Implementing the Mail Ballot: In Search of Best Practices

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  • University of Mannheim
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Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)18 - 33
JournalElection Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy (ELJ)
Volume24
Issue number1
Early online date30 Sept 2024
Publication statusPublished - 6 Mar 2025

Abstract

There is a well-established view that exercising the voting right should be as easy as possible, as even minor hurdles can have the effect of excluding voters. In light of these debates, election officials have greatly expanded the options for convenience voting in recent decades, such as providing easier access to a mail ballot. We argue that mail ballots are a double-edged sword. While they make voting more convenient, they are also more difficult to use than in-person ballots as voters have to navigate the additional measures for ensuring the secrecy and security of the ballot. In an effort to realize the best of both worlds, we conduct a systematic review of the European mail voting systems to identify a set of best practices for making voting by mail as easy as possible, while safeguarding the secrecy and security of the vote.

Keywords

    ballot design, convenience voting, election administration, Europe, mail voting

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Sciences(all)
  • Law

Cite this

Implementing the Mail Ballot: In Search of Best Practices. / Nyhuis, Dominic; Harmening, Morten; Münchow, Felix.
In: Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy (ELJ), Vol. 24, No. 1, 06.03.2025, p. 18 - 33.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Nyhuis D, Harmening M, Münchow F. Implementing the Mail Ballot: In Search of Best Practices. Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy (ELJ). 2025 Mar 6;24(1):18 - 33. Epub 2024 Sept 30. doi: 10.1089/elj.2024.0005
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