Research

Using data-driven scientific analysis, we strive to better understand how elections function in the U.S. Here we provide a guide to core research by MEDSL and others in this area.

Projects
Papers + Reports
Explainers

Projects

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Mapping Election Administration + Election Science

Assessing the current state of knowledge and practice in election administration.

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Election Science: Convergence Accelerator Workshop

Working to understand and build confidence in the outcomes of US elections.

Evolving Election Administration Landscape

Learning from Elections

Working to provide data-driven recommendations to make elections more convenient, secure, transparent, and cost effective.

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Grants

New Initiatives in Election Science

The MIT Election Data and Science Lab ran the New Initiatives in Election Science Grants from 2017-19 to encourage new approaches to the scientific study of elections and election reform.

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Syllabuses for Election Science

Deepening the Field of Election Science

A database of resources for people who teach election science classes, including syllabi and other teaching aids.

Election Landscapes

State Election Landscapes: The Great Lakes States

State Election Landscapes provides a comprehensive overview of how elections are conducted in the six Great Lakes States: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Deepening Scientific Research

Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project

The Voting Technology Project was established by Caltech President David Baltimore and MIT President Charles Vest in December 2000 to prevent a recurrence of the problems that threatened the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election.

External Resources

Presidential Commission on Election Administration (Mirror Website)

For those looking for the website of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, we maintain a mirror site to archive its information online.

Studying Voters' Experiences

Survey of the Performance of American Elections

The Survey of the Performance of American Elections is the only national survey of registered voters that is focused on understanding the voting process from the perspective of the voter. It was begun in 2008 and repeated in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2020. Access the dataset and latest reports here.

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Evaluating U.S. Elections

Elections Performance Index

The Elections Performance Index is the premier assessment tool to evaluate election administration across the nation. It allows viewers to compare election administration policy and performance across states and from one election cycle to the next. The current index is based on the U.S. presidential and mid-term elections ranging from 2008–2022.