VOTING TECHNOLOGY

• Paper ballots used universally into 20th century

• 1930s onwards– new technology available– long (and complex) ballots

• Lever machines– e.g., New York, Alabama

VOTING TECHNOLOGY (cont.)

• 1950s– Punch cards machines

• 1960s– Optical scan machines

• 2000s– Touch-screen (“ATM”) machines

Caltech-MIT Voting Technology Project (post-2000)

• Assessment of reliability of different voting technologies

• Rate of apparently spoiled ballots– undervotes vs. overvotes– does voter get feedback?

• Reliability– Paper– Optical touch-screen ???– Lever– Punch card

Why does U.S have bigger voting technology problems than other

countries?• “long ballot”

– Multiple offices (plus propositions, etc.)– Overlapping districts– Need rapid counting at precinct level

• U.K. vs. typical U.S. election cycle– UK: MP, local councillor [MEP, MSP etc.]– US: President, US Senate, US House, Governor etc.; state

Senator; state House; county executive or mayor, county &/or city council, school board, state &/or local judges etc; other offices; bond issues; propositions; initiatives [and primary &/or runoff elections]

Other Issues

• Absentee ballots

• Early Voting

• Mail ballots (Oregon)

Election Administration

• Prescribed by state law (with increasing but still secondary federal regulation)

• Administered by counties, often with variation from county to county

• Episodic tasks, heavily dependent on more or less volunteer labor

• Often party organizations are involved– Checks and balances?