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III. Research and Report Summaries
electionline provides brief summaries of recent research and reports in the field of election administration. Please e-mail links to research to
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Voter Information in the Digital Age: Grading State Election Websites - Ava Alexandar, Robert M. Stern, and Tracy Westen, Center for Governmental Studies, December 2012: The authors find that most state election websites performed poorly in providing voters the information they needed make informed decisions when casting ballots during the November 2012 election.
Specifically the report examined whether these sites provided substantive information in three key areas: (1) candidates, (2) ballot measures and; (3) general information about both candidates and ballot measures including whether websites provide precinct level sample ballots and online voter pamphlets for example.
Two states - Alaska and California - received an A grade, one state a B, one a C, five Ds, and the vast majority – 42 – received Fs.
The authors offer recommendations on best practices to help states provide more comprehensive information about candidates and ballot measures.