Measuring Election Performance in Intergovernmental Systems

• In Event: Measurement Choices and Challenges in Election Administration

Abstract

This paper identifies and compares methods used to measure American election policy administration at the state, national, and local levels Among these are the significant scholarship produced by Charles Stewart and his colleagues and their work in establishing metrics for state election performance through the Election Performance Index, as well as the US Election Administration Commission and its national survey of election administration and voting. A significant omission in the field and one which has stymied research efforts is the ability to measure the performance of local election jurisdictions (Hale, Montjoy, and Brown 2015), which number (by various estimates) between 8,000-10,000. The paucity of this information stems from the variance in jurisdiction arrangements, the number of jurisdictions, and the lack of a central body that coordinates these jurisdictions or the methods used by the people who work in them, either at the national level or within states. Numerous local studies and new initiatives inform our understanding of methods used to measure local election practices and we catalogue these. Our findings suggest important elements to be included in a framework for intergovernmental measurement of elections in the American federal system.

Authors

• Kathleen Hale, Auburn University

• Mitchell Brown, Auburn University