Punch Cards, Jim Crow, and Al Gore: Explaining Voter Trust in the Electoral System in Georgia, 2000

In: State politics & policy quarterly: the official journal of the State Politics and Policy Section of the American Political Science Association, Band 5, Heft 3, S. 283-294

Abstract

Following the problems with presidential voting in Florida in 2000, voters & political scientists became interested in election administration. While empirical studies have shown that different election equipment can produce different tabulation error rates, little is known about the factors that affect voters' perceptions of good election administration. Using a survey of voters in Georgia, we examine these perceptions of the voting process. We find that black voters & Democrats were significantly less confident than others that their votes were counted accurately & that they were also more likely to express concerns over the election equipment they used. In contrast, the actual voting environment, including the type of voting equipment used, appears to have no direct bearing on voters' trust in the process. 2 Tables, 1 Figure, 32 References. Adapted from the source document.