Archive for 2019

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!

Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson died Tuesday after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. He is being remembered as “a shining example of true public service, raising the bar for kindness and non-partisanship among his peers.”

Two years after a surprising – and controversial – rejection, Orange County, CA supervisors voted to transition to a vote center model aimed at improving the election experience and cutting costs. Public support and a successful track record elsewhere apparently swayed the board after a 2017 vote widely seen and criticized as partisan.

The South Dakota House recently passed a bill that would shorten absentee voting by two weeks – without any apparent complaint about the current window and with significant opposition from state and local election officials.

The latest electionlineWeekly features the first in a series of communications-related topics for election officials and other members of the community. The inaugural installment is “Comms 101”, a guest post by Denver’s Alton Dillard, who shares thoughts on the importance of transparency – and outreach! – when dealing with the media.

The Democracy Fund’s Adam Ambrogi has a new piece entitled “Tech is Not the Enemy” in the Carnegie Reporter about the role technology can and does play in improving the voting experience. It’s a fantastic read, calling on everyone (especially appropriators!) to recognize the role such technology plays in the voting process.

The election community’s long(!) wait for a fully-constituted EAC paid off yesterday with the announcement that the full Commission has unanimously voted to release Version 2.0 of the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines for public comment. It’s a welcome sign that the EAC is back to business shortly after being restored to full strength.

Plumas County in Northern California is in danger of running out of election funds after a series of special elections is stretching an already-reduced budget, the election office recently told the county board.