Mitchell Brown, Ph.D., is Professor of Political Science at Auburn University, an Associate Editor of the Journal of Political Science Education (Science of Teaching and Learning), and a founding editor of the Journal of Election Administration Research & Practice. Her work as a researcher, evaluator, trainer and consultant focuses on applied projects around the country centering on election administration, community building, and community-based problem solving. From 2015-2018 she served as the Director of Auburn University PhD Program in Public Administration and Public Policy, and has also held board and leadership positions at the university, in state government, and in non-profit organizations.

All states have laws that mandate the order in which candidates appear on the ballot. If the order in which candidates appear on the ballot influences election outcomes, then these laws will advantage some candidates over others, whether this advantage is due to incumbency, party, or alphabetical order. Concern over the advantage presumably conveyed by “ballot-order effects” has led some states to require names to be randomly listed on the ballot.

Americans who are deployed members of the military or who otherwise live abroad face special circumstances when it comes to voting. Efforts to ensure the inclusion of the military in elections date back to the Civil War and the election of 1864. Laws passed in recent decades have allowed voting from abroad to become a unique but important aspect of U.S. elections.