In Focus This Week
Some local officials worry voters aren’t aware of pushed-up primary deadlines
Senior ‘snowbirds’ and college students directly impacted by pushed up dates
By M. Mindy Moretti
electionline.org
Between the shopping, the wrapping, the baking, and the festivities that come with the holiday season, Carol and Joe Mehlmann of Harford County, Md. haven’t really had too much time to think about politics.
But sometime between now and late January when they depart for their winter home in South Carolina, the Mehlmanns are going to have to find time to apply for an absentee ballot for Maryland’s upcoming February 12 presidential primary, something they’ve never had to do before because the primary has typically been in March.
And it wasn’t until a reporter’s inquiry about the moved-up primary that the Mehlmanns realized they would even need to apply for an absentee ballot.
“We think it is unfair and does a disservice to the people of Maryland. If you are going to move primaries up, decide two years before and publicize it well,” Carol Mehlmann said.
Like the Mehlmanns, millions of seniors head to second homes in warmer climates during the winter. And with dozens of states moving up their primaries – by several months in some cases – there are countless numbers of senior citizens, who make up the nation’s most active voting group, who will need to vote absentee if they wish to vote in the primaries.
AARP estimates that 95 percent of its 39 million members are registered voters, yet a spokesman for the largest senior-oriented organization in the country said AARP has no plans to undertake an information campaign to remind its members that they may need to apply for an absentee ballot.
“This was handled very poorly, but so were all the other primaries that moved up. Most people don’t start thinking about the election until the year it is going to happen,” Carol Mehlmann said. “We aren’t as enthralled with the nominees as much as the media would like us to be at this point. After the first of the year it is a different story.”
The Maryland State Board of Elections did not respond to questions, but Katie Brown, assistant director of elections in Baltimore County sees the dilemma faced by “snowbirds” and honestly thinks that despite the media around the pushed-up primaries that most simply aren’t realizing that they need to vote absentee.
“I think if we went door-to-door and let everyone know, they would realize it, but there is only so much we can do,” Brown said.
In Michigan, the pushed up January 15 primary has been complicated by a recent appeals court ruling that prevents county clerks in the state from automatically sending out absentee ballots to those who have voted absentee in the past.
Legislation awaiting a hearing in the Michigan Senate would allow clerks to mail unrequested absentee ballot applications to voters 60 and older. House Bill (HB) 4553 passed the House 96-12 last summer and currently sits before the Senate Campaign and Election Oversight Committee.
Karen Bluhm, Osceola County, Mich. Clerk and president of the Michigan Association of County Clerks said that she and her fellow clerks are very concerned about snowbirds remembering to apply for their absentee ballots for the state’s January 15 primary, especially since many may not realize this is something they now need to do because of the court ruling.
“This is a hectic time of year and when you add this [the moved up primary] to the puzzle it becomes even more hectic,” Bluhm said.
In her county, Bluhm said the request for absentee ballots is low and she thinks that is because people simply aren’t realizing they need to apply for the ballots despite the multitude of media appearances Bluhm has made reminding voters of the situation.
In New Jersey, which has moved its primary up from June to February 5, county clerks offices are busy mailing out absentee ballots to senior ‘snowbirds’. A spokesman for the Bergen County elections office said that in her county, the seniors seem very aware of the pushed up primary, possibly because unlike other primaries that have only moved up a month or so, New Jersey’s has moved up four months.
As for the Mehlmanns they will add applying for their absentee ballot to their ever growing list of things they need to do before the holidays and before they head south for the winter.
“We’ll probably apply next week now that we know we need to,” Carol Mehlmann said.
College Students Face Absentee Issue Too
In the very early primary states of New Hampshire and Iowa, election officials are contending with the same problem but with voters at the other end of the age spectrum.
“In our case, what I think we are going to find is probably an overabundance of people voting by absentee ballots,” Durham Town Clerk Lorrie Pitt told the local newspaper. “I think we are going to have a big crunch…for absentee ballots. It’s time consuming.”
The Durham clerk’s office had already received dozens of applications for absentee ballots and expected to receive several hundred more by the time the University of New Hampshire students headed home for winter break.
Election Reform News This Week
- On Tuesday, a federal judge in Florida blocked enforcement of the Sunshine State’s law that prevents people from registering to vote if their driver’s license or Social Security numbers cannot be matched to federal databases. According to the Associated Press, the law prevented 14,000 people from registering to vote in Florida prior to this week’s ruling. “This disenfranchisement, however unintentional, causes damage to the election system that cannot be repaired after the election has passed,” Judge Stephan Mickle wrote in his decision. “This impact is not ‘minimal.’ The harm to a disenfranchised voter would be impossible to repair.” According to The Orlando Sentinel, the state plans to appeal the ruling.
- Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman announced on Monday that a significant number of electronic-voting machines in use in the state aren’t reliable enough, nor secure enough for compliance with state laws. Machines included those made by both Sequoia and ES&S. However, after meeting with the state legislature on Tuesday, Coffman said that flaws found in the machines could be fixed in time for the 2008 election cycle. Coffman told The Denver Post that the state legislature should authorize him to use data compiled by California officials to determine whether a patch will qualify under Colorado law. Meanwhile, counties that have used the questionable equipment with no problems are forced to sit in limbo while this is sorted out. “I’m not willing to risk the 2008 election,” Janice Rich, Mesa County’s clerk and recorder, told the paper. “I’m talking to county attorneys and the commissioners. We’re going to take a look to see if we’re going to do with or without the secretary of state.” Mesa County uses ES&S voting systems and Rich has reported no problems with the machines.
