Archive for December 2018

Like many of you, I’m celebrating the holidays with family and friends … the blog is “napping” and will return on Wednesday, January 2, 2019. See you then – and stay tuned!

The 2018 election marked the end of the tenures of three Secretaries of State – Nebraska’s John Gale, Michigan’s Ruth Johnson and Colorado’s Wayne Williams – and Mindy Moretti of electionlineWeekly sat down with each of them virtually for her continuing series of “exit interviews”.

Dominion Voting’s Kay Stimson has a fascinating new post at the IT-ISAC blog about “interesting times” and the role that private sector vendors play in the election cybersecurity effort. With all the focus on government officials in the area of election security, it’s easy to forget how important the private sector is in the election field.

A new survey by The Pew Research Center reveals that voters were pleasantly surprised by the ease of voting in 2018 and have confidence in the election process and election security. It’s reassuring to see that confidence in elections and election officials – especially given the stress they both typically face in a Presidential election cycle.

Former Alaska state elections director Gail Fenumiai will be returning to that role January 2 after she was re-appointed by the administration of newly-elected Gov. Mike Dunleavy. It’s likely just one of at least a few transitions in state elections offices given changes in state elected leadership for 2019 and beyond.

MIT recently hosted an Election Audit Summit featuring presentations and discussion on the rapidly-growing practice of post-election audits nationwide. MIT’s Claire De Soi has a wrap-up in the latest electionlineWeekly – giving audits a wider audience and continuing community-building around the role of audits in our voting system.

Macon County, IL’s clerk is resisting calls to reverse a county sheriff’s race decided by one vote after new ballots emerged that appear to change the outcome, saying state law regarding recounts must continue. That result seems right given the desire to keep election officials applying the law rather than choosing winners.

The growing controversy over North Carolina’s Ninth Congressional District – and Bladen County in particular – took another shocking twist yesterday with an allegation that someone had access to early voting totals before Election Day. If true, this is a serious breach of trust for the election process.

Tie elections are more commonplace than you might realize, and in many communities they are decided by chance, or “lot.” While some communities use a random draw, traditional dice or a deck of cards to break a tie, Contra Costa County, CA used something different – a 20-sided die often seen in board games.