In Focus This Week
I. In Focus This Week
The check is in the mail
States are applying for 2018 HAVA funds, how are they spending them?
By M. Mindy Moretti
Electionline.org
Earlier this year, the president signed Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 into law, the law includes $380 million in grants for states to improve their cybersecurity. To-date 32 states, America Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands have applied for their HAVA funds.
Although states are allowed to draw down on their available funds in phases, most states seem to be applying for—and receiving—all their funds at one time. Once states have applied for their funds they have 90-days to provide a narrative on what they will be spending the money on.
Part of the requirement for receiving the federal funds is a 5 percent match from states. How elections officials are getting those matches varies. Some states are relying on their Legislatures to allocate the funding and others are using existing funds allocated in state budgets.
The Election Infrastructure Subsector (EIS) Government Coordinating Council has provided a white paper of sorts on what states and counties should consider when planning their spending. The document is “intended to raise awareness of resources and helpful practices that can assist election officials to do more with the resources afforded to them. The document covers cyber navigators, common vulnerabilities and improving jurisdictions overall cybersecurity posture. The paper also includes a section on vendor selections.
In addition to the GCC considerations, a group of security experts/former elections officials/academics (and Democracy Fund Senior Advisor Tammy Patrick), sent a letter to all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the territories urging them to follow a list of best practices when considering how to spend their funds.
The National Conference of State Legislatures also has a some suggestions for how states should spend their money.
So with all these ideas in mind, what exactly are states spending their money on? Because many states are still working on their narratives, some of this is subject to change, but it’s a wide array of expenditures.
In New Mexico, the state intends to use the HAVA funds to make further election security advancements including creating and staffing an Election Security Program within the secretary of state’s office.
“Our new Election Security Program will be tasked with expanding our election continuity plans and security assessments and assisting counties with security assessments and equipment needs,” explained Joey Keefe, spokesman for the secretary of state’s office.
According to Nikki Charlson, deputy state administrator with the Maryland State Board of Elections, the state will spend its funding on training, upgrades to IT infrastructure, on-going security assessments and the development of a multi-year cybersecurity plan.
Colorado is “thinking outside the box” in how it will spend its funding.
“Even prior to 2016, Colorado had excellent security procedures and software in place, including dual-factor authentication, cybersecurity software for county systems, voter registration monitoring systems, training, firewalls, etc., explained Judd Choate, director of elections in the secretary of state’s office. “We are looking social media monitoring software to make sure that if people threaten attacks or make claims about our elections, we can counteract those claims quickly. And, obviously we are looking at other, even more sophisticated protections for our voter registration system.”
The state already has a number of ideas in the works including a September 6 table top exercise that will bring together 200+ county election officials, election IT personnel and county PIOs. The daylong session, which the state is calling Elections Wargames, will include a two-hour TTX and follow-up training.
According to Steve Trout, director of elections for the state Oregon, the state will be spending its funds on survivability and redundancy. If there is a denial of service attack, or an attack on the electrical grid Trout said the state needs to make sure it has a backup system to switch over to in order to ensure continued operations and services. These funds will help with that.
A majority of Vermont’s money will be spent at the state level, however it will be used to purchase system, like the accessible voting system and new voting machines and services, such as cyber training. These will then be provided by the state to the towns.
“Further cyber security training for local officials and safeguards on their access point to the election management system,” explained Secretary of State Jim Condos. “And yes, these funds will help take care of that need by paying for ongoing training and for implementation of “two-factor authentication” for the local clerks’ login procedure.”
West Virginia has already submitted their narative ( WV_HAVA_Narrative_Letter.compressed-1.pdf )to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. In the narrative, Secretary of State Mac Warner outlines the state’s plans to spend their funds. Interestingly, Warner writes:
“On a personal note regarding current and future HAVA funds made available by the federal government, I find it important that West Virginia’s long-term preparations for cybersecurity protections and maintenances of our Statewide Voter Registration System should be funded with a dedicated source from our state budgets; not short-term federal funds that may not exist in the future.”
Warner notes that he is however grateful for the federal funds to bolster local cyber and physical security.
Many, but not all of the states are keeping the funds at a centralized level which has caused some consternation amongst the counties.
