Archive for 2016

Registration reform found its way to two more states recently, with Tennessee considering online voter registration and Washington proposing its own version of automatic registration.

Late last Friday, a Kansas judge invalidated the state’s two-tier registration system established as a result of the effort to require proof-of-citizenship from all voters. While the Secretary of State will appeal, the case could have ramifications both in Kansas and across the nation.

This week’s electionlineWeekly focuses on crowdsourcing election data and examines the particular success enjoyed by the U.S. Vote Foundation and its Election Official Directory. It’s a fantastic resource that can be used by or on behalf of voters seeking to reach their local election official.

Today at 6pm Pacific, the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials (CACEO) will host an event (simulcast online) entitled “Voting in California: Re-Imagining What’s Possible”, which will examine the role of technology in improving the entire election experience.

The State of Ohio is nearing adoption of online voter registration after years of urging from the Secretary of State. If enacted, it will be evidence that dogged persistence pays – and will set off a dash to have it implemented in time for the November presidential election.

Immigration and concerns about its impact may be a hot topic on the presidential campaign trail, but Hyattsville, MD’s city council is considering a plan to allow non-citizens residents to vote in municipal elections. There are policy and implementation questions involved, but it’s a discussion that may become increasingly common in other locations with large non-citizen populations.

I have a short piece in the newest issue of CSG’s Capitol Ideas magazine, focusing on what states need to do to be ready for 2016. While many of the ideas will be familiar to regular readers, it’s a valuable “cheat sheet” nonetheless for the big items on the 2016 to-do list.

The Democracy Fund’s Natalie Adona has a great new blog post exploring queueing theory and the line management tools developed by experts and popularized by the PCEA. It’s well worth the read; moreover, the experience of using the tools (with or without real data) is a great introduction to what the theory tells us about predicting and preventing lines at the polls.

Michigan’s Governor recently signed a bill eliminating straight-ticket voting, but he (with the Secretary of State’s support) called upon the Legislature to enact no-excuse absentee voting in order to alleviate concerns about long lines at the polls. With some resistance in the Senate and the arrival of an election year and accompanying partisan rhetoric, that could be a tough ask.

This afternoon, the EAC will convene a roundtable where election officials from so-called “battleground” jurisdictions will discuss their preparations for 2016 and share ideas about how to survive – and thrive – in the fierce political environment of this already eventful presidential election.