Posts by Doug Chapin

Voters at the State Fairgrounds in Louisville were provided extra time to vote yesterday when parking delays left them unable to cast a ballot in the Kentucky primary before polls closed at 6pm.

Kentucky election officials are disputing criticism from national figures about today’s state primary, saying strong vote-by-mail and early turnout in the wake of a bipartisan deal should alleviate any long lines at the polls.

Advocates and lawmakers are calling on Alaska’s Lieutenant Governor to expand plans to send absentee ballots applications to senior citizens, saying all voters should get the benefit of mail ballots during the coronavirus pandemic.

New consent decrees on mail ballots for Minnesota’s August primary are drawing criticism from lawmakers who believe it is a tactic for the Secretary of State to use litigation to achieve policy changes he was unable to get enacted.

The Governor of Iowa confirmed yesterday that she will sign an executive order restoring voting rights to many individuals formerly convicted of felonies.

A federal court in Alabama has blocked enforcement of some voting rules, agreeing with plaintiffs that they hinder the voting rights of individuals concerned about casting a ballot during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The dramatic rise in the number of vote-by-mail ballots will almost certainly mean a longer wait for election results than usual this November. The effort to prepare voters to exercise patience – especially in a Presidential election – will be almost as important as any actual election preparations as Election Day approaches.

Yesterday, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission announced that it had appointed Mona Harrington and Kevin Rayburn as the agency’s executive director and general counsel.

Georgia’s primary day, twice delayed by coronavirus concerns, finally arrived yesterday – and it was a day-long struggle in some parts of the state as problems with new voting machines and paper ballot shortages created lines and hours-long waits for voters.

A new student-designed “I Voted” sticker in Davidson County (Nashville), TN celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment with an image honoring the past and future of women’s suffrage in the Music City.