“It makes sense that the states use a lot of the HAVA funds to help secure the statewide voter registration databases (since the majority of states have state offices that are responsible for VR databases, and these databases are more likely to be a target of an attack),” said Ricky Hatch, clerk/auditor for Weber County, Utah and division director for the elections division of the International Association of Government Officials (IGO) “However, there’s a lot more to security than just the VR database, and public trust is at the top of the list. Voters trust local officials more than state or federal officials. Local officials are the name and the face of elections, and should receive support (including resources, training, and outreach) to help shore up public confidence in elections.”
Maryland’s Charlson said it made sense for the state to keep the money centrally located given the state’s election structure.
“Because of how we administer elections in Maryland, we have the ability and infrastructure in place to procure goods and services for the local election officials, pay invoices, and receive reimbursement for those invoices,” Charlson said. “With this process, we can use federal funds to pay for goods or services for the local election officials, rather than transferring the funds to the local election officials. Centralized management of the funds worked well with the original allocation of HAVA funds.”
Federal-State Updates
II. Federal-State Updates
Sens. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) have introduced a new version of the Secure Elections Act as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The lawmakers originally introduced the legislation in December and according to The Hill have since then been working with state elections officials to revise the legislation to address some of the fears expressed by the states.
“The security of our election systems is a major national security issue, and it is appropriate for this legislation to be included in the National Defense Authorization Act,” Lankford said in a statement. “This legislation will help states prepare our election infrastructure for the possibility of interference from Russia, Iran, North Korea, or a domestic hacktivist group.”
In other Capitol Hill news, a group of Democratic senators has introduced a bill that would require state and local governments to take two steps to ensure that votes are properly counted. According to The Hill, under the legislation, states would have to use voting systems that use voter-verified paper ballots that could be audited and states and local officials would also be required to implement risk-limiting audits.
Primary Updates
III. Primary Updates
Voters in five more states went to the polls this week. It was the usual hodgepodge of confused voters, malfunctioning voting machines and delayed results. Probably the biggest story out of June 12 was the debut of ranked-choice voting in Maine.
Maine: All eyes were on Maine this week as the state rolled out ranked-choice voting for the first statewide elections in the nation. Voters also weighed in on a referendum that would have, if approved, repealed the use of ranked-choice. It wasn’t a perfect rollout with some elections officials noticing an uptick in spoiled ballots. Some voters also questioned why they were being asked to vote on the system while using the system. With seven Democratic candidates vying for governor, it is all but certain that the ranked-choice counting system will come into play. When it does, all ballots will be brought via courier to the state elections offices for counting. Although voters approved keeping the system and things seemed to go well, overall, on primary day, Gov. Paul LePage has threatened not to certify the election. In addition to ranked-choice voting, voters faced a variety of typical election-day issues including a lack of parking at a polling place in Chelsea, and voting machine issues in Gardiner.
Nevada: There were some “hiccups” during primary voting in the The Silver State primary this week. In Reno, technical errors with the county’s new voting machines slowed some voters. There were reports in Washoe County that some candidates were left off of ballots. Clark County voters also experienced problems with names on ballots. Technical issues delayed the vote count in Pershing County. In the secretary of state race, incumbent Barbara Cegavske (R) will face State Assemblyman Nelson Araujo (D).
North Dakota: It was a relatively quiet day at the polls and voting was slow, but not because there were any issues. Some voters in Grand Forks had issues with showing up at the incorrect polling places. And in the race for secretary of state, Will Gardner won the Republican nomination although he had dropped out of the race last month According to the InForum, Gardner has notified party officials that he will follow through and formally withdraw. In November, Democrat Joshua Boschee will face incumbent Al Jaeger who is running as an independent.
South Carolina: While election day was smooth for many South Carolina voters, it wasn’t perfect for everyone. In Spartanburg County, one precinct was forced to operate on battery power. Some Berkley County voters were greeted with polling location changes. Results were delayed in Greenville County due to broken counting machines. Results were late in Florence County. Eight voting machines in Horry County were not closed properly which delayed the tallying of votes. The election was also an opportunity to debut the state’s new “I Voted” stickers that were provided by the nonprofit Palmetto Project.
