Pew has released this must-read report. From its news release:

Good data is the basis of good policymaking. In the elections field, a lack of data has often left policy makers and election officials without the tools necessary to assess successes and failures in the field….
Data for Democracy – Improving Elections through Metrics and Measurement, a compendium of research that grew out of a Pew Center on the States and JEHT Foundation-sponsored conference, begins to look at how data is collected in the field. It highlights states that do a robust job of collecting and reporting data, examines challenges faced in data collection in the field and assesses the diversity of data and data collection mechanisms among local governments.