Details
| Translated title of the contribution | Convenient, but Prone to Error: Invisible Uncounted Mail Ballots |
|---|---|
| Original language | German |
| Pages (from-to) | 597-619 |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| Journal | Politische Vierteljahresschrift |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 5 Nov 2021 |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
Voting by mail is increasingly popular. Although voters enjoy the convenience of voting by mail, the public is unaware how prone to error mail ballots are. Election administrations reject mail ballots for a variety of reasons. Because German electoral laws treat rejected ballots as not having been cast, the reported number of invalid mail ballots underestimates the true share of uncounted mail ballots. Between 3.2% and 4.0% of the mailed ballots in German elections are estimated to remain uncounted, which is far higher than the share of invalid in-person votes. This paper argues that rejected mail ballots should be reported in the official records to make voters aware of the risks of an uncounted mail ballot.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Sociology and Political Science
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In: Politische Vierteljahresschrift, Vol. 62, No. 4, 12.2021, p. 597-619.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Bequem, aber fehleranfällig
T2 - Die Dunkelziffer ungewerteter Briefwahlstimmen
AU - Nyhuis, Dominic
N1 - Funding information: Ein besonderer Dank gilt den Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeitern der kommunalen Wahl- und Statistikämter, die sich um die Zusammenstellung der hier ausgewerteten Daten bemüht haben, insbesondere Evelyn Temme vom Landeswahlamt Bremen, die mich auf die Problematik der ungewerteten Briefwahlstimmen aufmerksam gemacht hat. Ein weiterer Dank gilt den Gutachter/innen sowie dem Herausgeber/innenteam der Politischen Vierteljahresschrift.
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - Voting by mail is increasingly popular. Although voters enjoy the convenience of voting by mail, the public is unaware how prone to error mail ballots are. Election administrations reject mail ballots for a variety of reasons. Because German electoral laws treat rejected ballots as not having been cast, the reported number of invalid mail ballots underestimates the true share of uncounted mail ballots. Between 3.2% and 4.0% of the mailed ballots in German elections are estimated to remain uncounted, which is far higher than the share of invalid in-person votes. This paper argues that rejected mail ballots should be reported in the official records to make voters aware of the risks of an uncounted mail ballot.
AB - Voting by mail is increasingly popular. Although voters enjoy the convenience of voting by mail, the public is unaware how prone to error mail ballots are. Election administrations reject mail ballots for a variety of reasons. Because German electoral laws treat rejected ballots as not having been cast, the reported number of invalid mail ballots underestimates the true share of uncounted mail ballots. Between 3.2% and 4.0% of the mailed ballots in German elections are estimated to remain uncounted, which is far higher than the share of invalid in-person votes. This paper argues that rejected mail ballots should be reported in the official records to make voters aware of the risks of an uncounted mail ballot.
KW - Election statistics
KW - Electoral laws
KW - Invalid votes
KW - Official voting records
KW - Voting by mail
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85118592785&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11615-021-00358-3
DO - 10.1007/s11615-021-00358-3
M3 - Artikel
AN - SCOPUS:85118592785
VL - 62
SP - 597
EP - 619
JO - Politische Vierteljahresschrift
JF - Politische Vierteljahresschrift
SN - 0032-3470
IS - 4
ER -