MORE: State and local election news
The elections index rates how well states conducted the 2012 elections according to 17 criteria, including whether voters can register or find voting information online, how long they have to wait in line, how many voters must use provisional ballots, the handling of mail-in, military and overseas ballots, voter registration rate and turnout. Forty states improved their ratings from the 2008 election, according to the Pew report.
Average wait time at polls inched down about three minutes, from more than 14 minutes in 2008 to just over 11 minutes in 2012, according to Pew's Elections Performance Index. South Carolina, which had waits of more than an hour in 2008, cut its time to about 25 minutes. Florida's waiting time was the worst, and at 45 minutes it was far longer than the 29 minutes voters waited in 2008.
Last May, Florida passed legislation to increase the number of early voting locations and hours — reversing a 2011 cutback to early voting that was blamed for the long lines. "The previous practices reviewed in the report no longer reflect today's voting laws because of last year's reforms,'' Secretary of State Ken Detzner said in a statement.
Top performer in the Pew rankings: North Dakota, which also was rated tops in 2010's midterm elections and in 2008. The state does not require voter registration and doesn't use provisional ballots — used in other states when a voter's registration is in question. Minnesota, Wisconsin and Colorado also received high ratings.
Rated last: Mississippi, which also came in last in the 2010 and 2008 rankings. For one thing, the state does not collect much data on election performance, the Pew report said.
