Did I post about this already?


Voting Technology Study:

National Science Foundation: Grant 0306698

Principal Investigators: Paul Herrnson (University of Maryland), Ben Bederson (University of Maryland), Fred Conrad (University of Michigan), Richard Niemi (University of Rochester), Michael Traugott (University of Michigan)

The events surrounding the 2000 presidential election called attention to a variety of seldom‑discussed facts: that voting technology and ballot design can influence election outcomes; that most polling places in the United States employ outdated technology; that training in election administration is inadequate; that minorities and the poor are more likely to cast their ballots on outdated systems; and that voting procedures affect how voters feel about their ability to exercise their right to vote and their willingness to accept the results of an election as legitimate...

...This project brings together social and computer scientists from a number of disciplines to study voting technology and ballot design.  We will first assess the impact of existing technology and ballot designs on a variety of factors: the ability of voters to cast their ballots accurately and efficiently, voter ease in casting complete ballots (if so desired), voter comfort using different technology and ballot interfaces, voter confidence that their ballots will be accurately recorded, and the
level of voter turnout.  We also will analyze the effects of alternative voting systems and ballot formats on the frequency of incomplete ballots and split‑ticket voting.

...Finally, we will create a generalized protocol for testing voting technology and ballot formats that will be disseminated for nationwide use.

Info about the study