In Focus This Week
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Onset of summer brings the end of many state legislative sessions
Variety election administration legislation saw mixed results across the country
By Stanford Turner
Electionline.org
With a majority of states legislative sessions wrapped up for the year, this season brought forth a slew of new legislation related to voter identification, teen voting, proof of citizenship when registering to vote and election-day registration.
Voter ID: New momentum, similar results
Whether to require voters to show ID at the polls continued to be a popular legislative debate around the country – spurred by presidential-year politics, partisan competition and most recently, a U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the legality of Indiana’s photo-only voter ID law.
Multiple states began to push bills following the Crawford decision by the high court.
While the decision provided new fodder, the success or failure of voter ID measures was almost entirely a function of the partisan makeup of legislative bodies and control of governorships. Republicans in Kansas were overruled by a Democrat. Democrats fought off voter ID bills in Illinois and Oklahoma.
Earlier this month, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) vetoed H.B. 2019, a bill that would have required photo identification to cast a ballot. The bill, passed by both houses along partisan lines, would have gone into effect in time for the November election.
The Florida House of Representatives voted unanimously to tighten rules on acceptable forms of photo verification at the polls but faced opposition in the Senate. The measure would have restricted the use of employee badges or buyers’ club cards at valid ID at polling places in favor of government-issued photo ID.
Last Week in Illinois, an attempt to require voters to show identification before casting a ballot was rejected by Democratic lawmakers. The bill would have required voters to have an official government issued photo- ID in order to receive a ballot. Those people who could not comply could cast provisional votes.
In Oklahoma S.B. 1150 came one vote short of passage earlier this month.
Gov. Haley Barbour (R) put voter ID on the agenda for Mississippi’s special legislative session which began and ended this week. The Senate did not take action on the bill.
Proof of citizenship
The Crawford decision, coupled with growing interest in issues of immigration and border security, compelled some lawmakers to seek proof of citizenship measures for people seeking to register.
A Delaware measure which became law this year requires residents of the town of Milton to provide either a passport or birth certificate in order to register to vote.
In Missouri, HJR 48, a constitutional amendment, failed to pass before the close of session last week. The amendment would have required those attempting to vote to prove not only that they are registered but to prove citizenship as well.
Proof of citizenship measures also failed in California, Colorado, Maryland and Utah.
Teen voting
With the increased focus on the primary elections this year, a number of states took on teen voting.
In Connecticut, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that would allow 17-year-olds to vote in the primary as long as they are 18 before the general election. The bill also passed in the house with ease.
Following the Pennsylvania primary, the House State Government Committee held a hearing about a proposed bill to allow 17-year-olds the chance to vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 in time for the general election.
Lawmakers in Arizona and Illinois are considering similar legislation while in New Hampshire the state Supreme Court said such a law would violate the state constitution.
Election Day Registration
In hopes of keeping voter turnout high, some states have considered enacting legislation for election-day registration (EDR).
The Massachusetts General Court, which meets year round, is considering SB.2514 which would permit EDR. The bill was reported favorably by the Committee on Election Laws to the Senate Ways and Means Committee in February. If approved, EDR would begin in Massachusetts in 2011.
Not wanting to wait on state legislatures to act, U.S. Senators Russ Feingold, D-Wis. and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., along with Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., introduced legislation (S.B.2959 & H.B.5946) in both houses of Congress to allow voters register and vote in the same day.
Other Legislation
Recently Tennessee lawmakers have passed a measure requiring paper ballots by 2010.
Rhode Island Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis presented a package of election-related legislation to the General Assembly, including a proposal to move elections to Saturdays.
Iowa’s legislature took on several election administration bills this year including legislation that will require paper ballots statewide and legislation approved by the Senate would make voting absentee a bit easier for Iowa residents.
In addition to voter ID, the Kansas legislature wasn’t waiting around till after November to begin planning for 2012. An amendment to the voter ID bill would have moved Kansas’ primary up to the first Saturday in February.
The Louisiana legislature approved permanent early voting satellite locations. Satellite voting had been a pilot project since 2006 but expired on Jan. 1, 2008.
Election Reform News This Week
And then there were three…Democratic primaries that is. Oregon and Kentucky held their primary presidential contests leaving only three primaries on the left-side of the ticket. In Kentucky, turnout was high but there were few reports of problems statewide. Some voters did complain about the state’s closed primary system and there were 60 calls from 28 counties to a voter fraud hotline. Across the country, Oregon voters mailed it in, in record numbers. State Sen. Kate Brown won the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State and Republican Rick Dancer ran unopposed.
In Hawaii, officials there would like to begin preparing for the November election, but a dispute with the state’s procurement division has left the 50th state without a voting system with less than six months to go. Chief of elections, Kevin Cronin, who was denied an exemption to state procurement rules this week, had hoped to have Hart InterCivic Inc. of Austin, Texas, start work on a $8.9 million contract to provide the computers, software and other equipment to run the primary and general elections this fall. According to the Honolulu Star Bulletin, Hart had already won a $43 million contract with the state to run the elections for the next decade. But the losing firm, Election Systems & Software, which had bid $18 million, complained that the state did not pay enough attention to the cost when it awarded the bid. ES&S protested to the state Procurement Office, which ruled in March that the Elections Office had to “perform an analysis of Hart’s bid to determine whether the price was reasonable.” Cronin says he is doing his best to prepare for the elections. “We are engaged in preparations for the fall election. There are funds available with the state and counties and I anticipate that the request for approval for payment to Hart will be issued in the near future,” Cronin said.
