In Focus This Week
I. In Focus This Week
H.R. 634 puts Election Assistance Commission on the block, again
Despite bill, bipartisan support remains for EAC
By M. Mindy Moretti
Electionline.org
Like Sisyphus and his rock, Mississippi Congressman Gregg Harper has once again introduced a resolution to dissolve the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC).
Under H.R. 634, the EAC would terminate 60-days after the enactment of the resolution. Some functions of the Commission would transfer to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The bill was introduced on Jan. 24 and approved by a 6-3 party line vote in the House Administration Committee.
In a statement, Harper says that the existence of the EAC is not necessary to conduct federal elections is a “waste of taxpayer funds.”
Despite Harper’s insistence that the Commission has run its course of usefulness, bipartisan support for the EAC remains.
“In the days leading up to the mark-up and in the days since, we’ve receive notes from election officials and voters across the nation thanking us for our work and validating the important role we play,” said EAC Chairman Thomas Hicks. “We’ve also received widespread, bipartisan support from advocacy groups within the beltway and beyond. Anyone with questions about our value should speak directly with the election officials and voters we serve.”
One of those supporting the continued existence is Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams (R). Williams, who has been in office since 2014, says that the EAC in its current incarnation has been extremely helpful to his office.
“The EAC in its present incarnation, and I can’t speak to the old incarnation, they understand their role as an advisory body,” Williams said. “They’ve been very responsive. They reach out to the states. They show up. They listen. And that’s not been my experience with any other federal agencies and so I guess this seems to be the one that is actually working right now and so I would much rather have concentrate efforts on fixing or eliminating agencies that don’t work than those do.”
Williams stressed the work the EAC is doing to certify testing labs and establish standards is incredibly beneficial to secretaries of state as many are navigating new voting systems and a changing electorate.
“The integrity of the election process is not a partisan issue and that’s true whether the secretary of state is a Republican or Democrat,” Williams said. “I believe the EAC is trying to ensure the election process works well.”
Williams said he does not support folding portions of the current EAC into the FEC because the FEC is too political.
“I do not favor nationalizing elections. And in fact, I strongly oppose that, but I don’t see the EAC as doing that because of the nature of their task and role,” Williams said. “I am less confident in other bodies. The FEC for example has not shown itself historically to be a body that works together for the benefit of elections processes. Has tended to be a body that has a very partisan bent that’d why transferring all the functions to the FEC makes no sense.”
But not all of Williams’ counterparts are as enthusiastic. By a 16-12 vote, in 2015, the National Association of Secretaries of State reaffirmed an earlier position on eliminating the EAC. NASS is currently holding its winter conference in Washington, D.C. and while the status of the EAC is not on the agenda, Leslie Reynolds with NASS said that it could come up, although nothing is planned.
However, the tide may be turning. In 2015, Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler (R) who was then president of NASS was one of the Yes votes to support eliminating the EAC. Now, he is now on the record saying that he would support the EAC remaining.
“I kind of like what I see now,” Schedler told USAToday. “And I’m willing to take a look-see attitude.”
Electionline reached out to several organizations-NIST, FVAP, etc. who would be impacted by the dissolution of the EAC, but they were unable to comment on pending legislation.
And while the debate continues on Capitol Hill and in the states about whether or not the EAC remains relevant, the Commission is continuing to do the work it was tasked to do.
“The stakes are high for all election officials right now. They face incredible and unique pressures, and we know that the EAC’s support is needed now more than ever before,” Hicks said. “Each day we work to better serve election officials and voters. There’s no time for complacency or ‘business as usual.’ Election administrators need support and resources more now than ever, and the EAC is here to assist them.”
The EAC is currently working to prepare for next year’s midterm elections and that effort will be largely informed by the 2016 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS) which is slated for release at the end of June. This spring the EAC will debut a new website that will feature a cutting-edge, user-friendly design. The site will also become the new permanent home for the popular tools and guidance stemming from the Presidential Commission on Election Administration (PCEA).
For his part, Williams said that he plans to speak with the Colorado congressional delegation when he’s in D.C. this week and hopes that his colleagues will consider doing their part to encourage the continuation of the EAC.
