An Examination of Efforts to Encourage the Incidence of Early In-Person Voting in Georgia,2008

Abstract

Abstract

In this article we examine the effect of efforts on the part of election administrators in Georgia to compel registrants to cast ballots early in-person during the 2008 presidential election. We incorporate data collected from a survey of Georgia election administrators into a multivariate model designed to explain early in-person turnout at the county level. Our results indicate that county election officials who attempted to increase early in-person voting through advertising and outreach were successful. In addition, early in-person turnout was positively linked to voter convenience. Most previous research has examined non-precinct voting from the perspective of the consumer (voter). Our work demonstrates the need to also explore this area from the standpoint of producers (election officials) who are charged with implementation of policy. If election officials want to promote early voting, our findings indicate they should utilize a wide range of formats to familiarize their voting population with this option. In addition, careful thought should also be given to the number of early voting sites, their locations, and hours of operation if the goal is to get a sizable segment of the electorate to vote prior to the date of the election.