Posts by Doug Chapin

Idaho legislators are currently considering a proposal to remove gender questions from voter registration forms, in a nod to growing understanding of gender identity among voters – as well as to head off lawsuits.

The 2017 elections in Virginia have received lots of attention, but just a few hours to the north, New Jersey’s results – specifically, replacing outgoing Governor Chris Christie with Phil Murphy – could soon mean some big changes in election law in the Garden State.

In this week’s electionlineWeekly, Mindy Moretti has the fascinating (and heartwarming!) story of a partnership between Denver’s election office and a city program aimed at providing employment for homeless city residents.

Missouri yesterday became the latest state to join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a multistate exchange designed to help states identify both ineligible voters as well as eligible but unregistered individuals.

Virginia state election director Edgardo Cortes announced yesterday that he is stepping down from his post effective immediately. Virginia – with its annual statewide elections and battleground status – can be challenging, but Edgardo and his team have overseen some significant changes in the way elections are run in the state.

Arizona’s Maricopa County (Phoenix) is scrambling to figure out how to fund an upcoming Congressional special election after the Legislature’s proposed funds came in $1 million short.

With the New Year upon us, many in the election community are looking ahead to 2018 and wondering what’s in store. electionlineWeekly’s Mindy Moretti shared hers yesterday in a “what to watch” list for 2018.

California Governor Jerry Brown announced his new proposed state budget yesterday – and it includes $134.3 million for voting technology upgrades at the county level. It’s just a proposal, but it offers the possibility of a step forward in Golden State counties’ efforts to get the state to share the burden of election funding.

I’ve written in the past about what I call “52 pickup” – the challenges that arise for election officials in the aftermath of legislative redistricting, but a new analysis using Virginia data suggests that the problem may be thornier and more widespread than imagined. It’s another reminder of how complicated voter assignment can be.

The Spring 2018 semester begins next week at the University of Minnesota and – just in time! – we are offering an opportunity to hear from three of our faculty members about their work and their courses as part of the Certificate in Election Administration – Tammy Patrick, Dana Chisnell and Whitney Quesenbery. The session kicks off at noon Central today – join us!