“I think it is important to look at reality vs. rhetoric,” Williams said. “And in this case the reality is that the EAC, with its present commission has been doing a good job in providing assistance and support. They have recognized the importance of their middle name.”
Our Say
II. Our Say
We Still Need the EAC
By Doug Chapin,
University of Minnesota
Last week, the Committee on House Administration (CHA) voted 6-3 on partisan lines to approve convene to markup H.R. 634, the “Election Assistance Commission Termination Act.” The bill is part of CHA Chairman Gregg Harper (MS-3)’s ongoing attempt to eliminate the EAC, a campaign he has waged for several Congresses (and about which I wrote most recently in March 2015).
The bill itself is pretty simple: it dissolves the EAC, returns its NVRA (“motor voter”) regulatory authority to the Federal Election Commission (whence it came thanks to the Help America Vote Act of 2002) and directs the federal government to wind up the EAC’s affairs. The bill is silent on other key facets of the EAC’s work, like certification and testing of voting technology and data collection via the Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS). It’s hard to believe such work would simply stop, but the bill says nothing about what would happen post-termination.
Previous versions of the bill have made it out of committee but haven’t gotten floor consideration – and none have been introduced or considered in the Senate. Still, with the change in Administrations and scrutiny of the nation’s election system remaining high, there is concern in the election community that the EAC – which came back two years ago from a lengthy limbo and has been at a sprint ever since to restore programs and partner with election officials – could be in danger this time.
The timing of the bill is especially odd this year, given that the EAC is at the heart of discussions between state and local election officials about the reach and impact of the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to designate elections as “critical infrastructure” in response to concerns about cybersecurity. This week, the EAC is co-hosting the meeting of the Technical Guidelines Development Committee, which is tasked with updating federal voting technology standards. Later this year, the EAC will release the data from the 2016 EAVS, which supports evidence-based management nationwide AND is crucial to the work of agencies like the Defense Department’s Federal Voting Assistance Program to ensure voting access by our overseas and military voters worldwide.
2016 taught me that predictions are difficult (and/or I’m just no good at them) but I am still skeptical that this bill goes anywhere in the current Congress. The security and integrity of American elections is a topic of great interest right now, whether you believe there is voter fraud (or insist there’s no evidence of it) or have concerns about external threats, foreign or domestic, to the technology that supports our voting system. In that environment, I find it hard to believe that there is a majority on Capitol Hill to eliminate the one federal agency (and its comparatively small budget) that is focused on helping election officials cope with these issues.
The title of this post is pretty clear, but I’ll repeat it here: we still need the EAC, maybe more than ever. At a time when so many questions are being asked about the country’s election system, it simply doesn’t make sense to do away with the one agency (and its people) central to helping states and localities get the answers.
(Doug Chapin is the founder and director emeritus of electionline. He is currently director of the Program for Excellence in Election Administration at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Chapin is a certified elections geek.)
Election News This Week
III. Election News This Week
A bipartisan group of residents in Dallas County, Iowa will meet to review thousands of absentee ballots that the county failed to count on Election Day. While none of the 5,842 absentee ballots would have changed the outcome of a race, newly elected Auditor Julia Helm has called for a special review of the results. According to the Des Moines Register, a separate not-yet-formed committee will review the county’s election procedures before the May 2 special election. “All of the stuff we sent to the secretary of state, we just thought people in our community should review the same thing,” Helm said. “We’re trying to be transparent.”
Massachusetts’ state auditor has determined that early voting—which debuted in 2016 and proved to be wildly successful — constituted a state mandated on cities and towns and that the state should pay for it. According to The Sun Chronicle, Auditor Susan Bump said about one million voters, or 22 percent of the total, cast ballots during the 12 days leading up to the November election, and staying open those extra days cost cities and towns about $1.1 million. “The early voting law certainly is to be regarded a success. It did, however, mandate new procedures for clerks. Some of these should be paid for by the state, not municipalities, according to the Local Mandate Law,” she told the paper.
West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner recognized a group of high school juniors and seniors who registered more than 1,500 new youth voters in The Mountain State. Students who got 100 percent of eligible seniors registered to vote will be invited back to the secretary’s office in March to shadow Warner for a day as part of the Honorary Secretary of State for the Day program.
