NCSL Election Technology Toolkit

The “impending crisis” in voting technology identified by the Presidential Commission on Election Administration (PCEA) two years ago is well-known in the election community, and starting to get noticed in other circles as well.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) have been having conversations with there constituents, State legislators, and Legislative staff, on this topic for the last two years.

NCSL continues to work with Legislatures on how they might be able to assist their local election officials as part of our Elections 2020 Project.

As part of the project they are bringing together Legislators, Legislative staff, and State and Local election officials for a daylong meeting in a given state to discuss the topic of election technology.

The “impending crisis” is here now, and we’re seeing more and more Election jurisdictions replacing their aging equipment.

NCSL has developed an Elections Technology Toolkit to help explain what technology is used at each stage of the election process. The toolkit is a primer for legislators who want to learn more, but local election officials might also be able to use to it explain why running an election is not just a “work one day every two years” gig. Election administration is complicated, legislators set the rules of the game in the form of voting system requirements, how the state votes, and the nitty-gritty of how many poll workers and voting machines need to be at a given polling place. But it’s local officials who have to put it all those pieces together, and truly understand the ins and outs.

In addition, NCSL provides a variety of information intended for Legislators, but also for Election Officials seeking to engage with them.

Check out the Election Technology Overview page for research on everything from online voter registration to post-election audits, as well as articles, blogs, interviews and conference materials.

Also visit the Elections Legislation Database to see what’s percolating in State Legislatures this year.











NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker