Beyond the Ballot: A Survey of Statistical Methods for Uncovering Election Anomalies

Excerpt:  “Free and fair elections are a cornerstone of a self-governing republic, yet malfeasance may be a concern. Election forensics, a growing subfield of political science, offers a range of statistical tools to detect anomalies in election data and ensure electoral integrity. This Issue Brief surveys several key methods, including Benford’s Law, Bayesian finite mixture modeling, and outlier analysis, along with a range of other statistical techniques. The Issue Brief ends with policy recommendations aimed at ensuring that election data are made publicly available for independent analysis by the public, reinforcing the protection of electoral integrity.”