Archive for March 2013

SPRING BREAK!

Congress has put the brakes (sort of) on the Postal Service’s plans to end Saturday first-class delivery. What does it mean for election officials?

New Wisconsin data shows that the state spent over $37 million on its five elections in 2012.

A bipartisan commission in Fairfax County, VA has issued a report in the wake of last year’s presidential election. Its recommendations include ending the County’s dual voting systems in favor of optically scanned ballots.

Recent struggles to enact election legislation in Minnesota and Florida illustrate the challenges involved in seeking bipartisanship when considering the high-profile issue of election policy reform.

Some Maine towns are declining the offer of free, new ballot tabulators in favor of maintaining their time-honored, if time-consuming, process of hand-counting ballots.

On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear an Arizona case that could fundamentally shift the relationship between states and the federal government on the issue of who controls elections.

A story from Palm Beach County about last-minute absentee ballots illuminates the tradeoff between convenience for voters and a quick count for election officials. Don’t be surprised if it recurs elsewhere, given the expansion of absentee/mail voting.

A new report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project demonstrates the degree to which tomorrow’s voters rely on technology – and presages pressure to make that technology work better for voting.

A huge number of unsigned vote by mail ballots in Albuquerque – and confusion over what can be done about it – is yet another vivid reminder of the tyranny of little things in election administration.