Virginia: Election day in the commonwealth was marked by relatively low turnout. Voters Albemarle County found their new polling places with few problems. One issue that did arise for voters and poll workers in the Washington, DC-area of Virginia forced them to decide between their civic duty and celebrating the Stanley Cup victory of the Washington Capitals. Voting absentee to attend the championship parade was a valid excuse, but poll workers had a tougher choice to make. Anecdotally, Northern Virginia registrars didn’t report problems with poll workers not showing up.
Election News This Week
IV. Election News This Week
After more than 118,000 Los Angeles County voters were left off the rolls due to a “printing error,” Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan said that he is seeking an independent investigation into what happened and how. According to the Los Angeles Times, Logan said it appears that corrupted data resulted in voters’ names not being printed. Logan told the paper nothing can be ruled out yet, even sabotage. “There’s nothing to indicate initially that there was anything malicious,” Logan said. “But we need to exhaust everything.”
The Voter Participation Center is at it again this election cycle. More than 380,000 Floridians will be receiving voter registration forms in the mail, many to people who are already registered to vote. The mailing has of course generated complaints from voters that supervisors of election must now deal with. “Unfortunately, and historically, the VPC and CVI pull information for their mailings from various unverified sources,” Brevard Supervisor of Elections Lori Scott told the Tampa Bay Times. “Previous mailings have resulted in voter registration applications being sent to deceased persons, minor children and even pets. Mailings have also been sent to registered voters, which creates unnecessary confusion and concern.”
In 2016, more than 1 million Washingtonians, many of them young people, were eligible to register to vote, but did not. Now Gov. Jay Inslee (D) and Secretary of State Kim Wyman (R) are joining forces and launching the Governor’s Student Voter Registration Challenge. The Governor’s Student Voter Registration Challenge asks all of Washington’s public higher education institutions to participate: 34 community and technical colleges and six, four-year universities. “Democracy works best when all voices are heard, and statistics show that not enough young people take the time to register and vote,” Wyman said. “We need to turn that around.”
In other voter registration news, Voto Latino announced this week a new push to register 1 million voters by 2020. The group will be focusing its attentions on Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. The group plans to spend about $7 million on the push.
Personnel News: Margaret Nartowicz has been hired as the new Amherst, Massachusetts clerk. Luke Scott has resigned as the deputy director of the Miami County, Ohio board of elections. Democrat Renee Fontenot Free, director of the public protection division for the attorney general’s office has joined the race for Louisiana secretary of state. JoHanna Cox, the Republican candidate for secretary of state in New Mexico has withdrawn from the race. The state party will select a replacement.
In Memoriam: Rose Gosselin Scarpa, former Milford, Connecticut registrar of voters, has died. She was 88.
Legislative Updates
V. Legislative Updates
Connecticut: Gov. Daniel Milloy has vetoed a bill would have allowed town clerks to determine election day registration sites if the two registrars could not agree on a locale.
Michigan: State Senator David Knezek and Rep. Yousef Rabhi have introduced legislation that would lower the voting age to 16 for state and local elections.
North Carolina: House Speaker Tim Moore filed a proposed constitutional amendment last week to ensconce a voter ID rule in the state constitution. The bill would ask voters to decide this November whether to add this paragraph to the constitution: “Photo identification for voting in person. Every person offering to vote in person shall present photo identification before voting in the manner prescribed by law.” The requirement deals only with in-person voting, not absentee voting.
Ohio: Late last week, after finally installing a new speaker of the House, the Ohio House voted unanimously to provide $114.5 million in funds to replace the state’s aging voting machines before 2020.
Rhode Island: According to The Associated Press, efforts spearheaded by Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea to expand early voting remain stalled in House and Senate committees.
Utah: A new law now on the books allows voters to keep their voter registration information provide and not available for sale.
Wyoming: Rep. Tyler Lindhom (R-Sundance) has asked the state’s county clerks to draft a bill that would move Wyoming to a vote-by-mail system.
Legal Updates
VI. Legal Updates
California: The Ninth Circuit heard arguments last week about whether or not it should reverse dismissal of a case brought by former Poway Mayor Don Higginson challenging the constitutionality of the California Voting Rights Act.
