout diagrams, signage, and procedural materials. It covers both traditional polling places and vote center models.
This paper explores how voting experiences and fraud perceptions influence voter confidence, revealing that negative voting experiences, particularly long wait times, are linked to decreased confidence and increased perceptions of fraud.
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.
In this paper, authors analyze how transitioning to vote centers impacts voters' experiences, noting that inadequate implementation may result in longer waits and increased voter dissatisfaction.
This paper examines how changes in Election Day polling place locations affect voter turnout. The authors analyze voter behavior in three presidential elections in North Carolina (2008 - 2016), finding that these changes reduce Election Day voting on average, but that the reduction is offset by substitution into early voting.
In this paper, authors explore how ballot length affects specific types of voting errors, including human-machine interaction errors and voter ballot-marking errors.
In this paper, Pettigrew demonstrate that for every additional hour a voter waits in line, their probability of voting in the subsequent election drops by one percentage point. He finds that negative experiences carry over to future elections disproportionately for underrepresented voters.
In this paper, authors find that non-white voters are more likely to lack acceptable photo identification, and that those voting without ID are disproportionately Latino and Black.