“What the Elections Performance Index Tells Us About 2020”

EPI:

The Elections Performance Index (EPI) website has just been relaunched, with a new look and updated data from 2018.  The EPI was developed a decade ago with the long view in mind.  But with the 2020 election right upon us, what can performance data from past elections tell us about what to expect this November?

Although the EPI is constructed using 17 indicators, circumstances surrounding the 2020 election suggest we focus on four topics the index can help to illuminate:  turnout, mail balloting, wait times, and the use of the Internet to communicate with voters. The four primary points are these:

  • The historically high turnout rate in 2018 is likely to continue to 2020.
  • Wait times threaten to balloon in 2020, on account of historic turnout and challenges in maintaining in-person voting sites.
  • Low absentee ballot rejection rates in the past mask the degree to which they are likely to spike in 2020.
  • Election officials are increasingly relying on the Internet to communicate with voters, which will be even more critical in 2020.
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