Archive for 2014

An Richland County ballot that qualifies as “news of the weird” is an opportunity for a handful of observations on the field of election administration, social media and the value of public confidence.

The National Conference of State Legislatures has released a new Pew-funded database intended to help policymakers and others get comprehensive and up-to-date information about election administration policy nationwide.

David Kimball of the University of Missouri-St. Louis dips into The Wire for an analogy that explains the growing popularity of absentee ballots in Missouri – an observation that has validity outside of the Show Me State.

Rhode Island is poised to eliminate the “master lever” straight-party voting option after large (but not unanimous) majorities in both houses of the Legislature. If it becomes law, it will create new challenges for election officials and voters alike.

South Dakota’s adoption of vote centers is slowing somewhat because of concerns about cost, technology and staffing at the county level – an increasingly familiar story as the field of elections grapples with a desire to change how Americans vote.

Minnesota is launching a new online tool for voters to request and track absentee ballots; this new capability – plus a switch to no-excuse absentee ballots – is bound to have a significant effect on voting (and vote-counting) in the North Star State.

Alpine County, CA – which has fewer voters than thousands of precincts nationwide – combines vote-by-mail and a small-town sense of civic engagement to create turnout levels their larger neighbors must envy.

Hawaii election officials are closing a popular early voting location on Oahu’s Windward side, ostensibly in favor of more vote by mail ballots – but when you look closely it’s pretty clear it’s nothing more than old-fashioned cost savings on a tight budget.

The latest electionlineWeekly looks at the impact of low turnout and the challenges and opportunities it presents for election officials nationwide.

Ohio voters will have the opportunity to cast early votes up until the day before Election Day, in the wake of a federal court ruling yesterday. Could the order be a harbinger of future end runs around a recalcitrant Legislature?