Archive for March 2019

Virginia’s State Board of Elections – which is slated to grow under a new bill currently awaiting final enactment – has three new faces after the Governor exercised his right to appoint new members.

On Monday, I shared the news that Ramsey County, MN’s Joe Mansky was retiring after an illustrious career as a state and local election official. Not one to waste any time, my friend and colleague Mindy Moretti took the opportunity to reach out to him for one of her famous electionlineWeekly exit interviews.

Legislators in Idaho had to scramble to find the required $2 million for the state’s 2020 presidential primary after the Secretary of State forgot to include it in his budget request. It’s a helpful reminder that even state policymakers can be confused by the details of budget writing as laws change.

California counties are pressing ahead with plans to upgrade voting equipment after a recent order from the Secretary of State decertifying older systems in advance of the 2020 election.

The Texas Secretary of State’s office is sending counties an advisory telling them to “pause” efforts to identify noncitizen voters after a lawsuit highlighting data concerns halted the process. It’s the latest reminder that voter list maintenance is crucial, but like voter registration itself it has to be done carefully – and correctly.

It feels like, so far, 2019 has been a banner year for retirements in the election community. The latest is Minnesota’s Joe Mansky, who is stepping down as Ramsey County (St. Paul) election chief after a legendary career that includes a high-profile stint as state election director.

Brian Hancock, director of testing and certification of the Election Assistance Commission’s voting equipment testing and certification program, retired yesterday after a career of distinguished service to the election community. Brian has devoted his career to the election community, and he will be missed!