WORKSHOP: Workshop on the Science of Voting Technology: Research and Education

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

This workshop takes stock of the current status of the science of voting technology and election administration. The two major outcomes will be a (1) a conference proceeding, in written and video form, and (2) a blueprint for graduate education aimed at training a new generation of scholars who can engage in innovative research, working in a diverse, multidimensional field. With regards to intellectual merit, the nascent science of election administration and policy operates at the intersection of several fields of science and engineering, including computer science, design, economics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, operations research, political science, and statistics. A few institutional efforts have combined these perspectives into a single research program. Still, a consensus has yet to develop about the core knowledge necessary to support a scientific approach to election administration and policy. The workshop will articulate an intellectual core and a framework in which professional knowledge might be accumulated, disseminated, and applied to practical problems associated with voting. With regards to broader impacts, the workshop will foster two major types of broader impacts. The first is to develop closer links between the research conducted by established scientists and engineers in the field - most of whom have research profiles in more traditional fields - and graduate education in traditional STEM disciplines. The second is to encourage a more coherent interaction between researchers in universities and research centers, on the one hand, and public officials, including election administrators, on the other.