Archive for 2014

The 2014 (and 2016) campaigns are now officially upon us – as evidenced by the parties’ plans to focus heavily on Secretary of State races this fall.

Ohio State’s Dan Tokaji’s new paper proposes a trade of voter ID for voter registration as a “Grand Election Bargain” at the federal level. Digging into the details, however, it’s not clear to me that a supporter of ID would think this was a bargain, let alone grand.

A simple but crucial coding error meant that the ballots in an upcoming Pulaski County election had to be reprinted. The story offers a lesson learned in laying out ballots but also highlights the impact of increasingly complex ballot systems.

The election official in the nation’s largest locality surveys the field and concludes that perhaps “we do need lines — lines of modern reforms and responsive options … to make systemic changes to how we conduct elections and cast votes.”

The National Association of Secretaries of State has a new report examining state laws on emergency preparedness for elections. It’s a great resource in an area where states should start planning if they aren’t already.

As a followup to yesterday’s post, here’s a quick rundown on the Senate Rules Committee hearing with the co-chairs of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration.

The Senate Rules Committee will discuss two key federal election policy efforts today – the PCEA and the EAC. It will be interesting to see if (and how) they fit them together.

Rejoice, election geeks – electionline returns Thursday!

David Bjerke of Falls Church, VA is particularly thoughtful on lots of issues – and he shares his recent thoughts on the value of vote-by-mail in a piece written in the wake of criticism of the Presidential Commission’s report.

Citizens for Election Integrity Minnesota has released a new document delineating the desirable parameters of recounts – it’s a must-download for anyone who might face a recount – which in today’s world is everyone.