Archive for January 2014

A new poll conducted for Pew’s election team shows that voters’ knowledge of the rules for elections in their state is inconsistent at best – what does that mean for the election system?

A federal judge in Alabama made the city of Evergreen the first locality to be re-subjected to Voting Rights Act preclearance since the Supreme court decision in Shelby County. If nothing else, it signals that “bail-in” survives not just in theory but in practice.

The State of Ohio has entered into a settlement regarding a voter registration lawsuit. Looking only at the content of the settlement, can you guess the plaintiff? If not – or if it’s difficult – that’s actually a good thing because it means consensus might be emerging.

Scott Konopasek’s latest “Election Guru” post calls for the election field to put greater emphasis on soft (management) skills versus hard (technical) skills in an effort to bring the profession closer to the 21st Century.

New data on the outcome of 2012 vote fraud cases in several large Ohio counties is a valuable lens into the true impact of fraud on the election process – and a model for other states and localities.

Pew’s newest issue brief looks past the simple question of whether or not states have adopted online voter registration to the more important question of how those new systems work. That information will be crucial as OVR continues to expand nationwide.

North Carolina has decided to fill former U.S. Rep. Mel Watt’s Congressional seat with a special election schedule that coincides with the regular calendar – a decision that will save the state money but isn’t popular with some candidates.

Brian Newby’s latest ElectionDiary highlights his experience with problems in Johnson County, KS on Election Day 2012 … It’s a fantastic case study of how election resilience works and why it’s important.

Marketing guru Seth Godin’s musings on different approaches to the future is a helpful reminder of the power of resilience in all walks of life – including election administration.

UC-Irvine’s Rick Hasen takes a short but incredibly informative look at the year ahead in voting rights in a new piece for the Scholars Strategy Network.