Posts by Doug Chapin

This week, the Center for Civic Design celebrated its fourth birthday – four years of invaluable service to the elections field. But true to form, even though it’s their birthday, they’re still giving us gifts in the form of better election design!

Yesterday was a really good day in the elections world because of the Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC)’s unanimous vote to approve an updated version 2.0 of the Voluntary Voting Systems Guidelines (VVSG 2.0). It’s proof of what is possible in the field of elections when people come together to work on concrete issues as opposed to shouting at one another about imaginary ones.

This morning, the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity will convene at New Hampshire’s St. Anselm College for its second meeting amid reports that it will consider “background checks” for individuals seeking to register to vote. It’s just part of what could be a long, dispiriting day for the election community in Manchester.

Last Friday, the Commonwealth of Virginia decertified – with immediate effect – the use of all direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines. While Virginia has been on this path for a while, the decision will still be a challenge during this fall’s statewide general election for the dozen or so localities who rely on DREs … especially since state money to replace the machines was recently rejected by Legislature.

Hurricane season has arrived with a ferocity not seen in years, as the Houston area recovers from massive flooding from Hurricane Harvey and Florida and the Southeast brace for Hurricane Irma. Mindy Moretti reached out to election officials in those storms’ path and shares what she learned in the latest electionlineWeekly. Communities facing hurricanes will have other, more serious issues to face and challenges to overcome – but it’s good to know that the elections officials are doing what they can to make sure the right to vote survives the storm as well.

Senators Amy Klobuchar (DFL-MN) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have proposed an amendment (SA656) to the defense authorization bill that would provide states with federal dollars to upgrade their election cybersecurity. It’s an exceedingly modest but necessary step toward helping states and localities harden their election systems from outside cybersecurity threats.

Grand Forks, ND’s plan to use a single polling place for a citywide sales tax referendum this November is sparking a debate over the balance between voter access and resource allocation. It’s actually a neat little case study on the question facing many communities: at what point does attempting to ensure access for voters stretch a jurisdiction past its available resources?

Politico had a long, well-researched article over the weekend entitled “Cash-strapped states brace for Russian hacking fight” which looks at the current state of the various debates across the country on election security. It’s worth a click and a read – but the overall takeaway (in short, there’s still way more talk than funding) is one that is concerning and more than a little dispiriting.

The Labor Day weekend is approaching, which means that school has either already started, or is about to, in communities across the nation. electionlineWeekly’s Mindy Moretti has a look this week at how high school principals in Seminole County, FL are helping students “hit the books” in a different way.

A new lawsuit is challenging California rules that plaintiffs say resulted in thousands of ballots discarded for signature mismatch issues. It’s just the latest example of how the growing numbers of vote by mail ballots is forcing states and localities to rethink their own laws and processes as more and more voters cast their ballots outside of a polling place.