README for using the Elections Performance Index data

MIT Election and Data Science Lab

Jack Williams

The data file epi_indicators-all_years contains all of the non-normalized indicator scores for the Elections Performance Index (EPI). These scores are produced through a large data collection and cleaning effort as part of the overall development of the EPI. More information on that process can be found in the EPI Methodology Report.

The data file epi_index_2018 contains the EPI scores for 2018. Calculations before 2016 were conducted by the Pew Charitable Trusts and can be found on on the EPI website.

Contact Jack R. Williams for any questions or to report errors.

Codebook for epi_indicators-all_years dataset

The variables are listed as they appear in the data file.

state_abbv

• Description: state abbreviation

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state_fips

• Description: State FIPS code

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year

• Description: election year corresponding to EPI indicators

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website_pollingplace

• Description: Can you look up your polling place online?
• Source: MIT Election and Data Science Lab coding of state policies
• Coding:

Value	Description
1	yes
0	no

---

website_reg_status

• Description: Can you look up your voter registration status online?
• Source: MIT Election and Data Science Lab coding of state policies
• Coding:

Value	Description
1	yes
0	no

---

website_precinct_ballot

• Description: Can you see a precinct-level sample ballot online?
• Source: MIT Election and Data Science Lab coding of state policies
• Coding

Value	Description
1	yes
0	no

• Note: This was not measured in 2008.

---

website_absentee_status

• Description: Can you check your absentee ballot status online?
• Source: MIT Election and Data Science Lab coding of state policies
• Coding:

Value	Description
1	yes
0	no

• Note: This was not measured in 2008.

---

website_provisional_status

• Description: Can you check your provisional ballot status online?
• Source: MIT Election and Data Science Lab coding of state policies
• Coding:

Value	Description
1	yes
0	no

• Note: This was not measured in 2008.

---

reg_rej

• Description: Registration rejection rate
• Source: EAC Election Administration and Voting Survey
• Coding:

Value	Description
[0, .67197359]	Numeric

---

prov_partic

• Description: Percent casting provisional ballot
• Source: EAC Election Administration and Voting Survey
• Coding:

Value	Description
[.00001733, .13130152]	Numeric

---

prov_rej_all

• Description: Provisional rejection rate
• Source: EAC Election Administration and Voting Survey
• Coding:

Value	Description
[0, .01916237]	Numeric

---

abs_rej_all_ballots

• Description: Absentee rejection rate of all ballots
• Source: EAC Election Administration and Voting Survey
• Coding:

Value	Description
[0, .01335678]	Numeric

---

abs_nonret

• Description: Absentee non-return rate
• Source: EAC Election Administration and Voting Survey
• Coding:

Value	Description
[0, .51564848]	Numeric

---

uocava_rej

• Description: UOCAVA rejection rate
• Source: EAC Election Administration and Voting Survey
• Coding:

Value	Description
[0, .25336698]	Numeric

---

uocava_nonret

• Description: UOCAVA non-return rate
• Source: EAC Election Administration and Voting Survey
• Coding:

Value	Description
[.01302932, .88048917]	Numeric

---

eavs_completeness

• Description: Percent completeness on key questions in 2016 EAVS survey
• Source: EAC Election Administration and Voting Survey
• Coding:

Value	Description
[0, 1]	Numeric

---

post_election_audit

• Description:
• Source: MIT Election and Data Science Lab coding of state policies
• Coding: Post-election audit required

Value	Description
1	yes
0	no

---

nonvoter_illness_pct

• Description: Percent non-voters because illness/disability
• Source: Voting and Registration Supplement to the Current Population Survey
• Coding:

Value	Description
[.03416906, .26005191]	Numeric

---

nonvoter_reg_pct

• Description: Percent non-voters because registration problem
• Source: Voting and Registration Supplement to the Current Population Survey
• Coding:

Value	Description
[.00745624, .13933808]	Numeric

---

online_reg

• Description: Can you register to vote online?
• Source: MIT Election and Data Science Lab coding of state policies
• Coding:

Value	Description
1	yes
0	no

---

wait

• Description: Wait time from SPAE and CCES
• Source: Survey of the Performance of American Elections, Cooperative Congressional Election Study
• Coding:

Value	Description
[.406409, 61.502129]	Numeric

• Note: This was not measured in 2010. Additionally, data was imputed using CCES, due to no SPAE in 2018. See methodology update for more information

---

residual

• Description: Residual vote rate
• Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab
• Coding:

Value	Description
[.0000391, .03168843]	Numeric

• Note: This is only available for presidential election years.

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pct_reg_of_vep_vrs

• Description: Residual vote rate
• Source: Voting and Registration Supplement to the Current Population Survey
• Coding:

Value	Description
[.64003599, .93633616]	Numeric

---

vep_turnout

• Description: Turnout as a percent of VEP
• Source: U.S. Elections Project
• Coding:

Value	Description
[.28341606, .78102571]	Numeric

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Version

• 20200820