UOCAVA Supporting Statement B

Supporting Statement B

OMB Control Number: xxxx-xxxx

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Survey of UOCAVA Voters

B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

1. Describe (including a numerical estimate) the potential respondent universe and any sampling or other respondent selection method to be used. Data on the number of entities (e.g. establishments, State and local governmental units, households, or persons) in the universe and the corresponding sample are to be provided in tabular form. The tabulation must also include expected response rates for the collection as a whole. If the collection has been conducted before, provide the actual response rate achieved.

The sample will target a sample of the 2006 UOCAVA registered voters in the four jurisdictions identified in our case studies. We expect the sample to be at least 10,000 registered voters, and we hope to get response rate of 20%. Previous on-line surveys of UOCAVA voters by the Overseas Vote Foundation had response rates of approximately 17%.

2. Describe the procedures for the collection, including: the statistical methodology for stratification and sample selection; the estimation procedure; the degree of accuracy needed for the purpose described in the justification; any unusual problems requiring specialized sampling procedures; and any use of periodic (less frequent than annual) data collection cycles to reduce burden.

The sample will be chosen from UOCAVA registered voter lists in four states that very by the size of the UOCAVA pool and the method by which overseas ballots can be obtained or cast. Montana is a small state (4,721 UOCAVA votes cast) that has a wide variety of electronic transmission methods with differences between local jurisdictions. South Carolina has the largest number of UOCAVA voters (168,814) and allows for emailing of blank and voted ballots and faxing of ballots and registration forms. Florida allows some emailing and faxing of blank ballots and is considering the possibility of internet voting. Most likely, the fourth state will be either Vermont (1,733 UOCAVA voters) or Illinois (30,556 UOCAVA voters) which have smaller numbers of UOCAVA voters but allow faxing for registration, ballot requests and blank ballots, and also have variations between local jurisdiction that can be studied. Working from the registration lists, we will invite the respondents to complete the survey in the form they received their ballot (i.e. mail, fax or email). Those that check email will get an email invitation with a link to the on-line survey. Others will get a paper version by fax or mail. Our intention is to contact all the registered UOCAVA voters in a given jurisdiction or where necessary to draw a random sample.

3. Describe the methods used to maximize response rates and to deal with nonresponse. The accuracy and reliability of the information collected must be shown to be adequate for the intended uses. For collections based on sampling, a special justification must be provided if they will not yield "reliable" data that can be generalized to the universe studied.

Follow-up emails will be sent after 5 days to those who have not responded by email, and follow-up faxes and postcards to those who did not respond from those categories.

Aside from these multiple contacts, we will monitor for any potential biases in the responses we get by comparing attributes in the registration file with those who respond to the survey. If necessary, we will consider weighting the responses to test whether there is a measurable difference in the results as a result of any skew in the respondents’ characteristics.

4. Describe any tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken. Tests are encouraged as effective means to refine collections, but if ten or more test respondents are involved OMB must give prior approval.

The questionnaire will be pre-tested with a small sample of Overseas Vote Foundation volunteers and associates to refine the wording of questions and ensure that the questions are well understood, as well as members of the research team.

5. Provide the name and telephone number of individuals consulted on the statistical aspects of the design, and the name of the agency unit, contractor(s), grantee(s), or other person(s) who will actually collect and/or analyze the information for the agency.

Contractor contact: Prof. Bruce E. Cain, 1.415.336.0570