Indiana: U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt has blocked the state of Indiana from enforcing a 2017 law allowing election officials to remove voters from the rolls that were flagged through the Crosscheck program. “While the defendants have a strong public interest in protecting the integrity of voter registration rolls and the electoral process, they have other procedures in place that can protect that public interest that do not violate the NVRA,” Pratt wrote in granting a preliminary injunction.
Kansas: A three-judge panel of the Kansas Court of Appeals has ruled that the Douglas County District Court must call a grand jury to investigate alleged misconduct in the secretary of state’s office. According to the Lawrence Journal-World, Steven X. Davis, of Lawrence, who had run for a seat in the Kansas Legislature in 2016 and who is running in a different district this year, filed petitions in August 2017 calling for a grand jury to investigate general allegations that Kobach’s office had mismanaged the state’s voter registration system and had been “grossly neglectful with respect to their election duties.”
Louisiana: Voice of the Experienced and eight convicted felons have appealed their felon voting-rights lawsuit to the state’s highest court. Their suit argues that the state’s constitution allows those no longer imprisoned to vote.
Missouri: Priorities USA, a voting rights organization, has filed a suit in Cole County on behalf of a 70-year-old Jackson County woman over the state’s voter ID law. “For voters who are unable to navigate these new and unnecessary procedural hurdles, the path to casting an effective ballot is fraught with uncertainty and unwarranted threats of criminal penalties,” the lawsuit states.
New Hampshire: Judge Charles Temple has stepped aside in the constitutional challenge to a 2017 tightening the state’s voter registration law because his friend is now part of the state’s legal team.
North Carolina: A lawyer for Whitney Brown, who has been charged for voting while still on probation, argues that the charges should be dismissed because the law has “toxic, racist origins” and is unconstitutional. Brown’s attorney argues that the law violates the state constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
North Dakota: The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has denied the state’s request to suspend a lower court’s order that loosened the state’s voter ID law. Given the proximity of the primary, the denial was without prejudice leaving the door open for the state to seek another stay.
Ohio: In a 5-4 ruling, the United States Supreme Court has upheld Ohio’s process of purging voters from the rolls. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the majority, said federal laws allowed such notices as part of a process to cull inaccuracies from the voting rolls. A key provision, he wrote, “simply forbids the use of nonvoting as the sole criterion for removing a registrant, and Ohio does not use it that way.” In dissent, Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote that the goal of ensuring the accuracy of voting rolls did not justify erecting obstacles to prevent eligible voters from casting ballots. “The purpose of our election process is not to test the fortitude and determination of the voter, but to discern the will of the majority,” he wrote, quoting a Senate report.
Texas: State District Judge Ruben Gonzalez has denied a new trial to Crystal Mason who was sentenced to five years in prison for voting while still on probation. Gonzalez is the same judge to sentenced Mason earlier this year. Mason’s attorneys vowed to take the original trial to the appellate court.
U.S. Virgin Islands: The territory’s highest court has upheld a newly enacted law that the there should be a single Virgin Islands board of elections and that district board members that are continuing to meet and refusing to select officers for the unified board are in violation of the law. Following the ruling, the territory’s attorney general backed it up by saying that “all actions taken by the district boards subsequent to August 1, 2017 are null and void.”
Tech Thursday
VII. Tech Thursday
California: This week, the Los Angeles County board of supervisors voted to unanimously fund a to revamp the county’s voting system using Smartmatic. The contract could reach $282 million. “The contract is a performance-based contract based on key deliverables and service-level agreements,” Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan said according to ABC 7. The system will employ touch-screen ballots. Neighborhood polling sites will be replaced by regional polling centers. Paper ballots will record each vote and be fully auditable. The system will go through mock elections later this year.
Pennsylvania: This week, the Pennsylvania Auditor General announced a review of the commonwealth’s voting and registration process. According to WITF, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said the review will focus on the security of the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors–or SURE–system, which tracks registration data on the state and county level. DePasquale said he would work with the secretary of state’s office to come up with a plan to replace the 16-year-old SURE system.