Personnel News: Clarendon County, South Carolina Voter Registration and Elections Executive Director Shirley L. Black-Oliver received the Moore Award at the 42nd annual South Carolina Association of Registration and Elections Officials Legislative Conference. Chris Marinio, has decided not to seek another term on the Erie County, Ohio board of elections. He has been on the board for 20 years. Ninety year-old Helen Mis who has served as Beacon Falls, Connecticut’s Republican registrar since 1966, will be stepping down later this year. Cheryl Bodoh has been hired as the deputy clerk for Germantown, Wisconsin. Keith Cheney has resigned from the Allen County, Ohio board of elections. Len Lenihan is stepping down as the Erie County board of elections commissioner. Claud McIver, who is facing criminal charges after shooting his wife, has announced that he will step down from the state board of elections.
Legislative Updates
IV. Legislative Updates
Federal Legislation: Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) has re-introduced two election reform bills. The Universal Right to Vote by Mail Act would end restrictions some states impose on voting absentee. The Federal Election Integrity Act would prohibit the chief election official of a state from serving on a federal campaign committees or engaging in other political activity on behalf of federal candidates.
Colorado: Senate Democrats attempted to amend a campus free speech bill to include voter registration activity among the kids of “speech” the bill marks out in particular for protection. All 18 Senate Republicans voted down the amendment.
Florida: Sen. Aaron Bean (R) has proposed legislation that would make the secretary of state position an elected position. Currently the secretary of state is appointed by the governor. If approved, the first secretary of state election would be in 2020.
Also in Florida, Sen. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala) and Rep. Don Hahnfeldt (R-Villages) have introduced legislation that would allow concealed carry in polling places.
Idaho: Rep. Don Cheatham (R-Post Falls) has introduced legislation that would allow conceal carry permits to serve as an acceptable form of ID in order to vote. The legislation has been approved by the House State Affairs Committee.
Illinois: House Bill 2472 seeks to abolish electoral boards for municipalities, townships and community colleges and transfer the duty of hearing ballot objections to county electoral boards. Rep. Barbara Wheeler (R-Crystal Lake) said the legislation was introduced because in many cases the lack of knowledge of election law or outright political reasons translate to unfair treatment of objections to candidacies for local races.
Iowa: Secretary of State Paul Pate is proposing legislation that would require political organizations to promptly turn in voter registration forms they collect. Under Pate’s plan, prosecutors would be authorized to file charges against parties, campaigns and other that wait longer than seven days to submit completed voter registration forms.
Montana: Rep. Derek Skees (R-Kalispell) has introduced HB-357 that would require voters to show photo ID in order to vote. When speaking on behalf of the bill at a House committee, Skees cited voter fraud—although none has been found in Montana—as a need for the bill.
Nevada: Assemblywoman Lisa Krasner (R-Reno) has introduced House Bill 164 that would mandate voters show an ID when casting a ballot. The bill contains a provision for free IDs provided by the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Also in Nevada, SB 103 has been introduced and referred to the Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections. Under the proposed bill, Nevada would move to a modified blanket primary election system for partisan offices.
New Hampshire: By a 204-144 vote, the House has defeated a bill that would have banned firearms from polling places.
New Mexico: A House committee has approved House Bill 206 which would open New Mexico’s primaries to independent voters. The bill was introduced by a bipartisan team of legislators and is supported by Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver. It now moves to the House Judiciary Committee.
Ohio: Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) has introduced legislation that would automatically register people to vote if they’ve received veterans’ or disability services or public assistance through the Department of Job and Family Services and when they get a driver’s license or state ID card. Public and private school students would be registered when they turn 18.
The Toledo City Council is considering a charter proposal that would shift the municipal primary from September to May like 85 other Ohio counties.
Oregon: Initiative Petition 5 has been approved for signature gathering would require every voter in the state to provide proof-of-citizenship within two years—by 2020.
Utah: By a 73-0 vote the House approved HB105 that would extend early in-person voting until Election Day. Currently early voting ends the Friday before an election. If approved voting would be available through the Monday before an election.
