Posts by Doug Chapin

No blog today as we pause to honor the sacrifices so many have made to defend this country and its ideals. Happy Memorial Day and see you tomorrow.

Yesterday, electionlineWeekly’s Mindy Moretti broke some key news for the election world: Project Vote will be closing its doors on May 31.

Alabama’s Governor has signed a bill that clarifies which felony convictions involve “crimes of moral turpitude” and thus result in loss of voting rights. There is disagreement over how many voters will have their rights restored as a result, but the law represents a huge step toward clarity and administrability for local election officials by reducing guesswork and discretion.

The Maine Supreme Court has ruled that a voter-approved initiative establishing ranked choice voting (RCV) for state elections violates the state Constitution. Now, the state is faced with what is likely to be a fierce fight over whether to remake or repeal the law. It’s a decision that’s bound to divide the Legislature – and one that could complicate planning for elections in 2018.

This week, my family will be celebrating my daughter’s graduation as part of Yale University’s Class of 2017. The blog will return Wednesday, May 24.

electionlineWeekly’s Mindy Moretti has a piece in this week’s newsletter about how Contra Costa County, CA is leveraging its online voter registration system to improve outreach to young voters.

Bethlehem, NY is facing controversy after a redesigned ballot resulted in confusion about votes cast in a recent school board election. It’s a perfect illustration of the idea that “democracy is a design problem” – and a helpful reminder of the importance of growing interest in the field of election design.

The District of Columbia City Council has unanimously approved a bill that will once again move DC’s primary date – a move they say is permanent after several shifts in the last few voting cycles. The primary has been a moving target in recent years, and while there is some skepticism on the city council, the bill could soon be heading to the Mayor for her signature.

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear – and thus let stand – a lower court ruling invalidating voter ID and other changes to North Carolina election law as racially discriminatory.

MIT’s Charles Stewart is a familiar face on this blog, given his survey work on the voting experience and research on on polling place lines – and he has a piece at Election Updates on the new Presidential election integrity commission that has some important observations – especially about the potential lost opportunity for progress on efforts to improve the nation’s election system.