Archive for 2015
Thumbs Up? New Mexico to Study Biometrics to ID Voters
A New Mexico state senator has proposed legislation to have the state study the feasibility of biometric identification for voting. While that change isn’t likely to happen fast, the political, technical and fiscal issues it raises will be worth watching.
Read MoreThe 24th Amendment at 51: Preventing (and Defining) "Poll Taxes"
51 years after ratification of the 24th Amendment banning poll taxes in federal elections, the arguments continue over “poll taxes” – in essence, unfair costs imposed on voters. It will be interesting to see how this issue evolves as elections do.
Read MoreCalifornia's "Remarkable" Turnout Curve Shows Effect of Age on Participation
New data from the 2014 election in California suggests that age is a major driver of turnout – if that’s representative of larger trends nationally it could provide clues on how election officials can best serve the needs of their “customers” in the electorate.
Read MoreHartford Moves to Remove Registrars After Election Day Debacle
Hartford’s City Council has begun the process of removing three registrars in the wake of crippling problems on Election Day 2014. The issues in that story highlight the challenges that face soaring calls to make voting easier like those in last night’s State of the Union.
Read MoreIt's All Happening in Ohio
Ohio will once again debate the move to online voter registration, just as the SoS announces a sharp drop in provisional ballots thanks to online address changes – and county election officials ask for the ability to pilot vote centers in the Buckeye State.
Read MoreEverybody's Looking Ahead to 2015
This week, both electionlineWeekly and NCSL’s Canvass have pieces looking ahead at 2015 – it’s a nice “curtain-raiser” on the issues, challenges and debates that will shape the coming year in elections.
Read MoreFinding Out is Better (cont.): Seminole County's Voter Experience Report
Florida’s Seminole County has released the 2014 results of its regular voter experience survey, using comment cards to generate discussion and awareness of the voting process – and settling the crucial ballpoint vs. felt-tip debate once and for all.
Read MoreWill Won't? Illinois County Plans to Fight Same-Day Registration
Illinois’ Will County is raising concerns about the newly-enacted same-day registration law and is recruiting other counties to resist it or at least demand it be properly funded. This is inevitable and unsurprising given the manner in which the law was enacted.
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Read MoreTwo for One? Hamilton County Investigates Double Ballots
Ohio’s Hamilton County discovered 26 double ballots cast in the 2014 election – but because of provisional voting none of those extra votes were counted. It’s an encouraging story, both because of the small number and the effectiveness of the county’s system.
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