404,256 research outputs found

    Shifting Gears: Following the data whether you like it or not

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    Despite best efforts at bracketing and epoche, the subjectivity of the researcher wends its way into the research process. Our research project was intended to investigate the experience of aging in the current climate of economic turbulence which followed the election of President Obama. The data took us beyond this focus and into some uncharted territory. We will share the story of what we discovered and how we moved forward when the data took control

    Case Study: Election Observation Dispatches From the Polls

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    Provides an overview of the diversification among poll observers, from political parties to researchers to journalists and bloggers, and what they may contribute to the voting process. Summarizes state rules on media and public access to polling places

    Revisiting Factors Associated with the Success of Ballot Initiatives with a Substantial Rail Transit Component, Research Report 10-13

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    This report presents the replication of an MTI study conducted in 2001 by Peter Haas and Richard Werbel. That research, itself a continuation of an earlier project completed in 2000, included an analysis of transportation tax elections in 11 urban areas across the nation and culminated in the identification of 17 community-level factors with potential impact on the success of ballot measures for sales tax increases to fund transportation packages with substantial rail components. Trends observed in these more recent case studies were generally highly consistent with the following findings from the 2001 study. Thus this analysis reaffirms the importance for community consensus amongst the business, elected and environmental communities, and accompanying depth of financial support. Once again, the difficulty of passing an initiative without well-funded, effective use of multimedia was validated, as was the importance of utilizing experienced campaign consultants. Some factors seemed less important in the current study than in 2001, including the effectiveness of presenting a multimodal package, the perception of benefits of a package being distributed throughout the voting district, the experience gained in recent transit elections, and the credibility of the transit agency. Finally, this compilation includes an exploration of “rebound” elections – those instances in which a failed measure is quickly followed by a successful one – and the factors that seem linked to achieving success in such instances

    Your Ballot's In the Mail: Vote By Mail and Absentee Voting

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    Convenience voting, defined as access to voting at a time and place of the voter's choosing, has grown exponentially in the United States within the last two decades. A majority of states now permit "no-fault" or "no excuse" absentee voting, early in person voting, and vote-by-mail (VBM). This report will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of convenience voting in the form of no excuse absentee voting, permanent no excuse absentee voting, and VBM, all of which use the United States Postal Service as a central component. It will also discuss the concerns of proponents and opponents of mail balloting. Finally, it will suggest methods intended to address concerns about mail-in balloting expressed by legislators, administrators, election advocates, and scholars. Early in person voting, which may or may not include use of the mails as a component, is beyond the scope of this report

    The Evolution of American Microtargeting: An Examination of Trends in Political Messaging

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    The usage of targeted messaging by political campaigns has seen a drastic evolution over the past half-century. Through advancement in campaign technology, and an increasingly large amount of personal information up for sale, campaigns have continually narrowed their scope from targeting large demographic groups to targeting each voter individually through a process called microtargeting. This presentation examines both the history of microtargeting in American politics, and the potential effects of its utilization

    Electronic Voting: the Devil is in the Details

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    Observing electronic voting from an international point of view gives some perspective about its genesis and evolution. An analysis of the voting process through its cultural, ontological, legal and political dimensions explains the difficulty to normalize this process. It appears that international organizations are not capable to properly defend the fundamental rights of the citizens. The approach that was taken when DRE voting computers appeared seems to have reoccured with VVAT voting computers and the european e-poll project.Comment: 9 page

    Evaluating a Voter Outreach Initiative

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    · This article describes an initiative designed to increase voting rates among low-income and ethnic groups in southern and central California communities. · A rigorous evaluation demonstrated that participation rates could be increased by up to 10% among these groups. · Using local, well-trained canvassers and making contact during the four weeks preceding the election were some of the more effective practices

    Maximizing the Effectiveness of Provisional Voting

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    Every registered citizen who votes should have her ballot counted. This is not a controversial statement. Yet, for a variety of reasons, some voters arrive at the polls on Election Day only to be turned away when their names do not appear on the list of registered voters. Congress has attempted to correct this situation by including "fail-safe" or provisional voting requirements in the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002. States had the opportunity to adopt laws and procedures that maximized the chances for a provisional ballot cast by an eligible voter to count. The 2004 elections show, however, that states have taken very different paths in implementing provisional voting requirements. Consequently, the rates at which provisional ballots are counted vary widely from state to state -- from 96% counted in Alaska to only 6% counted in Delaware. These practices sometimes even vary widely within the state. This policy brief outlines HAVA's provisional voting requirements, reviews the experience of states with the 2004 implementation of provisional voting, and provides policy recommendations

    Research as a Learning Experience: Investigating Media Influence on Voters’ Opinions

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    America Goes to the Polls 2012: A Report on Voter Turnout in the 2012 Election

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    All 50 states have certified their results. The 2012 presidential election is officially in the books. The election survived Hurricane Sandy and a blizzard of proposed or enacted state level changes in voting procedures. An estimated 58.7% of eligible voters turned out to vote, below 2008's benchmark high but still above most presidential elections of the last 40 years in spite of a steep drop off in turnout in hurricane-impacted New York and New Jersey.Minnesota first in turnout, Hawaii last* Minnesota was number one in the country in voter turnout asit has been for eight of the last nine national elections Wisconsin came in 2nd with Colorado rising to 3rd.* The nation's most populous states -- California (41st), New York (44th) and Texas(48th) -- ranked in the bottom ten, dragging down national turnout.Swing States and Election Day registration states are highest in turnout* Seven of the top ten turnoutstates had Election Day registration orswing state status or both.* In 2012 voter turnout in states with Election Day registration -- where voters can register or update their registration on Election Day -- was 12 points higher than in those without that option, a turnout advantage consistent over the last six national elections.* Voter turnout in the ten swing states most targeted by campaigns was 65%,seven points higher than in non-swingstates, which had an average turnout of 58%.Presidential campaigns target just 10 states, ignore the other 40* 96% of the spending on television ads between April 11th and November 6th by presidential campaigns and allied groups went to ten battleground states.* Nearly six times as much ad money was spent in Florida alone than was spent in the 40 non-swing states and DC.* 99% of campaigns stops by the presidential or vice presidential candidates were in these states.Voters continue to embrace Early Voting* National polls showed 33-40% of voters voted early in-person or by mail, up from 31% in 2008 and 23% in 2004.* The rise in early voting came despite reductionsin early voting hoursin Florida and Ohio. Fewer early voting hours contributed to 225,000 fewer voters in Florida taking advantage of in-person early voting and long lines at the polls on Election Day.Youth turnout grows in size and diversity* Young voters ages 18-29 surprised observers by increasing theirshare of national voter turnout from 18% to 19%.* The percent of eligible young voters whose ethnicity is Latino, black or other than non-Hispanic white grew to 42% last year. In comparison, the same population 30 and over formed a 24% share of the vote.For the first time one in ten voters were Latino* 10 percent of the electorate turning out to vote was Hispanic. That figure was even higher in some western states, including the battleground states of Colorado (14%) and Nevada (18%).* Latinos will account for 40% of the growth in the eligible electorate in the U.S. between now and 2030, doubling in size.* Black voters were 13% of the electorate and their turnout rate may have exceeded that of whites forthe first time in 2012
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