EAC Releases Overview of State Election Laws and Policies

The Election Assistance Commission recently released its 2014 Statutory Overview. The biannual survey compiles qualitative data on state laws and processes related to election administration in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The report includes information about:

• Early and absentee voting. Twenty-nine states allow people to cast absentee ballots without an excuse, and 35 allow voters to cast ballots early in person without an excuse.
• Provisional ballots. Twenty-six states reject provisional ballots that are cast in the wrong precincts.
• Poll worker training. Twenty-four states provide training for poll workers before each election. The amount of training in other states varies, with eight states offering training every two years.

In the coming months, the commission will release its full 2014 Election Administration and Voting Survey, the data set that provides the most complete view available of how elections are administered nationwide.

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