November 2013

Have a safe and wonderful holiday … Blogging will resume Monday, December 2nd.

Yesterday, Virginia certified the result of its incredibly close Attorney General’s race. Very soon, the Commonwealth will likely begin a recount. Here, courtesy of documents produced by the State Board of Elections, is how it will work.

After the canvassing process got high marks in the close Virginia Attorney General race, another similar process at the state level in South Carolina revealed that Richland County – already under fire for problems – had failed to count more than 1,000 ballots.

Alysoun McLaughlin of Montgomery County, MD has some hard words for those who still cling to the Election Official’s Prayer; namely, that the Lord helps those who help themselves.

Courts in Texas and Wisconsin took significant steps toward resolving disputes over voter ID in those states – proceedings that could have a profound impact in 2014 and beyond.

A new bill just introduced in the U.S. Senate (and likely to be offered as an amendment to the current defense authorization bill) would strengthen federal law with regard to military and overseas voting.

New data from New Mexico shows that voting lines have different effects on voters depending on their perception of the impact of waiting. This subjective component of the “long lines” problem is one the field shouldn’t overlook.

Scott Konopasek – now an election official in Contra Costa, CA – has an interesting and thought-provoking meditation on election costs in the latest post on his Election Guru blog.

In response to recent criticism of the president’s election reform commission, Yale law professor and election geek emeritus Heather Gerken says the commission’s non political technocratic work might be just the thing the field needs.

Was Texas’ new voter ID the reason for low turnout in the recent election? Does it thus represent an effort to restrict turnout? Should the state therefore be subject once again to the Voting Rights Act? The answer is (un)clear: we have no idea.