Archive for 2013

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.

Upcoming votes in South Florida about election scheduling for localities highlights the various considerations involved in choosing an Election Day.

The prosecution of an 86-year-old Minnesota woman for voter fraud – after she accidentally cast two ballots in last year’s state primary – is bringing her to court to face charges and the state debate about voter fraud back to a boil.

Right now, data is beginning to show up everywhere in discussions of election administration – but the choices we make about what data to use (and how to use it to develop metrics) can have a powerful impact on outcomes.

A recent opinion piece in the AZ Capitol Times calls for better and more open election data – a development that would assist tremendously in the ongoing effort to improve the type and quality of analysis available to the field of election administration.

Johnson County’s Brian Newby was at the center of a powerful Election Day snowstorm … and while it was no fun for him and his colleagues he has been generous enough to share the entire experience. It’s a terrific read for anyone who cares about contingency planning.

One recurring storyline on this blog just reached a conclusion: after more than a year of wrangling, saving and waiting for more bids, St. Charles County, MO has new voting machines.

A recent story out of Minneapolis reveals that financial considerations – in particular, the need to spend increasingly scarce local dollars on elections – are likely to have a far greater impact on the field than high-profile events in Washington, DC.

Yesterday’s session of the EAC/NIST Future of Voting Systems Symposium highlighted some key issues and concerns about the continued viability of federal testing and certification.

Renowned Supreme Court guru and SCOTUSblog legal analyst Lyle Denniston offers a preview of the Court’s options in Shelby County v. Holder, the challenge to the Voting Rights Act being argued today.