A Data-Centered Look at the Election of 2008

Abstract

My expertise is in trying to use data to identify where election problems lie in America, especially at a broad level --- such as comparing states with each other or comparing counties with each other. I know that the purpose of today’s conference is to think about LA County, but there are lessons to be learned from looking across the country. So, what I thought I would do today is look at the election of 2008 to ask what do the data tell us about the experience of voters nationwide on Election Day? At the end, I’ll also say some words about where California fits into national trends --- not to put anyone on the spot, but rather, to get us thinking about where the special challenges are in improving elections here.