We all know the value that Geographic Information brings to most government processes and utilizing it to support elections management and engagement between office holders is certainly no different. In fact, it might be one of the more critical functions in need of GIS support.

Questions around election results reliability not only causes distrust amidst the public, it can be extremely costly. However, the solution is not just as simple as throwing GIS applications at the problem. The data challenges must be addressed first. And what are these challenges. First, it’s a matter of using non-spatial data to solve spatial problems. And when the non-spatial data is put up against the spatial data it often doesn’t match up (e.g. a voting table that doesn’t match centerline/address data). And often even the pertinent spatial layers don’t match up as well (voting districts that don’t align with centerlines or address points not located in the right district). Just like the data challenges faced by NG911, Geo-enabled elections need a solid base of data upon which the analysis/applications can operate.

This presentation presents examples of these challenges and offers a solution to overcome them utilizing an automated, efficient process.