Election Reform

The Pew Center on the States (PCS) initiates and oversees programs that promote solutions to improve our election system.  Election reform is an important component of our broader efforts to identify and advance effective policy approaches to critical issues facing states.

Despite myriad changes in recent years to election laws and technology designed to resolve problems exposed in the 2000 presidential election and subsequent recount, long lines at the polls, voter registration discrepancies, absentee ballot concerns, ballot shortages and other controversies in closely-contested races have sparked new debate about whether current policies and procedures are adequate to ensure confidence in the election system.

The Pew Center on the States’ Election Initiatives examine the most pressing election problems and seek to foster a system that achieves the highest standards of accuracy, convenience, security and efficiency. We undertake pilot projects to field test potential solutions under the stress of real-world conditions, which inform our efforts to identify effective policies, practices and technologies that address the challenges facing American elections. We also sponsor events and working groups that bring election officials, policy makers, journalists, academics and other interested parties together to share ideas and insights.

Pew’s Election Initiatives also produce electionline.org, the nation’s only nonpartisan, non-advocacy Web site that provides timely, centralized and comprehensive news, research and analysis about election reform.  Electionline.org publishes a weekly email newsletter to inform public opinion leaders and experts, journalists and the general public about the latest trends in election practices and reform.