The main concerns have been 1) vote suppression; and 2) election integrity, which has to do with accurate counting, no one’s vote counting more than once, and only eligible voters casting ballots.
IOPA will also concern itself with a widely neglected issue; effects of voting on more things. If we vote on more things, we may end up with voter fatigue, or by another name; an over-extended electorate. Theoretically, more ballot items means less informed voting, especially on ballot items of less concern to voters, which varies by voter. For example, school district elections will mean more to school district employees, so they are more likely to vote in those elections and cast better informed votes on school district ballot issues. Other voters will focus on different ballot items. So, more stuff to vote on seems likely to make special interests more powerful, which should make it easier to increase spending, and harder to cut it.
IOPA has already collected some data on ballot length in preparation for testing hypotheses on the effects of increased voter fatigue, and voters’ narrower focus on certain ballot issues over others.
Revisit this page, periodically, to observe our progress in this research area. Hopefully, by your next visit, we can announce proposals and requests for proposals for specific projects. Once we have an analysis completed, we will commission a review from a scholar likely to be a basis for civil, informed disagreement, and create conversation forums for further assessment. To be involved in any aspect of the process, e-mail us at: IOPAChief@policytalk.org
