Archive for April 2012

Recent controversy in a Chicago suburban county is highlighting both the importance of – and the obstacles to – effective fiscal oversight of local election offices.

Pew’s Voting Information Project is hosting a Hackathon next week. This event will not only hasten the development of tools to assist voters in 2012, but it also represents a new stage in VIP’s maturity and promises dramatically expanded impact for this vital project.

MinnPost’s Eric Black has a fantastic wrap-up that captures the breadth and depth of Tuesday’s event on disputed elections in Minnesota.

Brentwood, TN is resisting efforts by the Williamson County election office to use its library for early voting. The dispute is likely to recur in other jurisdictions – and is a tough call even for the most dedicated election geek.

Today’s event, co-hosted with the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Democracy Project, looks at how Minnesota’s experiences in 2008 and 2010 might guide future states facing disputed elections.

A new online map of controversial precinct changes in Omaha, Nebraska is an example of how basic election data can be used to illuminate policy differences and assist voters in casting a ballot at the polls.

electionlineWeekly’s Mindy Moretti looks at the Keystone State’s preparations to test a new voter ID bill on April 24 in advance of its official effective date on Election Day in November.

A recent decision in a long-running challenge to Arizona’s proof of citizenship requirement for voter registration re-opens a debate about the primacy of federal vs. state law (and forms) in the area of voter registration.

Brian Newby’s latest ElectionDiary post looks at the challenge of finding and using polling places – but hints that new trends away from the traditional Election Day neighborhood polling place might not yield the benefits some people suggest.

Murfreesboro, TN is rethinking a new early voting location after low turnout yielded an effective cost of nearly $33 per vote. The story suggests that the evolving notion of “convenience” requires new approaches – and new tools – to get siting decisions right.