The implementation of the 2020 EAVS marks the ninth iteration of the national survey
August 16, 2021
Washington D.C. – Today, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) released the 2020 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS). The EAVS collects election administration data from local election jurisdictions in all 50 states, the territories, and the District of Columbia. The EAVS report includes voter registration, military and overseas voting, vote by mail, early and Election Day polling operations, voter participation, and election technology. The EAC submitted the 2020 EAVS to the 117th Congress on August 16, 2021 and it is now available on the EAC’s website.
Some highlights from the 2020 EAVS:
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This election saw the highest turnout of any federal general election recorded by EAVS to date with 67.7% of the citizen voting age population casting ballots that were counted.
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More than 209 million people were active registered voters for the 2020 general election and more than 161 million voters cast ballots that were counted for this election.
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30.5% of voters cast their ballots in-person on Election Day, and 43.1% of the electorate cast their ballots utilizing vote by mail.
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States reported a total of 132,556 polling places where 775,101 poll workers assisted voters with in-person early and Election Day voting.
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The percentage of poll workers ages 18 to 25 and 26 to 40 increased to 6.2% and 15.0%, respectively.
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The percentage of poll workers ages 61 to 70 and 71 and older decreased to 27.3% and 20.1%, respectively.
“The data from the 2020 EAVS report gives us important insight on an unprecedented election during a pandemic. As election officials, academics, and the Congress continue to study and learn from the 2020 elections, the EAVS data will serve as a foundation for analyzing best practices and informing the future of election administration,” said EAC Chairman Donald Palmer.
The 2020 EAVS data and the accompanying Election Administration Policy Survey (Policy Survey) are used to provide an overview of each aspect of the elections process:
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Turnout, voting methods, polling places and poll workers, and election technology are covered in Chapter 1, “Overview of Election Administration and Voting in the 2020 General Election,”
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Key laws, rules, policies, and procedures that govern U.S. elections are covered in Chapter 2, “Election Law and Procedure: The Policy Survey,”
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Voter registration and list maintenance are covered in Chapter 3, “Voter Registration: NVRA and Beyond,”
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Voting by individuals covered under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) is described in Chapter 4, “Military and Overseas Voting in 2020: UOCAVA,”, and
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Finally, the methodology of EAVS and the survey instruments are discussed in Chapter 5, “Survey Methodology and Procedures.”
The 2020 EAVS marks the ninth iteration of the biennial survey. In 2008, the EAC began administering the Statutory Overview which asks states a series of open-ended questions about their specific election laws, definitions, and procedures. Beginning in 2014 the data complied for the EAVS is combined into one report per survey. Prior to 2014, the EAVS consisted of three reports: the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) Report, the Uniformed and Overseas citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) Report, and the Election Day Survey. Additional information about the EAVS and previous reports are available on the EAC’s website.
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The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). It is an independent, bipartisan commission charged with ensuring secure, accurate and accessible elections by developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration. EAC also accredits testing laboratories and certifies voting systems, as well as administers the use of HAVA funds. For more information, visit www.eac.gov.
Contact: Kristen Muthig
Phone: 202-897-9285
Email: [email protected]