Posts by Doug Chapin

The White House announced yesterday that the President had signed an executive order establishing a Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity tasked with examining the nation’s system for federal elections. Partisan uproar aside, there are several questions about the commission worth watching when (and if) it gets underway.

A little more than two dozen voters in Marion County (Salem), Oregon got a surprise recently when their ballots arrived with no candidate names due to a design error. The nature of the error was such that it’s hard to identify a takeaway “practice pointer” going forward – meaning that it could just be one more thing for local officials to worry about before, during and after Election Day.

A new report finds that California voters with limited English proficiency aren’t getting all the assistance they need in casting their ballots, and it could bolster the chances of a bill designed to address many of those problems – especially as the state considers changing the way communities vote.

Last year, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed a bipartisan automatic voter registration (AVR) bill. Now, supporters are trying again in the state legislature with a revised bill aimed at addressing his concerns.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has signed a bill that will require voter ID and makes several other changes to the state’s election laws, including shortening early voting and eliminating straight-ticket voting.

Election officials know that the run-up to Election Day can be chaotic and exhausting as all of the various pieces of the process are coming together – and in Vermont, local clerks are trying to get the state to give them a “gap day” on the Monday before so they can be ready. Unfortunately for them, the Secretary of State and the Legislature don’t seem to agree.

New Yorkers are getting a chance to choose their new “I Voted” sticker in an online vote that runs through next week. While it’s definitely not the most important decision to be made in the elections field, it is worth paying attention and giving it some thought given how much voters love their “I Voted” stickers.

My friend and colleague Rokey Suleman has literally been around the world with his work in the election field – but he may have just taken on the most challenging post of his career as he takes over as Richland County (Columbia), SC election director.

Maricopa County, AZ’s new recorder is sparking controversy with a new registration procedure aimed at assisting those whose initial applications lacked proof of citizenship. His solution – having his office research missing information and add voters accordingly rather than asking them to supply the info and wait for response – is generating opposition and suggestions that this is a decision for legislators, not election officials.

On Thursday, May 25 Montana voters will go to the polls to select a new statewide member of Congress – and the date is proving difficult for some counties whose regular polling places will be unavailable on that date. The biggest problem is that a late May election date runs headlong into the end of the school year, which means many regular polling places are otherwise spoken for, sending voters elsewhere.