2014 Ethnographies and Focus Groups

Celinda Lake

President

Alysia Snell

Partner

Michael Perry

Partner

David Mermin

Partner

Robert G. Meadow, Ph.D.

Partner

Daniel R. Gotoff

Partner

Joshua E. Ulibarri

Partner

Rick A. Johnson

Senior Vice President

Shannon Marshall

Vice President of Operations

Robert X. Hillman

Chief Financial Officer

FVAP MILITARY FAMILIES FOCUS GROUPS

SCREENER

General Information about the recruit:

Recruit Overview

No. of participants: Will vary per location. Please consult grid.

Duration: Focus groups will last no more than 2 hours and 15 minutes

Start time: TBD based on schedules of recruits. DO NOT schedule more than 2 voter ethnos per day.

Call Script:

Hello, my name is (name) and I’m calling from Lake Research Partners on behalf of FVAP, the Federal Voting Assistance Program which is part of the Department of Defense.

I am calling to invite you to participate in a research study FVAP is conducting around voting among family members of U.S. military members who are stationed away from home. This is a one-time interview to discuss experiences with voting. Participation and responses will remain completely confidential and will be used only for the purposes of our research.

Lake Research Partners is working on behalf of FVAP in this research effort. Researchers from Lake Research Partners will be conducting these in-person interviews in [LOCATION NAME] on [DATE(S)].

E-mail Script [TO BE USED ONLY IF PHONE NUMBER IS UNLISTED/UNWORKABLE]:

Hello, my name is (name) and I’m writing from Lake Research Partners on behalf of FVAP, the Federal Voting Assistance Program which is part of the Department of Defense.

I am writing to invite you to participate in a research study FVAP is conducting around voting among family members of U.S. military members who are stationed away from home. This is a one-time interview to discuss experiences with voting. Participation and responses will remain completely confidential and will be used only for the purposes of our research.

Lake Research Partners is working on behalf of FVAP in this research effort. Researchers from Lake Research Partners will be conducting these in-person interviews in [LOCATION NAME] on [DATE(S)]. Please reply with your phone number if you are interested in participating; a staff member will call you to confirm your participation.

The Department of Defense (DoD) authorized the use of your contact information so that you could be informed of the research. If you are interested in participating, I’d like to ask you a few questions. These questions are asked so that the DoD can better understand how the difficulties encountered with voting various across key demographic groups. Your responses to these questions cannot be linked to your contact information.

[DON'T ASK -- BUT DO RECORD GENDER]

Man continue 1

Woman continue 2

1. Are you the spouse, legal partner, or a dependent of a U.S. military member?

Spouse/legal partner continue 1

Dependent continue 2

NONE TERMINATE 2

2. Were you registered to vote in the November 2012 U.S. election?

Yes continue 1

No TERMINATE 2

Don’t know TERMINATE 3

3. Some people who were located overseas during the November 2012 election in the United States had a chance to vote by absentee ballot, some people attempted to vote but were unable to, and others did not get a chance to vote. Out of the following, what would best describe your voting experience this past November?

I voted in the 2012 U.S. election. continue……… 1

I tried to vote in the 2012 U.S. election but was unable to (continue) 2

I did not try to vote in the 2012 U.S. election TERMINATE… 3

[IF Q2=1 or 2, ASK]:

4. Let me read you some ways that some voters request a ballot when they are away from home. Please tell me which one most closely matches the way you requested a ballot in November 2012.

I automatically received a ballot from my local election official 1

I requested a ballot from my local election official 2

I requested a ballot by filling out a Federal Post Card Application 3

I used a Federal Write-in Absentee ballot 4

I requested or obtained ballot some other way (PLEASE SPECIFY) 5

Don’t know TERMINATE 6

5.What state were you living or based in during the November 2012 general election?

RECORD _________________________________

Demographics

6.What is the last year of schooling that you have completed?

1 - 11th grade continue 1

High school graduate continue 2

Non-college post H.S.

(e.g. technical) continue 3

Some college – 2 years

or less (e.g. jr. college) continue 4

Some College - More than

2 years continue 5

College graduate continue 6

Post-graduate school continue 7

(Don't know) TERMINATE 8

7. What is your age? [READ CATEGORIES]

Under 17 years old TERMINATE 1

18 to 24 continue 2

25 to 29 continue 3

30 to 34 continue 4

35 to 44 continue 5

45 to 49 continue 6

45 to 49 continue 7

50 to 54 continue 8

55 to 60 continue 9

61 to 64 continue 10

65 or older continue 11

8. When you voted in the last election, what city and state was that for?

City_______________________

State______________________

[READ IF PERSON MEETS SCREENING CRITERIA:]

We would like to invite you to participate in this exciting study on overseas and absentee voting. One or two researchers would meet you on [DAY, DATE] to learn from you how the process works. As part of the study, you will demonstrate for the researcher the process you used to request and fill-out your ballot. If you used an electronic device, like a laptop, to complete the voting process, please bring that with you if possible. If you are unable to bring your electronic device or used a desktop computer, we will provide a substitute for you. You should plan on spending about 2 hours for the research session.

The information we collect from you will be used for research purposes only. Your participation will be video and audio recorded. We respect your privacy and protect your confidentiality. Identifying information such as your name, address, e-mail or phone number will not be used or associated with the research data or reporting.

Would you like to participate in our study? [IF YES:] Thank you. We will follow up to confirm the time of the interview, the location, and other logistics.

Please record the following information for each recruit and send to Lake Research Partners. Please submit these recruit profiles to LRP on an ongoing basis as soon as participants are screened and confirm their willingness to participate.

NAME :___________________________________________________

JOB TITLE: __________________________________________________

LOCATION: _______________________________________________

DAY PHONE: _______________________________________________

CELL PHONE: ___________________________________________

EMAIL ADDRESS: ____________________________________________

GENDER: ____________________________________________

AGE: ____________________________________________

LEVEL OF EDUCATION: ____________________________________________

ANSWERS TO Q1-Q8

ANY NOTES ON AVAILABILITY: ____________________________________________

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