Posts by Doug Chapin

Katy Owens Hubler of Democracy Research LLC has a really interesting and informative piece in the current electionlineWeekly discussing a topic you may have heard about but didn’t realize was so important – a common data format for elections.

The forthcoming federal omnibus will include $380 million in funds for states as part of an effort to improve election security – thanks in large part to the efforts of key Senators and a timely push from the Senate Intelligence Committee.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the EAC is running a series of interviews between Vice-Chair Christy McCormick and several of the more prominent women in the field of elections. The latest installment features Monica Flores of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s office, who talks about her background and her work on LA’s pioneering work on voting technology.

Yesterday, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed two bills that clear the way for Florida to become the 24th member of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Adding Florida to the list (as the most populous state so far) will improve the exchange’s effectiveness across the board – a huge “get” for ERIC and the Sunshine State.

A new report from the Minnesota State Auditor recommends that the state upgrade its statewide voter registration database to improve security – a finding that the Secretary to State is already asking the Legislature to help implement with funding.

Members of the Election Infrastructure Subsector Government Coordinating Council recently published an “open letter” to voters addressing their work to enhance the nation’s election cybersecurity. While it won’t be easy, this effort suggests that common strategies to resist cyberthreats to the America’s voting system are on the way.

The Virginia Department of Elections is moving to adopt new ballot guidelines after mismarked ballots became an issue in key races in last year’s elections.

New England’s third nor’easter snowstorm in as many weeks pummeled New Hampshire yesterday, on the same day as voters across the state were supposed to head to the polls. But unlike last year, when bad weather forced many towns to cancel local elections, voting went ahead as state officials moved to restrict such cancellations.

A group of 19 bipartisan Secretaries of State and state election officials has written a letter to U.S. Senate leadership vehemently opposing legislative language in the DHS reauthorization bill that they say would allow armed Secret Service personnel at the polls.

The election world suffered a huge loss this weekend with the death of longtime Boone County, MO Clerk Wendy Noren. Wendy’s legacy is immeasurable; so many “cutting edge” ideas in play today in the election field were pioneered in Boone County thanks to her foresight – and ferocious dedication to the work.