Opinions This Week
VIII. Opinions This Week
National Opinions: Voting rights | SCOTUS ruling, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, IVX | Trust in voters
Alabama: Poll workers
California: Poll workers, II | Top-two primary, II | Napa County | Los Angeles County, II | Ballot counting | Messy but inclusive
Florida: Election security | SCOTUS ruling | Voter suppression | Ex-felon voting rights | Broward County | Voter registration
Idaho: Vote-by-mail
Iowa: Voter confusion | Voter ID, II, III
Maine: Ranked-choice voting, II, III, IV
Maryland: Ballot fixes
Massachusetts: Voter registration, II, III
Missouri: Boone County
New Hampshire: Voter fraud
New Jersey: Bilingual ballots, II
New Mexico: Ranked-choice voting
New York: Election reform | Youth vote
North Carolina: Voter ID, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII
North Dakota: Youth voter education | Secretary of state race
Ohio: SCOTUS ruling, II
Oregon: Secretary of state
Pennsylvania: York County
South Carolina: Voting security
Wisconsin: Same day registration
Upcoming Events
IX. Upcoming Events
Cybersecurity Online Training Series — The Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL) is partnering with the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) to deliver a new cybersecurity training series designed for election officials this July. The series will include 3 courses that will empower your election office to manage cyber threats and communicate with the public about cybersecurity. After completing the series, you’ll have more confidence to safeguard against and respond to cyber threats in your election office. When: July 10, July 24 and July 31. Where: Online.
Election Data Summit — The U.S. Election Assistance Commission and Pennsylvania Department of State will host an Election Data Summit at the Community College of Philadelphia. The gathering will take place prior to the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) summer conferences in Philadelphia. This unique summit will bring together some of the nation’s most respected election data experts to examine ways election officials can use all types of data to improve processes and inform decision making. Each of the summit’s four panels will focus on a distinct aspect of the election cycle and explore different sources for election data, including voter registration databases, electronic poll books, voting equipment, and post-election audits. This event is open to the public and the media. RSVPs are required and space is limited. Additional information regarding speakers is forthcoming. When: July 12. Where: Philadelphia
NASS 2018 Summer Conference — Mark your calendars now for the National Association of Secretaries of State 2018 summer conference in the City of Brotherly Love. Check back soon for more information about the agenda. When: July 13-16. Where: Philadelphia.
2018 NASED Summer Meeting — Mark your calendars now for the National Association of State Election Directors’ 2018 summer meeting in the City of Brotherly Love. Check back soon for more information about the agenda. When: July 13-16. Where: Philadelphia.
NACo Annual Conference and Exposition — Mark your calendars now for the National Association of Counties Annual Conference and Exposition in Music City. Check back soon for more information about the agenda. When: July 13-16. Where: Nashville, Tennessee.
2018 iGo Annual Conference — Mark your calendars now for the International Association of Government Officials 2018 Annual Conference in The Biggest Little City in the World! Check back soon for more information about the agenda. When: July 16-21. Where: Reno, Nevada.
Election Sciences Reform and Administration (ESRA) — The conference brings together political scientists and other experts in election administration to develop rigorous empirical approaches to the study of how law and administrative procedures affect the quality of elections in the United States. Participants will identify major questions in the field, share new insights, foster collaboration between election administrators and election scientists, and connect senior and junior scholars. When: July 26 and 27. Where: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Job Postings This Week
X. 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 to mmoretti@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.
