Electoral Data in the U.S. -- Uses, Operations, Requirements, and Vulnerabilities.

Abstract

Systematic management of and access to electoral data are critical for establishing that democratic processes are upheld; for evaluating government institutions and their effectiveness; and for understanding citizens’ changing relationships with government. In this chapter, we systematically review the information used to plan, administer, and evaluate elections – and identify gaps in public access to data, durable long-term access, boundary consistency, and voter registration database versioning. We discuss how these gaps expand vulnerabilities for insiders who aim to suppress votes or undermine public confidence in local election organizations and officials.