Posts Tagged ‘news’

U.S. Election Assistance Commission vice-chair Matt Masterson has a new blog post this week that focuses on an a topic I’ve heard him discuss many, many times, especially over the last year or so: helping election officials understand their slow but steady transformation into information technology (IT) professionals.

Voter list maintenance – in particular, “purges” that remove voters from the rolls – is once again in the news; fortunately, NPR’s in-house electiongeek Pam Fessler has an explainer that examines why and how purges occur.

In every election year – but especially presidential years – election officials face the difficult task of balancing the mission to serve voters and living within typically tight budgets. In Sangamon County (Springfield), IL the clerk’s cost-saving efforts are drawing criticism for not being authorized by law.

For the first time in a long time, California’s presidential primary voters are poised to play a huge role in the nomination campaigns … but many voters who consider themselves independents could be in for an unpleasant surprise on Election Day because of confusion involving the voter registration form and the very similar-sounding American Independent Party.

Recent court orders extending polling hours in Ohio have led one legislator – with support from many of his colleagues – to propose a bill that would use bonding requirements to discourage attempts to extend voting hours on Election Day. Opponents say it would close the courtroom door to low-income voters – or send them to federal court where the law would not apply.

The latest electionlineWeekly looks at a recent partnership between Missoula County, MT’s election office and the University of Montana to assess how well voters think their needs and concerns are being addressed. Obviously, not every state or local jurisdiction is going to have the funds to conduct such a study, but the idea – especially the partnership with students – is one worth exploring in other places.

Clerks in two West Virginia counties are refusing to accept online registrations, citing a litany of concerns about the system’s security. The SoS disputes those concerns, but it is powerless to force the counties to comply because the law establishing OVR allows counties to opt out. Still, pressure is growing on the clerks to change their positions as voters are frustrated at being required to complete and return paper forms.

Yesterday, a federal appeals court revived a narrow “as-applied” challenge to Wisconsin’s voter ID law and sent it back to a lower court for trial. The case argues that the ID law – which was upheld broadly in 2014 – creates special hardships for certain voters unable to obtain necessary documents and thus should be altered to protect them. It’s a big case that reflects the new direction of the ID fight nationwide.

The election team at The Pew Charitable Trusts has a new online interactive that allows you to see how the states that have moved to OVR are making it work in practice. Resources like this are invaluable both in explaining to policymakers, the media and the interested public how OVR works in the states as well as serving as a repository of information for further innovation and development in the field.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a “Sunday Q&A” with Department of Elections CIO Matthew Davis … it’s a fascinating look at the work of elections in the Old Dominion and a terrific opportunity for an election administrator to give readers a chance to see how – and why – election preparations are proceeding as November 2016 approaches.