Civic Data Research Fellow, Center for Technology and Civic Life — “What’s on my ballot?” is the number one question that voters look for online – but the answer to that question is harder to find than you might think. With nearly 8,000 offices responsible for running elections in America, the basic information that voters need to participate in elections is often poorly formatted and hard to find – if it’s online at all. At the Center for Technology and Civic Life, we think all voters should be able to find this information online, and we need your help! In 2016, our ballot data reached between one-third and one-half of all voters in the country, and we expect 2018 to be even bigger. We’re looking for a set of 2018 Civic Data Fellows to help us standardize the nation’s ballot information, so that all Americans can find information about what will be on their ballot in November. Civic Data Fellows will work closely with our Research Associates and Director of Civic Data to collect and standardize information about candidates and referenda from across the country. If you love democracy, researching obscure facts, and turning chaos into order, this is the job for you! Salary: $48,000. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Data Analysis & Outreach Fellow, Center for Technology and Civic Life— CTCL has conducted extensive research on the demographics of power in the United States through its partnership with the Reflective Democracy Campaign. Our groundbreaking analyses of the race and gender of elected officials and candidates across the country has been featured in national news and has shaped the way we talk about representation in the US. We’re looking to add a full-time Fellow to help make our data even more useful, so that the information and insights it contains can better be used to make our government more modern and reflective. Working with the Director of Civic Data and our external partners, the Data Analysis & Outreach Fellow will focus on improving, analyzing, and growing the use of our Reflective Democracy dataset. Examples of responsibilities include: Data research & analysis, data visualization and reporting, and organizing and outreach. Salary: $50,000-$60,000. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Data Manager, The New York City Campaign Finance Board — the New York City Campaign Finance Board seeks a Data Manager to collect and maintain data related to voter participation, election administration, and campaign finance and serve as the agency’s Open Data Coordinator. This position will report to the Deputy Director of Public Affairs. Responsibilities include: Maintain and document data management policies and practices for Public Affairs; Serve as the agency’s Open Data Coordinator and ensure compliance with the NYC Open Data Law; Manage acquisition and collection of data both internally and from external sources; Evaluate federal, state, local, and community data sources to incorporate into internal data research; Oversee data entry with the Document Processing Unit and ensure quality assurance of all internally-collected voting data; Create visualizations and dashboards from campaign finance and voting data; Work with Public Affairs and agency staff to supply data for decision-making or project needs; Assist in developing an overall data strategy. Salary: $65,000-$75,000. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Data Quality Assurance Fellow, Center for Technology and Civic Life — CTCL’s Civic Data team creates and maintains nationwide datasets of candidate and elected officials, working with partners to ensure that everyone in America can answer basic questions about our democracy. Creating the datasets that power some of the most powerful civic information tools available is hard work. Consistently ensuring that these datasets are the best they can be is even harder. We’re looking for someone with a love of democracy (and a borderline-scary eye for detail) to help maintain and improve the civic information we and our partners provide to the public. Working with the Director of Civic Data, the Data Quality Assurance Fellow will work with our own data and with our partners to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the civic information available online. Examples of responsibilities include: Verifying civic information; sourcing political geographies; and implementing internal quality control systems. Salary: $50,000. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Elections Operations Manager, Douglas County, Colorado— the Elections Operations Manager plans and conducts all functions associated with the operations of the Elections Division of the Clerk and Recorder’s Office in collaboration with the Deputy of Elections, including: oversight of responsibilities within the elections office and Voter Service and Polling Centers, coaching and supervision of staff; creation and enforcement of policies, procedures, and state and federal statutes and regulations ; creation and execution of strategic and tactical plans for operating successful elections; coordination of election functions with entities participating in a County election or conducting their own election; managing election assets; and. Coordinates with and assists other Clerk & Recorder Divisions as needed. Salary: $5,266-$7,899/month. Deadline: June 24. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Elections Trainer, Ada County Clerk’s Office, Idaho— the Elections Trainer is responsible for recruiting and training poll workers. This position works closely with universities, non-profit an other organizations to support elections. The trainer will develop and update Election Day materials and assist in coordination of the voting process to ensure all processes and procedures are appropriately followed. Deadline: June 25. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Elections and Voter Services Manager, Montana Secretary of State’s Office — this position serves as the Manager of the Elections and Voter Services Division and reports to the Elections and Voter Services Director for the Office of the Secretary of State. This position is responsible for ensuring the integrity of elections, aligning resources with the strategic direction of the Elections and Voter Services Division, interpreting state election laws and ensuring implementation uniformly throughout the state, and interpreting, analyzing, drawing conclusions, identifying trends, and presenting voting data. This position supervises three positions within the Division and is responsible for all aspects of performance management. Salary: $75,000. Deadline: Open until filled: Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Embedded System Software Engineer, Clear Ballot — Clear Ballot is looking for a talented Software Engineer who wants to bring their technical skills to bear on a hugely consequential problem. The successful candidate will build and enhance full software stack of highly available applications using primarily Python that interface with front-end web applications implemented in JavaScript and HTML5. The application software deploys on OEM based hardware, with optical scanner, battery backup, and full touchscreen UI, running a custom configured version of Linux OS. The ideal candidate should have strong technical skills, solid understanding of developing for embedded systems, a good working knowledge of the Linux architecture, and software integration with OEM hardware devices. You will be working with a small team of highly skilled individuals to build and enhance a platform that is changing the elections industry. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Field Sales Director, Hart InterCivic — the Field Sales Director works primarily on the road and from a home office when he/she is not on business travel. The Field Sales Director is responsible for creating news sales with prospects and existing clients in a defined region. Today, this role is a single contributor and does not directly manage people. This position will report to the VP of Sales. Application: For the complete job listing an to apply, click here.
