Posts by Doug Chapin

The State of Georgia will mail absentee ballot applications to every active registered voter in the state for the May 19 primary in response to concerns about in-person voting during the coronavirus pandemic.

Two associations of Virginia local election officials have asked the state to move the upcoming May local elections and June Congressional primaries to all vote-by-mail.

As more Wisconsin voters shift to vote-by-mail for the upcoming April 7 state primary, local election officials are facing dwindling supplies of envelopes and other materials and the state election commission is moving to resupply them and advising on how otherwise to pick up the slack.

A new lawsuit in Wisconsin seeks to alter the state’s rules and deadlines for voter registration and absentee ballots in response to public health concerns related to the coronavirus.

As growing concerns about the coronavirus’ impact on elections leads to calls for vote-by-mail, there is a corresponding uptick in questions about whether states can make the move quickly enough for this year’s elections – and if so, what it would take to do so.

Yesterday, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission announced that states can use the federal funds made available under the Help America Vote Act to support the cost of response to the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Late last night, after a chaotic day when voting was off then on then off again, the State of Ohio closed polling places for what would have been today’s primary election due to the coronavirus threat and moved to postpone voting until a later date.

As voters prepare to go to the polls tomorrow in a state primary deeply shaken by coronavirus fears, Arizona’s Maricopa County (Phoenix) is seeing confusion and conflict with state officials about emergency mail ballots for voters worried about the pandemic.

This week’s electionlineWeekly features a story by the Democracy Fund’s Tammy Patrick about her new report, “Election Day Command Centers: A National Snapshot”, spotlighting the role these centers play in helping to ensure a smooth voting experience for voters and election offices alike.

The city clerk in East Lansing, MI – home of Michigan State University – says long voting lines in this week’s presidential primary were the result of high turnout and hundreds of student voters who registered on Election Day.