Who Should Run Our Elections? Public Opinion About Election Governance in the United States
Working Paper No.: 47Date Published: 2008-11-30
Author(s):
R. Michael Alvarez, California Institute of Technology
Thad E. Hall, University of Utah
Morgan Llewellyn, California Institute of Technology
Abstract:
Much has been said since the 2000 presidential election regarding the administration of elections
in the United States, particularly in regards to how election administrators are selected and to
whom they are responsive. Unfortunately, there has been little research on the different
administrative structures that are possible and the preferences of Americans regarding these
different administrative options. In this paper we present the results from a national survey of
Americans, in which we asked them their preference for whether elections should be run by
partisan or nonpartisan officials, whether the officials should be elected or appointed, and
whether the administration of elections should be by a single unitary executive or by an election
commission. In addition to eliciting the basic preferences of Americans about these
administrative choices, we also undertake a deeper analysis of these data to determine the
underlying patterns in support for the different administrative options.