electionline Weekly

In Focus This Week

I. In Focus This Week

:8pt;”>New Pew study, “Being Online Is Still Not Enough”, assesses state election websites

The assessment was conducted by the California Voter Foundation and the Center for Governmental Studies, two nonprofits with decades of online voter education experience, and the Nielsen Norman Group, evaluating more than 100 detailed criteria based on three categories:content, look-up tools, and usability.

The results are in Pew’s new report, “Being Online Is Still Not Enough.” The 2010 assessment built on and expanded an earlier, 2008 Pew analysis of state election website look-up tools and usability.

The new report shows that while many states have made significant improvements, there are still major gaps in providing easily accessible, comprehensive information and tools to voters.

If you live in Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia, or Wisconsin, you are in luck. These states’ election websites offer all of the recommended look-up tools applicable to voters in their states:polling place location, registration status, ballot information, absentee ballot status and provisional ballot status.

Voters in these 10 states literally have some of the most important election information at their fingertips – they can go online 24-hours a day, access personalized ballot information, verify they are registered to vote at their current address, find their polling place, and check to see if their absentee ballot has been received or if a provisional ballot has been counted.

But if you live in California or Vermont, getting ready to vote can be much more of a challenge. These two states offer none of the five look-up tools the project assessed.

Overall, the most common look-up tool helps voters locate their polling places – all but two states offer this online service. In fact, the number of states providing this tool rose dramatically between 2008 and 2010, increasing from 34 to 49, with almost universal, nationwide access to this tool going into the 2012 election season.

The second most popular tool allows voters to verify their registration status, with 41 states offering this tool, up from just over half – 27 – in 2008. Nationwide, 82 percent of states provide this online convenience to voters, helping them determine before Election Day whether they are registered to vote at their current address.

In addition, researchers found:

• 22 states offer voters a personalized, online ballot information look-up tool;

• 29 states allow voters to check their absentee ballot status online; and

• 19 states allow voters to check their provisional ballot status online.

The growing availability of such look-up tools is welcome news to voters, who are increasingly turning to the Internet to help them prepare for elections.

A recent national poll of registered voters conducted for the Pew Center on the States by the Mellman Group found that:

• :#1a1a1a;”>Almost half (45 percent) sought out where to vote and voting hours (44 percent); and

• “Being Online Is Still Not Enough” highlights key findings of the assessment, recommends best practices, provides an interactive map and includes a fact sheet for each state featuring its overall score, strengths, recommended improvements, noteworthy features, and suggestions for an initial “quick fix.”

  In addition to evaluating whether each state had the five recommended look-up tools, project researchers also conducted a comprehensive review of content, assessing whether each site provided essential information on voting basics, such as registration, items on the ballot, absentee and early voting, assistance for voters with disabilities, and resources for military and overseas voters. This content assessment comprised half of each state’s score, while lookup tools and usability each made up 25 percent.

  States’ overall scores were grouped into three categories:Good, Average, and Needs Improvement. Ten states received the top scores of 79 or higher (out of a possible 100). More than half the states – 29 – rated as “Average,” scoring between 65-78, and 12 states received scores of 64 or lower.

  While states have made significant progress in providing more look-up tools to voters, the assessment results show there is much room for improvement. A number of recommendations and state election website best practices were identified by project researchers:

  • Identify voter registration requirements with phrases such as “you must” or “you are required by law,” rather than “you should” or “you may wish to.” Provide clear, direct information about all the circumstances that would require voters to update their registration records;
  • Clearly state whether voters must show ID when voting at the polls;
  • Explain which early and absentee voting options are available. Tell voters what to do if an absentee ballot is lost, damaged, or does not arrive in the mail;
  • Provide sections for military and overseas voters that include, or connect to, all relevant content and tools, such as lookup tools for ballot information and registration status;
  • When providing voter look-up tools, avoid returning more personal information than was entered by the user;
  • Make sure voter registration status search return screens include instructions for updating or correcting the data displayed;
  • Allow users to access polling place and ballot information by street address, and provide a sample address that can be used to try out these tools;
  • Include polling place hours on search return screens for polling place look-up tools;
  • Present a site search tool as an empty field at top of every page;
  • Implement website navigation that is logical, persistent, and consistent;
  • Write voting information at or below the eighth-grade level so that it is understandable to most users;
  • :black;”>;

  • Election News This Week

    II. Election News This Week

    • This week the U.S. Postal Service announced plans to eliminate next-day service for first class mail meaning that most mail, which is typically delivered in one to three days would now be delivered in three to five days. With the popularity of vote-by mail and absentee voting growing with each election, how this could impact the delivery of ballots remains to be seen. Oregon, one of two mail-only states has already weighed-in on the issue. Secretary of State Kate Brown said that moving forward, voters should mail their ballots on the Thursday prior to a Tuesday election to ensure timely delivery. Brown said that she will work with state lawmakers to approve an earlier date for county elections office to mail out ballots to give voters ample time.
    • Although a St. Bernard Parish, La. judge called the state’s election code “a legal quagmire,” he ruled against a request to hold a new election for a parish council seat that was ultimately won by just 16 votes. Losing candidate Peter Rupp contended that at least 40 voters had residences that did not qualify them to vote. According to the Times-Picayune, Judge Manny Fernandez determined that Rupp did not properly file his voter challenges and therefore the court could not act. In his ruling, Fernandez wrote at length about the state’s complex voting laws that became even more complex after Hurricane Katrina.

    • The Missouri auditor this week released a review of the St. Louis board of elections and gave the board an overall rating of “fair”. In his report, Auditor Tom Schweich said the board has seen vast improvements since voters were turned away from the polls in 2000. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the report did however note that concerns persist including duplicate registrations.

    • Primary Problems:With military and overseas voters in New Hampshire already casting their ballots in the first-in-the-nation primary, some states are still trying to figure what to do with their primaries. In Ohio, Republicans in the state legislature are working on a plan to consolidate the state’s primaries into a single date. Currently Ohio’s primaries are scheduled for March and late June because of issues surrounding the state’s redistricting. But with concerns over the $15 million price tag for a second primary, lawmakers are looking to combine the primaries to one day, possibly in late April. And in Massachusetts, officials are figuring out what to do with the state’s primary which in order to accommodate Jewish holidays was moved from Tuesday Sept. 6 to Thursday Sept. 16. Problem is, the new date coincides with the Democratic National Convention. This of course presents a problem because many of the state’s delegates are elected officials.
    • Personnel News:Long-time Hernando County, Fla. Supervisor of Elections Annie Williams announced that she will not seek re-election in 2012 ending a 38 year career in the elections office. Term-limited State Rep. Rich Glorioso has filed paperwork to run for supervisor of elections in Hillsborough County; current supervisor Earl Lennard had previously announced his retirement. Also in Florida, Collier County Supervisor of Elections Jennifer Edwards has filed to run for re-election. Cass County, Ind. Clerk Beth Liming announced she will seek a second term as clerk. Liming was heavily involved in the implementation of vote centers in the Hoosier State. Outgoing Kentucky Secretary of State Elaine Walker will be the new commissioner of the state Department of Parks upon completion of her term. Nathan Burd is stepping down from the Franklin County Board of Elections to run for the Ohio House of Representatives.
    • Get Well: Pike County, Ky. Clerk Lillian Pearl Elliot was injured in a head-on collision on Dec. 4. Although not life-threatening, Elliot’s injuries are said to be serious. Electionline.org wishes Elliot a speedy and complete recovery.