Archive for 2016

[UPDATED 945am Central] Maryland is seeking to use hand-marked optical scan ballots for early voting in the April primaries after the discovery that the large number of candidates in some races means they can’t all be displayed on the new touchscreen ballot marking devices. It’s a potentially big change that has to happen quickly – and regardless of the outcome it will require special attention to helping voters navigate their ballots.

Virginia’s so-called “loyalty oath” for the Republican primary has generated debate, controversy and litigation – and as a result the party has asked for it to be scrapped for the March 1 vote. Unfortunately, even if it is not used, the state has already incurred significant costs to print and distribute the oath as part of its role in administering an official election.

The long-running battle over proof-of-citizenship requirements on the federal voter registration form – thought to have been settled somewhat by federal and state court rulings, who have said they cannot be enforced – is once again in doubt in the wake of the EAC’s decision to add proof-of-citizenship language from Kansas and other states to the form’s instructions. [POST UPDATED 330pm Central Tuesday]

Ohio’s Secretary of State has issued a directive giving counties the authority to use postal barcodes to determine whether or not a late-arriving ballot was mailed on time. Perhaps more importantly, the SoS and local officials are going to notify voters about the best ways to return ballots and the likely delivery time – which could go a long way to reducing the number of ballots that can’t be counted.

Nebraska’s Secretary of State and some legislators want to enact legislation empowering the state to look at the future of voting technology in the state, as well as at the election system that surrounds it. By examining vote-by-mail (and online voting, which concerns some experts) the state hopes to put any procurement into context – an example other states would do well to emulate.

Proposed legislation in Florida would alter the state statutory formula to raise county election supervisors’ salaries. Not everyone agrees, though at least one skeptic suggests scrapping the state formula entirely and letting counties decide supervisor pay. Either way, ensuring sufficient compensation is a crucial issue for the long-term health of the election administration field.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has included money in his latest budget request to establish early voting – a modest proposal that would establish 139 pre-election voting locations statewide. Counties have concerns, however, citing costs and the need to upgrade to e-pollbooks in order to make the change. Given the state’s history, reform may not come quickly but it may well come eventually.

Ohio local election officials are calling on the Secretary of State and/or the Legislature to allow them to use postal barcodes in addition to postmarks in an effort to determine if a mailed ballot was returned on time. The Secretary isn’t sure he has that authority – and as a result the issue could soon be added to a long list of partisan disagreements in the Buckeye State.

Ed Coghlan of California Forward has a terrific summary of last week’s “Re-Imagining What’s Possible” event sponsored by CACEO and held at UCLA. The panel had a number of interesting things to say about the role of technology in the future of elections, and the issues they discussed will likely become familiar across the election community for the foreseeable future.

Colorado’s move to identify a uniform vendor for a voting technology upgrade is getting resistance from some counties who contend that if they are making the purchase, they should get the final say on what to buy.