Securing the Vote Protecting American Democracy (2018) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
3 Voting in the United States
3 Voting in the United States
Pages 31-54
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 31... ...
Presidential elections are held concurrently with House and Senate elections every fourth year. State and local contests, including ballot initiatives and referenda, often appear on the ballot alongside federal contests in even-numbered years.
|
From page 32... ...
SOURCE: Adapted from U.S. Election Assistance Commission, 2016 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS)
|
From page 33... ...
Furthermore, federal and state laws govern how military and overseas citizens may cast their votes in absentia.5 The result is a diverse and complex system of elections and wide variation in the training and capability of election administrators and staff who administer elections. On Election Day, problems can arise when the lines to vote are too long, when voting rolls are inaccurate, when voting machines break down, when ballots are poorly designed, when physical accessibility is limited, when precincts run out of ballots, when poll workers are poorly trained, or when election systems are compromised.6 Equipment failure, inadequate training, or poor ballot design can lead to long wait times.
|
From page 34... ...
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission's Election Administration and Voting Survey cited in this report, includes data provided by four territories -- American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands -- but does not include data from the Northern Mariana Islands.
|
From page 35... ...
Solid lines indicate flows that typically rely on the Internet or other networks that are connected to the Internet; dashed lines indicate information flows that typically are "air-gapped" from outside networks. The dark box indicates systems that are typically deployed in individual polling places; the light-gray box indicates systems that are typically centralized in a local jurisdiction's election office.
|
From page 36... ...
armed forces and their dependents may obtain registration forms via electronic transmission.17 Fifteen states currently allow same-day voter registration, and another, Hawaii, has enacted same-day registration provisions that take effect in 2018.18 Nine states and the District of Columbia have introduced automatic voter registration (AVR) .19 The 2002 Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
|
From page 37... ...
Some contain local, static lists in electronic form, while others allow access to information in voter registration databases via a real-time Internet connection. According to the U.S.
|
From page 38... ...
POLL WORKERS On Election Day, paid temporary workers assist in polling place operations. These poll workers may verify the identity of a voter; assist voters in signing the register, affidavits, or other documents required to cast a ballot; provide a ballot to a voter; set up a voting machine; or carry-out other functions as dictated by state law.24 Many jurisdictions have difficulty recruiting and training poll workers because this "seasonal" work involves "long hours, low pay, workday conflicts that limit the recruiting pool, and increasing technological demands for special skills."25 In 2016, "46.9 percent of responding jurisdictions reported having a somewhat difficult or very difficult time recruiting poll workers, compared with 22.7 percent that reported having a somewhat easy or very easy time.
|
From page 39... ...
counties, voters cast their ballots using BMDs or Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) systems where the voter casts his or her ballot using an electronic system (often similar to an ATM)
|
From page 40... ...
Pew Research Center created the figure using data from the Verified Voting Foundation. BOX 3-1 Overview of Vote Casting and Tabulation Methods Systems in Use in Federal Elections Hand-Marked "Optical" Scan Paper Ballot Systems.
|
From page 41... ...
Since 2010, no mechanical lever voting machines have been used in federal elections. a Some scanners also store a digital photograph of the ballot.
|
From page 42... ...
, it was common for jurisdictions with lever machines to adopt electronic systems when they consid ered upgrading their voting systems. HAVA provided an impetus for jurisdictions that had previously used lever machines to adopt Direct Recording Electronic systems (DREs)
|
From page 43... ...
The human-readable portion of the cast paper ballot provides the basis for audits and recounts. The Challenges of Paper Ballots The use of hand-marked paper ballots can introduce voting errors.
|
From page 44... ...
Counties Using System Hand Counted Paper Ballot 1.54% Optical Scan 62.78% Electronic (DRE or BMD) 32.85% Mixed 2.69% SOURCE: Brace, Kimball, President, Election Data Services, Inc., "The Election Process from a Data Perspective," presentation to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, September 12, 2017, Manchester, NH, available at: https://www.electiondataservices.com/ wp-content/uploads/2017/09/BracePresentation2PenseCommAmended.pdf.
|
From page 45... ...
36 The current version of the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines, VVSG1.1, was adopted by U.S. Election Assistance Commission commissioners on March 31, 2015.
|
From page 46... ...
Election Assistance Commission. c Mississippi requires that Direct Recording Electronic (DRE)
|
From page 47... ...
It does not include other voting-related systems, such as those used for voter registration." See U.S. Government Accountability Office, "Observaions on Voting Equipment t Use and Replacement," April 11, 2018 (Washington, DC)
|
From page 48... ...
Absentee Voting and Voting by Mail Historically, voters were required to cast their ballots in person at their assigned polling places on Election Day. Absentee voting was originally developed to allow soldiers deployed away from home to vote.
|
From page 49... ...
42 Masterson, Matthew, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, presentation to the com mittee, April 5, 2017, Washington, DC.
|
From page 50... ...
Twelve states and the District of Columbia allow jurisdictions to use vote centers during early voting only,46 and eight states allow the use of vote centers during early voting and on Election Day.47 California has authorized the use of vote centers starting in 2018.48 Collection Points for Ballots Received Early Some jurisdictions provide secure facilities where voters may deposit ballots received early either before or on Election Day. COUNTING VOTES Votes are counted in three principal ways: (1)
|
From page 51... ...
The scanning may occur in one of two places -- in the precinct where the ballots were cast, or in a central counting facility. At the end of Election Day, if ballots were counted in the precinct, unofficial vote totals are communicated to a central election office through one of several means.
|
From page 52... ...
Instead, the official results of an election are not determined until the election returns have been validated through a process known as canvassing.50 This validation involves not only rechecking the results reported on election night, but also adjudicating the status of provisional ballots and including ballots that may have arrived by mail after Election Day. Deadlines for the receipt of mail ballots vary by states, with many allowing mail ballots to be counted if they are postmarked before Election Day and arrive within a specified time after Election Day.51 Once all vote numbers have been reconciled, the local election authority certifies the election for the jurisdiction and generates a report with the official vote count.52 Results of statewide contests are further certified by state authorities, such as a state 50 U.S.
|
From page 53... ...
Risk-limiting audits are typically performed by examining a random sample of the cast paper ballots and comparing their contents to expected results. Increasingly, election administrators are looking to risk-limiting audits to help ensure the accuracy and security of the vote and increase confidence in the outcome of elections.
|
From page 54... ...
54 SECURING THE VOTE CONCLUSION For processes from voter registration to the casting and tabulation of votes, election administrators are responsible for the acquisition, maintenance, and oversight of numerous systems that often interact in complex ways. Each system plays an integral part in ensuring that the results of an election are consistent with the will of the voter.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.