Lubbock County, Texas has joined the vote center experiment. The county plans to have 50 vote centers in place for the November 4 election. Lubbock was a testing ground for the system in the 2006 general election. This time, there would be 15 more locations. Officials hope it will increase turnout by making it easier for people to vote. According to the Avalanche-Journal, the county factored accessibility to voters, along with convenience and ballot security, when picking locations. The site selection committee used bus routes to help make the vote centers easy to reach, even for people without their own vehicle. The county commissioners are set to vote on the plan May 27.
If your plans for the long Memorial Day weekend don’t include going out of town, but perhaps an evening in of movie watching then HBO has a movie for all you election fans out there. According to The Hollywood Reporter TV critic, “Recount,” which retells the disastrous 2000 presidential election in Florida, has “…well-written characters, first-class acting and confident directing, which produces a level of tension and suspense you wouldn’t expect in a story about a widely reported recent event.” The movie airs Sunday, May 25 at 9 p.m. on HBO.
Opinions This Week
National: Voter ID; Supreme Court
Connecticut: Dead voters
Florida: Voting calendar
Georgia: Poll workers
Guam: Election commission
Hawaii: Voting system
Indiana: Clay County
Nevada: Voter ID
New York: Voting machines
North Carolina: Instant runoff voting; Election night
Ohio: Discarded votes; Election costs; School polling places
Oregon: Vote-by-mail, II; Open primary
Pennsylvania: Voter ID, II, III, IV
South Dakota: Dead people voting, II
Tennessee: Paper ballots
Texas: Early voting; Voter ID
Virginia: Polling places
West Virginia: Election night; Primary election
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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
Election Administrative Assistant, Harford County, Md.– An Election Administrative Assistant I is the full performance level of administrative support work related to a variety of technical or secretarial services in a local election office. Employees working in the technical areas perform administrative functions not involving policy decisions but requiring a thorough knowledge of the specific functions performed. Employees perform a variety of complex secretarial duties requiring a thorough knowledge of election laws, rules and procedures. Employees in this classification do not supervise but may provide training and guidance to Election Clerks and other support staff. Employees receive general supervision from an Election Director, Election Deputy Director or other designated administrative staff and are expected to exercise considerable tact, discretion and judgment in all areas of work. Matters of confidentiality are given close attention by the supervisor. The work may require travel to schools, nursing homes or other facilities to register voters or provide related services. Employees may be required to work evenings and weekends, particularly prior to and following an election. Qualifications: Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate; one year of experience applying election laws, rules and procedures in a local board of elections office. Salary: $26,257 to $40,996. Application: May be obtained by visiting our Web site; by writing to DBM, OPSB, Recruitment & Examination Division, 301 W. Preston Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201; or by calling 410-767-4850, toll-free: 800-705-3493; TTY users call Maryland Relay Service, 800-735-2258. Deadline: May 29, 2008.
Election Administrative Assistant, Talbot County, Md.– An Election Administrative Assistant I is the full performance level of administrative support work related to a variety of technical or secretarial services in a local election office. Employees working in the technical areas perform administrative functions not involving policy decisions but requiring a thorough knowledge of the specific functions performed. Employees perform a variety of complex secretarial duties requiring a thorough knowledge of election laws, rules and procedures. Employees in this classification do not supervise but may provide training and guidance to Election Clerks and other support staff. Employees receive general supervision from an Election Director, Election Deputy Director or other designated administrative staff and are expected to exercise considerable tact, discretion and judgment in all areas of work. Matters of confidentiality are given close attention by the supervisor. The work may require travel to schools, nursing homes or other facilities to register voters or provide related services. Employees may be required to work evenings and weekends, particularly prior to and following an election. Qualifications: Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate; one year of experience applying election laws, rules and procedures in a local board of elections office. Salary: $26,257 to $40,996. Application: May be obtained by visiting our Web site; by writing to DBM, OPSB, Recruitment & Examination Division, 301 W. Preston Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201; or by calling 410-767-4850, toll-free: 800-705-3493; TTY users call Maryland Relay Service, 800-735-2258. Deadline: June 16, 2008.
Election Clerk Lead/Advanced, Anne Arundel County, Md. — Is the lead or advanced level of specialized clerical work in a local election office or the primary support to an Election Director in a small local office. Employees process and maintain voter records and apply election laws, rules, and procedures to work problems. Does not supervise but may provide training and guidance to Election Clerk Is, IIs and IIIs and other designated support staff. Does not perform the full range of supervisory duties but assigns, trains and reviews the work of Election Clerks and other support staff. Employees in this classification receive general supervision from an Election Supervisor, Election Deputy Director or Election Director. The work may require travel to schools, nursing homes or other facilities to register voters or provide related services. Employees may be required to work evenings and weekends, particularly prior to and following an election. Qualifications: Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate; one year of experience applying election laws, rules and procedures in a local board of elections office. Salary: $26,257 to $40,996. Application: May be obtained by visiting our Web site; by writing to DBM, OPSB, Recruitment & Examination Division, 301 W. Preston Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201; or by calling 410-767-4850, toll-free: 800-705-3493; TTY users call Maryland Relay Service, 800-735-2258. Deadline: June 13, 2008.