Archive for March 2018

Yesterday, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission released more information on the election security grants included in the federal omnibus budget bill, along with some answers to key questions about the funds.

The Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL) has a great story in its latest ElectionBuzz newsletter focusing on Cape Girardeau County, MO’s effort to create a student-designed “I Voted” sticker.

In Wisconsin – a state, it seems, that cannot go very long without another election-related controversy – the courts, the governor and the Legislature are involved in a dispute whether special elections must be held in districts that have been vacant for over a year.

The elections community was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief yesterday when it was announced that former EAC Chairman Matt Masterson would be joining the Department of Homeland Security as a senior cybersecurity advisor.

There was lots of news last week from Washington, DC – but Washington State had its own big story with the enactment of a series of new laws (including automatic registration, Election Day registration and pre-registration) aimed at improving voter participation in the Evergreen State.

Katy Owens Hubler of Democracy Research LLC has a really interesting and informative piece in the current electionlineWeekly discussing a topic you may have heard about but didn’t realize was so important – a common data format for elections.

The forthcoming federal omnibus will include $380 million in funds for states as part of an effort to improve election security – thanks in large part to the efforts of key Senators and a timely push from the Senate Intelligence Committee.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the EAC is running a series of interviews between Vice-Chair Christy McCormick and several of the more prominent women in the field of elections. The latest installment features Monica Flores of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s office, who talks about her background and her work on LA’s pioneering work on voting technology.

Yesterday, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed two bills that clear the way for Florida to become the 24th member of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Adding Florida to the list (as the most populous state so far) will improve the exchange’s effectiveness across the board – a huge “get” for ERIC and the Sunshine State.

A new report from the Minnesota State Auditor recommends that the state upgrade its statewide voter registration database to improve security – a finding that the Secretary to State is already asking the Legislature to help implement with funding.