Archive for November 2014

Blog’s closed today. Dogs out front shoulda told ya. [See you in December.]

Doug Lewis is stepping down from the Election Center early next year. Here’s to a man who set the standard for all of us who admire, love and serve the people who “do” election administration nationwide.

Johnson County’s Brian Newby is worried about the possibility of a “Big Bang” – a sudden, unforeseen event that scrambles the world of elections – and even more worried that his county isn’t doing enough to be ready when it arrives.

Florida’s Secretary of State and local election officials are going to put their heads together next month to see if they can address the problem of aging voting equipment before the state’s next presidential election.

As GOP EAC nominees get a hearing in a Senate committee, the Democrats have named Matthew Butler as their one of their picks. His profile is lower, but the level of partisanship is probably about the same. [UPDATED with timing of Perez withdrawal]

New poll numbers show that while Americans overall think that voter fraud and voter disenfranchisement are roughly equal problems, deep divides on race, age – and yes, party – suggest that the voter ID debate in this country isn’t going anywhere soon.

Minnesota’s Secretary of State-elect Steve Simon has a “wish list” for next year – including early voting, moving the state’s primary to June and streamlining voter registration. Republican legislators appear to be on board with some but not all of these proposals.

On the road – no blog today – see you next Monday, November 17!

The post-election survey from Pew’s Center on the People and the Press is a feast for political junkies – but there are tasty morsels for election geeks as well, including data on early/absentee voting, wait times and voter confidence in local and national outcomes.

Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board is often held up as a structural ideal for non-partisan election administration nationwide – but its record and reputation for impartiality despite partisan attacks is what really makes the agency a national model.