electionline Weekly

Election Reform News This Week

• Christmas came a day late for the Wisconsin State Board of Elections when Bermuda-based Accenture agreed on Wednesday to pay the $4 million and give up the source code for Wisconsin’s beleaguered voter registration database. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the company also agreed to give up its claim to $1.95 million in payments from the state and to continue working on the system through February 2008. The settlement marks one of the last official acts of the Elections Board, which will dissolve early next month. The duties of the agency will be assumed by the new Government Accountability Board, which will also take on the responsibilities of the state Ethics Board.

• Despite the fact that he recently de-certified two of the four brands of optical-scanners used in Colorado elections, Secretary of State Mike Coffman this week said he favors using paper ballots at polling places for the upcoming 2008 election season. Coffman told The Denver post that using paper ballots would solve some of the technological problems that some counties experienced using electronic voting machines in recent elections. He said some voters are just more comfortable punching a ballot. “There is a segment of our voting population that feels more comfortable marking their ballot and casting that ballot, as opposed to relying on an electronic device to do that for them,” Coffman told the paper. Coffman said he is working on bringing all voting machines up to par for the 2008 election. Coffman also rejected the proposal from the Colorado County Clerks Association asking legislators to allow counties to hold all mail-in ballot elections for 2008.

• Forget Iowa, forget New Hampshire. With the popularity of early and absentee voting on the rise and many states moving up their presidential primaries, some voters are already casting their ballots in the 2008 presidential race. Voters in Florida may already be voting because absentee ballots had to be in the mail by December 25 and voters in Georgia began in-person absentee voting on December 26. Several other “Super Duper” Tuesday states will begin early and absentee voting late this week and right after the New Year’s holiday.

• Late last week, a federal appeals court delayed a district judge’s order that Mississippi enact a voter ID law and reregister voters. According to the Sun Herald, in June, U.S. District Judge Allen Pepper ruled that the state should reregister all voters to allow people to declare themselves as Democrats, Republicans or members of another party. In July, Pepper amended his June order and said Mississippi must restructure its party primary system by Aug. 31, 2008. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the state and Mississippi’s Democratic and Republican parties had filed individual motions with the 5th Circuit, asking for the stay of Pepper’s order while their appeals of the order are pending. The court’s ruling has the effect of expediting oral arguments in the case. The 5th Circuit’s arguments schedule ends Jan. 14. No date for these arguments has been set.

Opinions This Week

National: Voter ID, II; Vulnerable voting systems

California: Tulare County, Voting machines

Colorado: Secretary of State, II; Paper ballots; Transparent voting process; Voting systems

Florida: Voter registration database

Missouri: Voter participation

New York: Voting systems

Ohio: Cuyahoga County; Voting system, II, III, IV, V

Utah: Voter ID

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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

Executive Assistant — The Brennan Center. We seek an energetic, motivated, well-organized individual who will provide administrative support and research assistance to the Democracy Program Director and Deputy Directors. The Special Assistant will work closely with the Democracy Program’s dynamic management team as they address key voting rights issues in a critical period. Responsibilities include: Managing calendar (includes scheduling and confirming meetings); drafting correspondence; communicating with internal and external constituents; coordinating key projects and meetings; making travel arrangements; answering and screening incoming calls; filing and general administrative support. Qualifications: A bachelor’s degree; keen attention to detail and an ability to multi-task; an openness to evolving responsibilities; excellent oral and written communication skills; an interest in politics and public policy; sense of humor and an ability to build positive working relationships; proficiency in MS Office including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Salary: Commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits package. Application: Please send cover letter, resume, and brief writing sample by e-mail to brennancenterjobs@nyu.edu, with Democracy Assistant in the subject line.  No phone calls, please. Deadline: Application deadline is January 15, 2008, but applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Web site: www.brennancenter.org.

Fellowship — The Brennan Center. The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law is seeking a junior attorney with up to five years of experience for a one-year fellowship with the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program.  The Program seeks to bring the ideal of representative self-government closer to reality, by eliminating barriers to full and equal political participation and by striving to ensure that public policy and institutions reflect the diverse voices and interests that make for a rich and energetic democracy.  This position involves work principally on voting rights (including the rights of people with felony convictions) and reform of election administration (including voter registration restrictions, photo ID requirements for voting, and other practices likely to suppress the vote and have a disproportionate impact on communities of color).  Activities include legal and policy analysis and counseling; legislative drafting at federal, state, and local levels; administrative and legislative advocacy; public education and scholarship; and litigation in trial and appellate courts.  Ideally, the position will commence in January 2008 or very soon afterward. Qualifications:  The ideal candidate will have a J.D., up to five years of legal experience (including clerkships, if any), and a strong entrepreneurial spirit.  Excellent legal research, analysis, and writing skills; initiative, imagination, and versatility; organizational skills; ability to deal with diverse clients and to coordinate work effectively with other organizations.  Legal or other advocacy experience, especially on voting rights and elections at the state level, organizing experience, and demonstrated commitment to public interest law are real pluses. Salary:  Commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits package. Applications:  Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and a decision will be made as soon as an appropriate candidate is identified.  Please send cover letter, resume, two writing samples, and the names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of three references to brennancenterjobs@nyu.edu, with “Voting Rights Fellow” in the subject line. The Brennan Center is a nonprofit, non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice.  The Center now has approximately 55 staff members, including attorneys, researchers, and public affairs professionals. Web site: http://www.brennancenter.org.