CloseUp
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In addition to collecting terrific research on the issues of voting and elections, we've produced a podcast on this topic. Stacy Kessler, IssueLab's Collections Assistant, chatted with Scott Novakowski, Senior Policy Analyst at Demos and Peter Montgomery, Vice President for Communications at People for the American Way about how the results of the November 4, 2008 election might affect future research that will be conducted by these groups. We thank the McCormick Foundation for its generous support of this podcast. We also thank dj nitro whose music, Transgenic (dj nitro Z mix)" is used in this podcast. The podcast was produced by IssueLab and is shared through a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License. |
Over the last year our attention has been squarely focused on the presidential candidates' positions and dispositions. And underlying most of our election talk has been the assumption that elections in the U.S. are free and that the basic right to vote is so secure that it can be almost taken for granted.
IssueLab's current CloseUp calls many of those assumptions into question. In this special collection of research, nonprofits from across the country present us with startling facts about the flaws in our electoral system and inspiring case studies about how reforms are opening the polls up to millions more voters. Whether a disabled person can vote independently, whether we are surrendering control of our vote counting system to outside vendors, or whether individuals who have served prison time should have their voting rights restored, are not purely theoretical or overly technical concerns, they have a very real impact on the outcomes of elections.
Explore the collection of research on Voting
Explore the collection of research on Elections
KEY FINDINGS:
"Racial disparities in the criminal justice system translate into higher rates of disenfranchisement in communities of color, resulting in one of every eight adult black males being ineligible to vote." -- Sentencing Project
"28. 3 million voting age people in the U.S. experience physical difficulty, including grasping or handling small objects. 19.1 million have trouble seeing." -- Brennan Center
"In New Mexico, the number of "provisional ballots," which are mandated under new federal voting rules, that went uncounted exceeded the margin of victory in the presidential race in 2004." -- People for the American Way
"Recent examination of the youth electorate suggests that efforts to engage young Americans in the democratic process focuses on college campuses, missing about half of young voters ages 18-29 who are not in college, including a disproportionate number of African- American and Latino voters." -- Proj ect Vote
The special collection of research on Voting and Elections includes work on the following issues:
The Black Box Report Security Alert: July 4, 2005 Critical Security Issues with Diebold Optical Scan DesignCost Estimate for Hand Counting 2% of the Precincts in the U.S.
Electronic Voting: A Failed Experiment
Vote Miscounts or Exit Poll Error?
... more
Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in the United StatesR estoring the Right to Vote
... more
The Erosion of Rights: Declining Civil Rights Enforcement Under the Bush AdministrationYou Don't Need a Home to Vote! 2008- 2009 Voting Rights Manual
Shatteri ng the Myth: An Initial Snapshot of Voter Disenfranchisement in the 2004 Elections
... more
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And don't forget to register as a LabRat today so you can comment on and review the research that is included in this CloseUp.
