Best state in America: North Dakota, for its smooth elections

By Reid Wilson September 12 WashPost

Reid Wilson is the author of Read In, The Post’s morning tipsheet on politics. If you have a candidate for best state, e-mail him at reid.wilson@washpost.com.

On Election Day, just seven weeks away, voters in many states will wait in seemingly endless lines. Others will have problems reaching their polling places or returning their absentee ballots.

But voters in North Dakota are far less likely to find interminable waits and far more likely to have their ballots accepted. In fact, a recent survey found that North Dakota administers its elections better than any other state in the country.

The survey, conducted by the Pew Charitable Trusts, found that voters in North Dakota waited an average of 7 1/2 minutes before they were able to cast their ballots in 2012, four minutes less than the national average.

North Dakota’s voter turnout was higher than the nation’s average. Just 0.1 percent of mail ballots issued to North Dakota voters were rejected, while more than 80 percent of military and overseas ballots were returned in time to be counted in 2012. Both of those results were far better than the national average.

(More here.)