The EAC has released a draft version of their 2006 Election Administration and Voting Survey (previously called the “Election Day Survey”).

It is now open for a 60 day public comment period, and I encourage all of our readers to take some time to look at the survey and send along thoughts to the EAC.

The 2004 version of the study (results reported here) had some flaws–the survey was distributed too close after a hotly contested election, when many officials had neither the time, or in many cases the information, needed to complete the survey. Some of the questions were worded imprecisely, or were intepreted unevenly, resulting in confusing survey results. And most worrisome, there are simply many large gaps in the dataset.

But as a continuing resource to monitor the march of election reform in the United States, the EAC survey is invaluable.

Mike and Thad have already done their part (read the report here). I recently received funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to supplement and extend the 2004 study (more on that soon). I hope the policy making and academic community can help the EAC make the survey as effective as possible.