Virginia: A Senate subcommittee voted to cut $4 million in new funding from the Virginia Department of Elections.
Wisconsin: Sen. Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) has introduced a bill that would limit a candidate’s ability to request a recount. Only candidates who finish within one percent of the winner would be able to request a recount. The requesting candidate would still have to pay for the recount.
Legal Updates
V. Legal Updates
Georgia: The Georgia secretary of state’s office has settled a federal lawsuit and will no longer reject voter registration applications that don’t exactly match identifying information in state and federal databases.
Illinois: Mexican national who has lived in Urbana since 2005, allegedly using a stolen identity, was arraigned Thursday on seven federal counts, including four related to voting by an illegal immigrant.
New Mexico: Judge Sarah Singleton has ruled that no voter fraud was committed in the Espanola municipal election in 2016.
North Carolina: Dewey George Gidcumb Jr., of Haywood County was sentenced to probation and community service for voting twice in the March 2016 primary election.
Also, a lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina alleges that black voters in Jones County are prevented from electing candidates of their choice because commissioners are elected at-large rather than by districts.
The North Carolina Supreme Court has issued an order reinstating the state board of elections — for now. The court has issued a stay while the court system figures out if lawmakers are or are not allowed to authorize a merger of the board of elections and ethics panel.
Texas: According to court documents, Rosa Maria Ortega, who was sentenced to eight years in prison for voting illegally had been offered a plea deal for two years’ probation but rejected it because it would have likely lead to her being deported. Another deal, initially approved by the attorney general’s office and the Tarrant County district attorney’s office that would have given her probation and kept Ortega in the country was subsequently rejected by Tarrant County.
Travis County is suing the state attorney general’s office to block the release of records sought by a former Austin City council candidate who has been involved in litigation surrounding a 2014 election. The lawsuit challenges the state’s ruling that the county must turn over documents including nine pages the county says it does not want to turn over, alleging they pose a significant security risk to the county and its election process.
Tech Thursday
VI. Tech Thursday
National Tech: After more than a year of investigation and collaboration Voatz, Inc. and Clear Ballot Group, Inc. are announcing their partnership to accelerate the introduction of secure, accessible remote voting in elections. Voatz brings an open source blockchain platform designed for secure, high volume remote voting on smartphones and tablets. It has been independently evaluated for security and has already been piloted successfully in several private and municipal elections in 2016. Clear Ballot, a voting system company, has provided the Voatz team with election industry knowledge, market requirements and a rich sample election dataset that allows their engineers to understand and build support for the complexities and scale of real elections.
Idaho: Secretary of State Lawerence Denney says that he expects the state to be ready for online voter registration by the fall. “I doubt that we’ll get it up by the May election, but we would like to have it by August and November, and for the March election next year,” Denney told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, “so that we have some time to iron out any bugs that we might find before the 2018 primary election.”
Michigan: Hart InterCivic announced this week that the Verity Voting system is not only the only all-new system approved by the State of Michigan, but that the system is 100 percent covered under the state’s voting system replacement fund. Counties that select Verity will receive full funding for the state-of-the-art system as well as coverage for five years of Hart’s industry-leading maintenance and support program.
Ohio: Lucas County is getting ready to join other Ohio counties by using e-poll books beginning with municipal elections in September. The county will decide in March which vendor to use to purchase 550 check-in tablets.
Texas: While some counties are still using voting equipment purchased shortly after HAVA was enacted in 2002, Wichita County is considering upgrading voting equipment it purchased in 2014. The county purchased the equipment from Hart InterCivic right at the tail-end of a 10-year trend in technology, according a Hart representative.
