Posts by Doug Chapin

On Wednesday, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission will host a “summit” in Washington, DC focusing on the 2018 federal election. It promises to be a fantastic curtain-raiser on what is sure to be an eventful year.

Big news yesterday, as the Democracy Fund announced that it had acquired electionline.org as part of its efforts to inform the field about developments in the election community. I can’t wait to see how the site continues to grow as it enters its 17th(!!) year.

Yesterday, citing opposition from states and ongoing lawsuits, President Trump dissolved the controversial Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. Whether the planned shift of anti-fraud efforts to DHS will have any effect on the agency’s growing election cybersecurity role will be a key issue to watch.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has yet to pick its September 2018 state primary date, given concerns about conflicts with key Jewish religious holidays. It’s obviously important for voters and candidates, but it’s important for election officials, too.

Arizona is the latest state to join ERIC, a cooperative effort between states to keep voter registration data accurate and up-to-date. It’s tremendous news for Arizona as well as other participating ERIC states.

electionline’s Mindy Moretti caught up with retiring Louisiana state election commissioner Angie Rogers for the latest installment in electionlineWeekly’s “exit interview” series.

With recounts – and tied races! – in the news this week, it seems fitting that the EAC’s David Kuennen has the latest installment in the new Recount Ready series, this time with Travis County (Austin), TX’s Dana DeBeauvoir.

South Carolina’s Election Commission has sought and received an attorney general’s opinion clearing the way for the state to keep cybersecurity details about its election system secret. It’s a change from the usual commitment to transparency – and a challenge likely to face more election offices for the foreseeable future.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission continues its growing efforts to expand the availability of its election data, with the recent announcement of a data interactive and state data sheets featuring information from the Election Administration and Voting Survey.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is expanding its efforts in protecting the nation’s election infrastructure by convening a council of private-sector firms who assist state and local election officials nationwide. It’s a welcome recognition that broadening the conversation to all necessary parties is crucial to identifying, detecting and resisting cyberthreats to the nation’s election systems.