Archive for 2014

Richland County, SC – subject to national embarrassment after election disasters in 2012 and 2013 – is trying again with a pair of approaches intended to ensure that Election Day (and Election Night) both go more smoothly.

Iowa’s Secretary of State has released the final report from his investigation into voter fraud in the state, and the results are once again dividing Iowans on both the prevalence of fraud and the wisdom of spending election funds to find it.

A California state court judge ruled this week that offenders who were transferred from state prison to county jail or supervision may not be denied their voting rights.

A new piece in the Hill newspaper examines how innovators in Los Angeles, CA and Austin, TX are looking for solutions to what’s being called an “impending crisis” in voting technology.

Minnehaha County, SD is trying to head off complaints about slow election results by starting the count of absentee ballots earlier. It’s a reasonable approach given how many ballots are being cast before Election Day.

It looks like even the U.S. Supreme Court has elections on its mind, as two Justices have a brief but animated exchange about the hypothetical prospect of prayer at the polls.

One Georgia county is having difficulty recruiting poll workers – and the election director wonders if the improving local economy is the reason. Whether or not that’s true, it still makes sense to examine whether the current pay-for-performance system still works.

This week’s electionlineWeekly takes a look at emerging partnerships in some communities between election officials, landlords and Realtors to ensure that voters are given the chance to update their voter records when they move.

DC election officials are now blaming widespread computer problems for the difficulties experienced during the April primary – but their call for more resources to address those problems may encounter resistance from frustrated policymakers and voters.

Voter ID is back in the headlines – and is likely to stay there for a while – as judges in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania hand down rulings blocking enforcement of ID laws in both states.