Opinions This Week
VII. Opinions This Week
National Opinions: U.S. Election Assistance Commission, II, III, IV, V | Voter fraud, II, III, IV | Voter suppression | Voting rights, II, III | National voting standards | Election oversight | Attorney general | Secure elections | Voter intimidation
Arizona: Maricopa County | Secretary of state
Florida: Ex-felon voting rights
Idaho: Vote-by-mail
Illinois: Election changes
Kansas: Kris Kobach, II
Maine: Voting system | Ranked choice voting | Voter ID
Massachusetts: Same-day registration | Voting rights
Missouri: Voter ID
Montana: Voter access
New Hampshire: Voter fraud, II, III, IV | Student voters
New York: Election reform, II, III, IV, V
Oregon: Secretary of state
Tennessee: Early voting
Texas: Voter ID | Voter fraud, II, III
Upcoming Events
VIII. Upcoming Events
The Future of Elections: Technology Policy and Funding — Join legislators, legislative staff, elections officials and election administration experts for a discussion on the future of elections technology and how to pay for it. Share ideas on updating voting infrastructure in an era of limited resources and heightened security concerns. In addition to a robust discussion on elections policy, attendees will enjoy all Colonial Williamsburg has to offer. Bring the whole family with you!When: June 14-16. Where: Williamsburg, Virginia.
IaoGO 2017 Annual Conference — Mark your calendars now and stay tuned for more information and registration details on the International Association of Government Officials 2017 Annual Conference. When: July 6-13, 2017. Where: Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin.
NASS 2017 Summer Conference — Mark your calendars now and stay tuned for more information and registration details on the National Association of Secretaries of State 2017 Summer Conference. When: July 7-10, 2017. Where: Indianapolis, Indiana.
NASED 2017 Summer Meeting— Mark your calendars now and stay tuned for more information and registration details on the National Association of State Election Directors 2017 Summer Meeting. When: August 22-25, 2017. Where: Anaheim, California.
Job Postings This Week
IX. Job Postings This Week
electionlineWeekly publishes election administration job postings each week as a free service to our readers. To have your job listed in the newsletter, please send a copy of the job description, including a web link tommoretti@electionline.org. Job postings must be received by 5pm on Wednesday in order to appear in the Thursday newsletter. Listings will run for three weeks or till the deadline listed in the posting.
Account Manager, Clear Ballot, Boston — we are looking for a talented Account Manager to play an active role in developing and maintaining long-term working relationships with Clear Ballot’s customers. This person should be able to work independently and in partnership with other team members to achieve high customer satisfaction. The account manager will have a regional assignment, with certain customers assigned to him/her. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Associate Director for Modern Election, Democracy Fund— the Democracy Fund seeks an Associate Director for Modern Elections to lead its strategy for creating a modern election system. The Associate Director will be responsible for implementing the Election Program’s efforts to modernize voter registration systems, improve and expand access to voting, and reduce the risk of systematic election failures. The Associate Director, a newly created position reporting to the Elections Program Director, will also support the team’s work to encourage the adoption of evidence-based best practices and technology in the elections field, which will include direct advocacy and coalition building through Democracy Fund Voice, a 501c4 sister-organization. The Associate Director also will support research, network development, field evaluation and analysis, and the development of a portfolio of regional and national grantees working to generate change for a modern election system. The successful candidate will be an excellent manager with demonstrated policy reform and management experience. Strong candidates will possess deep expertise in the field of election administration or a related area of public policy and will be comfortable collaborating in a highly bipartisan, fast-paced work environment. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Ballot Processing Manager, Adams County, Colorado — we are seeking a manager to provide planning, leadership oversight, and supervision to the working groups within the ballot processing area and provide leadership/supervision, as well as planning and administrative support, to the Elections Operations and Logistics area during non-election cycles. The successful candidate will contribute information for budget planning; prepare and maintain records and reports; develop and administer performance standards, expectations, and evaluations to two full-time employees; administer Military and Overseas (UOCAVA) voter registration and ballot delivery program; administer all mail ballot delivery, sorting, receiving, and deconstruction; and oversee the Health Care Facility ballot delivery and Canvass process. Salary: $51,904-$72,665. Deadline: March 6 4:30pm Mountain. