Americans have traditionally voted in neighborhood polling places, but since the 1980s, many states have eased rules on issuing absentee ballots, allowed voters to cast ballots in person before Election Day, or even begun mailing ballots to all voters.

All states have voter identification requirements, ranging from simply announcing one's name to showing an official photo ID card. Rules vary widely from state to state, and voter ID has been a source of political controversy in the United States for nearly two decades.

The presidential election of 2000 and the highly controversial recount in Florida brought the term “voter confidence” into the political lexicon. However, the rhetorical pull of the term “voter confidence” is much stronger than proof of any actual empirical relationship between voter confidence and voter turnout.

Provisional ballots are intended to provide fail-safe protection for voters when there are questions about their registration status on Election Day.

Voter registration lists are critical to managing elections, but keeping them updated can be challenging. Because voter registration is often self-initiated and decentralized, many eligible voters are unregistered or have outdated registration records. Compounding the issues, registrations are tied to residential addresses, but it is difficult for election officials to know when or where registrants move. Much of the foundational research on voter registration is outdated and insufficient, further highlighting the need for advancing a research agenda that fosters coordinated partnerships between academics, officials, and civic organizations.

A look at what it costs to run elections in the United States, and where that funding comes from.