The Pew Center on the States has issued this important new report.  From the executive summary:

Administrators and policy makers are under more pressure than ever to conduct elections that are accurate, cost-effective and secure, and that bolster voter confidence in the results.

At the same time, they face fiscal constraints as federal funding provided under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) dries up and state and local budgets are cut.

Every two years, stories appear in the media about problems in the election system based on particular incidents. Real improvements, however, must be grounded not in anecdotes, but accurate data from empirical research. Officials responsible for election administration need reliable data that allow for:

. Identification of areas for improvement and spotting trends before problems become harder to address or the subject of public controversy.

. Comparisons within and between states on possible best practices that could be implemented, or inefficiencies or inequities to be remedied.

. Provision of accurate information for voters, legislators, journalists, advocacy organizations, and other stakeholders.
. Compliance with applicable laws to ensure they achieve the goals that made them necessary in the first place.

This is the first-ever report to analyze the completeness, strengths, weaknesses, and usefulness of data from sources such as state election divisions, the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and its Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS), public opinion surveys, and expert assessments.

This report finds that:

. Extensive data are available from the sources analyzed here.

. More effective use can be made of existing data.

. Election officials, legislators, academic researchers, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders should collaborate to improve the collection and use of data about elections nationally and in the states.

. The accuracy, completeness, and consistency of data, and even basic definitions of terms, vary considerably across states and localities. Although significant information is available now, better data and consistent definitions will help states continue to improve the effectiveness of election administration.