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Customer Service Consultant, Hart InterCivic — Hart InterCivic is seeking a Customer Service Consultant who has a strong desire to provide an outstanding customer experience for a growing company. Our Customer Service Consultant supports our customers on a daily basis by providing the following: Foster and develop positive customer relations by providing courteous, prompt and proactive customer service. Communicate with customers by phone, email or other correspondence. Respond to customer requests in a timely manner. Ensure timely Order Fulfillment through interactions with customers, other internal departments, and vendors: Create price quotations, orders, and similar requests for customers. Process purchase orders and enter purchase information into Order Management System. Verify all purchase orders and order information for accuracy. Contact customers to verify the information on purchase orders as it may be appropriate. Provide customers with assistance and information on part numbers, order status, troubleshooting their purchase orders, or other requests. Act as a liaison and coordinate with other departments through order completion and to expedite or resolve any issues or concerns. Provide follow up and respond to customer issues, inquiries, emails, correspondence, or other requests. Assist in maintaining up to date customer files. Partner with other departments to prepare documentation to process returns and credit memos. Partner with other departments to process requests for internal orders, including capital expenditure requests. Maintain a current working knowledge of product lines, prices, lead-time, and other relevant information. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Customer Service Representative, Collier County, Florida— purpose of this classification is to provide clerical support and customer service. Work involves preparing a variety of documents; entering data and retrieving information from department databases; maintaining automated and manual files; and assisting callers, customers and/or visitors. Salary: $34,000-$38,000. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Elections & Special Districts Director, Cochise County, Arizona — under general direction of the County Administrator, provides professional level project planning in all functions related to the conduct of voting and election activities for the County. Under limited supervision, perform work of considerable difficulty to plan, organize, coordinate, direct and control all activities of the Elections & Special Districts Department in compliance with statutory and regulatory federal and state requirements. Prepare and manage the annual fiscal budget for the department, develop long-range plans and anticipates/identifies long-term organizational needs. Sound judgment and considerable communication and interpersonal skills are required in this position. Salary: $60,000-$90,000. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
IT Specialist, Collier County, Florida — the IT Support Specialist works closely with IT staff to provide technical support and assistance to all staff located within the Supervisor of Elections office. This person will work with a wide variety of elections industry specific technologies to include hardware, software, programming, printers, and applications. In addition, this person will be providing support and assistance for non-election industry networking technology to include workstations, servers, printers, etc. Salary: $44,000-$50,000. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Product Specialist, Denver, Colorado — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a tech-savvy, passionate Product Specialist to join our team in downtown Denver! This position will be responsible for providing technical support on all Dominion Voting Systems products both on-site, via the telephone or via email; write detailed, technical documentation for distribution internally and externally; and interface directly with customers, co-workers, and election officials. Salary: Negotiable base + bonus target & benefits. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Research Fellow- Elections, The Democracy Fund — the Elections Program focuses on election administration and money in politics by supporting unbiased research, bipartisan dialogue, and unconventional solutions that will ensure the views and votes of the American public come first in our democracy. We are looking for candidates who are available part-time (20-30 hours/week) and can support the research needs of the Elections Program team, which may include both qualitative and quantitative analysis. A successful candidate has the ability to work with policy experts and academics on questions fundamental to our program and has a high interest in making meaningful contributions to elections and voting research. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Senior Software Engineer, Clear Ballot, Boston — Clear Ballot is looking for a talented Senior Software Engineer to be responsible for building and enhancing enterprise level web applications using JavaScript to create rich, dynamic and visually appealing experiences. You should have expert knowledge of python, JavaScript and MySQL, as well as experience with various operating systems (Windows 10, Linux Ubuntu). The ideal candidate should have strong technical skills utilizing the latest concepts in front-end development, including responsive techniques, accessibility and client-side frameworks. You will be working with a small team of highly skilled individuals to build a platform that is changing the elections industry. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Senior Technical Trainer, Clear Ballot, Boston, Massachusetts — our small and growing documentation and training team has an immediate need for a new member with intermediate-to-senior experience in: Instructional design, development of learning curricula, production of training materials, and hands-on, customer facing training. Generally, the training department, technical staff, and operations staff provide training at the customer’s site. We need an instructional designer and trainer who can analyze the learners and materials, and establish an appropriately targeted learning program. The opportunity exists to develop computer based training as an enhancement to our learning curriculum. