Archive for May 2015

NCSL’s latest Canvass includes Kennesaw State’s Merle King on the ten things policymakers and electiongeeks alike need to know about selecting a voting system. It’s worth bookmarking, copying or whatever else you do to keep things handy for later.

NCSL’s Katy Owens Hubler has a great wrap-up of the latest annual State Testing and Certification of Voting Systems Conference in Seattle, where election professionals and election geeks alike continue to think about the future of voting and voting technology.

Anchorage, AK recently recertified an election because 58 misplaced absentee ballots were found – even though it didn’t change the outcome. It’s a great example of a “count every vote” mentality that election officials share – and which may surprise the average person.

California is moving forward on legislation to protect voters with intellectual disabilities after a complaint led to a federal investigation about whether and how the state is denying the right to vote for such individuals who require conservatorships.

Kansas lawmakers, largely on partisan votes, have enacted legislation – an election omnibus and a separate bill on election fraud – that move some elections, eliminate others and grant the Secretary of State the powers he’s requested to prosecute election fraud.

Kentucky is the latest state with election drama as the GOP gubernatorial primary looks like it’ll require extra time to decide. Fortunately, Kentucky law professor Josh Douglas and senior editor Thomas Travis have the scoop on what’s next – and what it means.

NBC Nebraska’s Shelby Fenster looks at the “cost of democracy” associated with special elections in Hastings, NE – and examines both how those costs add up and why residents might be willing to pay them.

Just a week after partisan disagreements over early voting and felon voting rights halted progress on an election bill, Minnesota legislators unanimously passed a more limited but still sweeping omnibus with a long list of small but important election policy changes.

After months of debate in the state capitol and weeks of worrying in county election offices, Florida Governor Rick Scott has now signed legislation that will make the Sunshine State the latest to move toward online voter registration.

Ed Fouhy, who passed away this week, taught me the importance of telling stories, listening to stories – and most importantly, knowing where to look for them.