Informing a Statewide Investment: The NYS Voter Registration Data Pattern Detection Prototype Project

Abstract

This management case study presents the results of a prototype project conducted with the New York State Board of Elections (NYSBOE) to investigate and make recommendations on pattern detection analytical models for the purposes of informing their future investment of a statewide detection and visualization system for voter registration data. NYSBOE, a bipartisan organization with a mission to protect the integrity of elections, recognized that a critical element of protecting elections includes a systematic and intelligence driven approach to monitoring voter registration data as part of an overall cybersecurity program. Using over thirteen years of data from the NYS voter registration database (NYSVoter), the prototypes yielded valuable insights on the analytical models and visualizations most appropriate for the purpose of pattern detection in voter registration data so that state election leaders can better inform their investment. This management paper presents a short background on voter registration data, elections, and the importance of pattern detection as a part of a cyber security program, prototype project background, insights generating in identifying most appropriate analytical models and visualizations for voter registration data, and a short conclusion.