- Teenagers who are 17 during the primary election but will turn 18 before the general election are free once again to cast a ballot in Maryland. Last year an opinion from the attorney general’s office dealing with early voting let the Maryland State Board of Elections to change the decades- old practice of allowing 17 year olds to vote in the primary. However, earlier this week, the state’s two major political parties argued before the BOE that it is they, and not the state who should determine who can vote in the primaries. In a five-page opinion issued on Wednesday, Attorney General Doug Gansler said that nearly 50,000 17 year-olds in Maryland do in fact have the right to vote in the upcoming February 12 primary. According to The Washington Post, the BOE is expected to follow Gansler’s opinion at a December 20 meeting and restore the rights of 17 year-olds.
- And finally this week, an In Memoriam to two women who helped shape the face of modern voting in the District of Columbia and in Maryland. Mary Rodgers, the Districts long serving former elections administrator passed away from complications due to a hip fracture. She was 82. According to The Washington Post, Rodgers was credited with helping tame what was called “a kind of electoral Hellzapoppin’ ” in the early years of home rule. And although she sometimes contemplated quitting, she didn’t. “You have to see a job through,” she told the paper in 1987 just before she retired after 20 years in the elections office. “You can’t run away from the bad times.” And in nearby Montgomery County, Md. Marie Garber, also a former administer of elections passed away due to complications from Alzheimer’s. She was 83. According to the Post, during her tenure as Montgomery elections administrator, from 1967 to 1981, Garber led an effort to modernize the county’s electoral system and introduced computerized registration and vote-counting methods. She made the election office into a model of efficiency that was recognized nationwide. She was appointed head of the Maryland State Board of Elections in 1984 and after that she consulted with governments worldwide on more effective elections administration.
Opinions This Week
National: Early primaries
Arizona: Pima County lawsuit, Voting process
California: Voting priorities, Vote counting
Colorado: Voting machines, II
Florida: Voting system, II, Hillsborough County, Registration database
Indiana: Voter participation
Iowa: Student voters
Mississippi: Voter ID
New Jersey: Primary deadlines
New York: Voting integrity
North Carolina: Voter ID
Ohio: Voting system, II, III, IV
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Job Postings This Week
All job listings must be received by 12 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday for publication in our Thursday newsletter. Job listings are free but may be edited for length. Whenever possible, include Internet information. Please email job postings to mmoretti@electionline.org
Project Manager — The Pew Center on the States. Project manager will assist in developing and executing strategic and operational plans for the Make Voting Work project. The project operates in a highly collaborative environment that emphasizes teamwork and values input from a variety of perspectives. The project manager will be expected to contribute at multiple levels, taking lead responsibility for the design and implementation of certain activities, assisting in the execution of other activities, and filling in on duties where needed. The ideal candidate will have an educational and employment background in public policy or a related field, deep knowledge of the election system, and work experience undertaking projects involving many partners, complex issues, extensive writing, and live presentations. The candidate preferably will have experience at the state or federal level with issue campaigns, communications strategies, and grassroots or grasstops organizing. Qualifications: At least eight years of experience in the public policy arena, with a working knowledge of election administration issues. Experience working with state and federal policymakers, election officials, researchers and other stakeholders is strongly preferred; Masters or other advanced degree in a relevant area or equivalent experience preferred; Demonstrated strong analytical skills applied to public policy issues, including an ability to synthesize and summarize large amounts of information and to focus quickly on the essence of an issue. Strong systems skills including Microsoft Office products; Experience convening groups of policymakers, researchers, other professionals, and constituencies, and supporting their efforts to move toward a desired outcome. Application: Melissa Rosen, Manager, Human Resources, The Pew Charitable Trusts, One Commerce Square, 2005 Market Street, Suite 1700, Philadelphia, PA 19103-7077 or e-mailed to: recruiter@pewtrusts.org. Web site: www.pewtrusts.org
Voting Rights & Civil Rights Coalition Coordinator — FairVote is one of the nation’s leading democracy organizations, with a particular focus on bold, change-oriented electoral reforms. With the 2008 presidential elections looming, FairVote is launching the Democracy SoS project to bring transparency and public awareness to the actions of Secretaries of State and other chief election officials in states and promote democracy coalitions to achieve fair elections. By surveying the opinions of sitting and prospective officials, as well as by researching their past actions, we hope to work with state and national reform organizations to ensure that voters are both protected on and before Election Day and are able to make well-informed decisions when given the opportunity to select their Secretary of State. Duties: Recruit and work with a broad array of local, state and national organizations to conduct research, media outreach, grassroots activity, and education on key voting/election issues impacted by Secretaries of State; coordinate development of research, survey, issue prioritization and voter guides in target states and offices; develop of educational materials, a project website, brochures, and other materials; serve as primary point of contact for project, including coordinating media inquiries. Qualifications: We seek an applicant eager to work in our organization, and, ideally, with the at least some of the following skills and experience: Well-organized and detail-oriented, able to work on tight timelines; experience in a nonprofit, political, or policy organization preferable; coalition-building and organizing experience; passion for electoral reform and civil rights; strong public speaking, research, and writing skills; ability to work well in a team environment, with a sense of humor. Salary: Salary commensurate with experience. Health, dental, and life insurance benefits provided in first year, with a retirement plan after one year. Application: Resume, cover letter and writing sample, including at least two references who can speak to your relevant skills. Please send materials to hr@fairvote.org Deadline: December 21st.