About
The Elections Performance Index (EPI) compares election administration policy and performance across the states and from one election cycle to the next.
Download the report detailing the EPI’s methodology and background.
Download the full data and code needed to replicate the EPI.
The index presented here is based on the 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022 elections.
The EPI is intended to help policymakers, election administrators, and other citizens:
- Evaluate elections based on data, not anecdote.
- Compare the performance of elections across states and time.
- Identify potential problem areas that need to be addressed.
- Measure the impact of changes in policy or practice.
- Highlight trends that otherwise might not be identified.
- Use data to demonstrate the need for resources to state and local policymakers.
- Educate voters about election administration.
The EPI was first launched in 2013 by the Pew Charitable Trusts, following close consultation and development with an advisory group of leading election officials and academic experts. In 2017, management and development of the EPI passed to the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, which is dedicated to the nonpartisan application of scientific principles to election research and administration.
The index was made possible through the generosity of the Pew Charitable Trusts, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Democracy Fund, and the provost of MIT.
