As concerns about the accuracy of new voting systems continue to rise, many states have adopted post-election audit systems to solidify the integrity of the election process and to reassure their citizens that their votes were correctly counted. Some of those programs are based on research done, in part, by the University of New Mexico.
Photo: Political Science Professor Lonna Atkeson to conduct research.
On Jan. 16, the University of New Mexico was part of a group of researchers awarded two grants to continue research on election reform and election processes by engaging in a simulated audit of the voting system in Bernalillo County, New Mexico and by evaluating the current auditing practices in Utah.
The grants came from the Pew Center on the States and the JEHT Foundation. UNM Political Science Professor Lonna Atkeson will be leading the New Mexico project in collaboration with University of Utah Professor Thad Hall and California Institute of Technology Professor R. Michael Alvarez.
“Elections are at the heart of democratic governance and it is important that voters have confidence in our election system,” Atkeson said. “Post election audits provide one means to test the accuracy and integrity of our voting systems.”
The first grant, worth $176,500, was given to UNM for the researchers to conduct an audit of the 2006 election in Bernalillo County, working with election officials from the Bernalillo County clerk's office. The goal of the project is to document the proper way to conduct a post-election audit, including what to watch out for, the cost in time and resources and the various challenges associated with different ballots and voting modes.
It will also examine voter intent issues and address voter education needs regarding the use of paper ballots. New Mexico Secretary of State Mary Herrera is providing an additional $10,000 and Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver is contributing $15,000 in additional support for the project.
The second grant of $87,600 was granted to the University of Utah. Investigators from the same three universities will evaluate the audit process in two Utah counties, Salt Lake County and Davis County, and review how electronic ballots were audited in 2007 and will be audited in 2008 within the context of the complete post election canvas and audit process used.
For more information on the New Mexico study, please contact Lonna Atkeson at (505) 277-7592 or email atkeson@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu