Studying Elections: Data Quality and Pitfalls in Measuring of Effects of Voting Technologies

Alvarez et al claim that the data presented in Professor Miller's article support their findings concerning their weaknesses of punch cards overall and the comparatively good performance of scanners. They observe that in Wyoming, using the correct accounting of residential ballots cast, optical scanning performs much better than punch cards or electronics, while in Pennsylvania, they find that because the state does not provide for a certification of the total ballots cast, the appropriate data for the assessment of voting technology do not appear to be available, even after Professor Miller's considerable efforts to collect the appropriate data.