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Systems Engineer, Clear Ballot, Boston, Massachusetts — we are looking for a talented Systems Engineer who has both a technical and services/support background which enables them to quickly assess customer needs and offer value to Clear Ballot’s customers. The Systems Engineer will gain a deep understanding of how Clear Ballot’s products operate and their optimal configuration to build a streamlined installation process of the Clear Vote election system. The ideal candidate for this position can prioritize mission critical tasks and coordinate the implementation and expansion of our systems. They will be able to work directly with customers, display innovation, think conceptually and act tactically to build consensus around system installation and enhancement and meet deadlines. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Vote-by-Mail Coordinator, Collier County, Florida —purpose of this classification is to issue vote-by-mail ballots, handle vote-by-mail voter service inquiries, maintain voter records, and support all other vote-by-mail ballot functions. Duties include: Interacts daily with registered voters and makes decisions regarding the vote-by-mail balloting process. As part of a team, works well with others and communicates ideas effectively. Exchanges information, coordinates assignments, and problem solves with others. Supervises temporary workers for ballot processing and voter inquiries during peak election cycles. Designs routing and sorting schemes and then loads, operates, adjusts, and repairs machinery used by vote-by-mail department. Maintains database information for vote-by-mail ballots by entering voter registrations and vote-by-mail ballot requests, retrieving voter information, and providing detailed reports. Creates new spreadsheets/files and purges old data. Researches information from databases as requested. Generates reports, logs, and listings from databases. May include scanning paper documents into digital database. Administers the security of vote-by-mail ballots by ensuring secure distribution, receipt, and storage. Controls voted vote- by-mail ballot acceptance, signature verification, sorting, and extraction. Prepares department records, reports, and forms. Prepares correspondence and letters; receives documents and retrieves information from drafts, summaries, databases, or other source documents; incorporates information into prepared materials; proofreads for accuracy and completeness; copies and distributes documents as appropriate. Requests information from other departments as necessary to complete department records/files. Answers telephones; assists callers with questions regarding election related issues, services, or procedures; refers callers to other staff members as appropriate. Responds to email, web, and fax inquiries. Operates a personal computer, telephones, copiers, mailing, and other general office equipment as necessary to complete essential functions, to include the use of word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, database, and other system software. Salary: $38,000-$42,000. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Voter Registration Specialist II, Yavapai County, Arizona — under minimal supervision, supervises temporary employees and performs all forms of customer service and office procedures. Also performs technical work of increasing difficulty in the operation of Voter Registration and specialized mailing and printing equipment. Major Duties and Responsibilities: Maintains complex voter registration database; manage all phases of printing and mailing of voter materials. Helps manage all phases of mailing and receiving ballots; purchases and maintains inventory of stock; accounts for beginning and ending inventory of ballots. Assists the Registrar of Voters in planning, organizing and preparing for upcoming Elections. Oversees day-to-day office duties; supervises and provides clerical operational support to assigned staff; maintains daily and monthly reports; monitors and performs the maintenance of voter registration records and lists. Prepares periodic and special reports including statistical reports to the Parties, statutory reports to Secretary of State’s office and audit reports to election for canvass. Provides information to the public by answering questions and resolving complaints regarding election/VR laws and procedures. Orders supplies for the Voter Registration department. Performs other job related duties as assigned. Salary: $17.18-$19.75/hour. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Marketplace
X. Marketplace
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Electionline Underwriting
XI. Electionline Underwriting
For almost 15 years, electionline.org has brought you all the election administration reform news and information of the day through electionlineToday and of the week through our weekly newsletter electionlineWeekly.
Because of the generosity of such organizations as The Pew Charitable Trusts, Democracy Fund and the Hewlett Foundation we were able to bring you that news and information for free and free of advertising.
In order to continue providing you with the important news of the day and week we are now offering monthly underwriting for our daily and weekly postings (think more NPR, less local radio and television).
Underwriting will be available for electionlineToday, the weekly email that reaches about 4,800 inboxes each week and the weekly newsletter. Underwriting is available on a per-month basis and costs $2,500 per section per month. The underwriting is available on a first come, first-served basis. Each section will be exclusive to one underwriter per month.
We will accept underwriting from a variety of entities in the elections world, but will not accept political advertising.
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