Basic Election Admin Facts Need for Data By Kimball Brace, President Election Data Services, Inc. Denver June, 2014

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1 Basic Election Admin Facts Need for Data By Kimball Brace, President Election Data Services, Inc. Denver June, 2014

voting equipment usage for nation since 1980 Maintains County level database

2 Election Data Services, Inc. Been collecting and analyzing election returns since 1977 Kept track of voting equipment usage for nation since 1980 Maintains County level database of election 2010 & returns 2012 for nation Contractor for EAC for their 2004 & 2006 Election Day Survey, subcontractor for 2008 & 2010

3 Who is Election Data Services, Inc.? Since 1979, more than half the nation has been helped by Election Data Services in redistricting Compiled extensive databases of election results and census demographics for redistricting in more than half the nation over past 4 apportionments Testified in more than 75 court cases, many concerning racial analysis of data

4 Who is Election Data Services, Inc.? Since 1986, we ve been on your wall. In 2012/13 you ll need a larger wall

5 Who is Election Data Services, Inc.? If it concerns elections, And it deals with data We re probably involved

6 Today s Presentation Basic Election Administration Facts Need for Data

7 Basic Election Administration Facts Diversity is the underpinning of Elections. 50 States 3,140 Counties 1,620 NE Townships 5,312 Midwest Townships 10,072 Election Jurisdictions

8 Basic Election Administration Facts Size is important to remember Question: What is the mean size of jurisdictions in nation in terms of registration? 1,492 registered voters Just under 1/3 rd of nations counties have fewer than 10,000 registered voters in them Half of the nation s counties have less than 16,500 registered voters Only 403 jurisdictions have more than 100,000 registered voters Only 15 counties have more than 1 million voters Smallest County: Loving County, Texas: 123 voters Largest County: Los Angeles, CA: 4.7 million voters Take 947 smallest counties to reach LA s total.

9 Basic Election Administration Facts

10 Basic Election Administration Facts

11 Basic Election Administration Facts Elections are run in small jurisdictions With small staff Many of which are part-time or performing other functions Reliance upon vendors for help

12 Turn-out Still don t know total number of people who participated in the last presidential general election. Definitions of turn-out, ballots cast, ballots counted. 903 Jurisdictions in 21 states have same number of people turning out, as that voted for President of the US

14 2012 Turnout Numbers Same as Vote for President 932 Counties 5 Whole States 6 Nearly Whole States 16 States at least 1 County

15 Drop-Off Rate Drop off (or Residual Votes) 2004 was lowest rate in post WWII history. 4.5% 4.0% 3.5% 3.0% 2.5% 2.0% 1.5% 1.0% 0.5% 0.0% Year

16 Residual Votes or Drop-off Difference between Total Turnout and Total Votes for an office = Overvotes + Undervotes Normal elections Overvotes = 10% of residual vote Undervotes = 90% of residual vote Florida 2000 opposite of above Problem of ballot design Problem is getting overs & unders Need for every office on ballot

17 Current Problems Besides getting data & data elements Voting Equipment Change & Diversity Over 74% of jurisdictions changed VE since 2000 Formerly, all voters in jurisdiction used same VE Analysis was easier, all voting patterns attributed to type of machine in use. Now most jurisdictions have multiple voting systems In-precinct system different than absentee, early Unless votes are attributed to different voting processes, analyzing voting equipment problems now harder to do cleanly.

18 Conclusion We do not do a good job of collecting data. The value of data is not well explained Election administrators don t always see the value Result data not collected or retained. Essential data items not defined Steps of data not comprehended Auditing concepts not incorporated in data Counts of persons who participated in election (turnout) should be stipulated. Overs & Under votes should be required for each office on the ballot Benefits & uses of data should be studied

19 Thank you Kimball Brace President Election Data Services, Inc Emerywood Court Manassas, VA ( or ) or

The Election Process From a Data Prospective. By Kimball Brace, President Election Data Services, Inc. 2017

The Election Process From a Data Prospective By Kimball Brace, President Election Data Services, Inc. 2017 1 Who is Election Data Services, Inc.? Since 1986, we ve been on your wall. Since 2010 you ve