Full Stack Principal Software Engineer, Clear Ballot— Clear Ballot is looking for an accomplished Principal Software Engineer who wants to bring their technical and leadership skills to bear on a hugely consequential problem: Bringing transparency to democratic elections. The successful candidate will have the ability to look at the bigger picture and deal with complex and competing requirements to design effective solutions. Extensive knowledge of and experience with large data structures and algorithms will be key. The backend implemented in Python and uses a SQL data base. The front end is implemented in JavaScript, Node.js and HTML5. The ideal candidate should have strong technical and leadership skills and a good working knowledge of the latest concepts in security, performance, and resilience. You will be working with a small team of highly skilled individuals to build and enhance a platform that is changing the elections industry. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Full Stack Software Developer, Clear Ballot— Clear Ballot is looking for a talented Software Engineer who wants to bring their technical skills to bear on a hugely consequential problem. The successful candidate will build and enhance enterprise-level, highly available applications using primarily Python and MySQL that interface with frontend web applications implemented in JavaScript, Node.js and HTML5. The ideal candidate should have strong technical skills and a good working knowledge of the latest concepts in performance, security and resilience. One of the hallmarks of our system is its emphasis on new visualization techniques made possible by sophisticated data structures that enable high-performance in a multi-user environment. You will be working with a small team of highly skilled individuals to build and enhance a platform that is changing the elections industry. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Full-Stack Software Engineer, Clear Ballot — Clear Ballot is looking for a talented Software Engineer who wants to bring their technical skills to bear on a hugely consequential problem – to modernize America’s voting systems and to bring transparency to democratic elections. The successful candidate will build and enhance enterprise-level, highly available applications using primarily Python and MySQL that interface with frontend web applications implemented in JavaScript, Node.js and HTML5. The ideal candidate should have strong technical skills and a good working knowledge of the latest concepts in performance, security and resilience. One of the hallmarks of our system is its emphasis on new visualization techniques made possible by sophisticated data structures that enable high-performance in a multi-user environment. You will be working with a small team of highly skilled individuals to build and enhance a platform that is changing the elections industry. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Hardware Engineer (Toronto, ON) – Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a an experienced Hardware Engineer to join our team in Toronto, Ontario! This position will work in a fast paced engineering, design, development and technical support environment with many variables and challenges. This position will be accountable for provisioning of electronics and providing software and mechanical engineering support to new product development, manufacturing and field support teams. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Python Developer, Clear Ballot — Clear Ballot seeks a talented python developer in the Boston area to assume responsibility for an existing suite of python scripts to create files for use with ClearVote(TM) digital voting system. Job responsibilities: Maintain and enhance existing python scripts that read PDF formatted ballot styles and produce the files needed by ClearVote (TM) digital voting system to tabulate said ballot; Run existing python scripts to generate marked test ballots for use in testing ClearVote(TM); Develop and execute test plans to guarantee ClearVote tabulates marked ballots correctly; Expand PDF parsing capabilities as new customer’s ballot styles are introduced; Leverage analytics you gather to improve performance through script and/or hardware changes; Must perform these duties within aggressive timelines that often require working outside of normal business hours. Application: For the complete listing and to apply, click here.
Research Associate, Center for Election Innovation & Research — the Research Associate will conduct original research and provide written quantitative and qualitative analyses. The Research Associate will work full-time in the Washington, DC Metro Area, usually in CEIR’s office, although sometimes working from home may be possible. Job Duties include: Conduct original research covering a variety of election-related issues pertinent to CEIR’s mission; Draft papers, blog posts, and other writings, to be published by CEIR and/or other outlets; Attend convenings, hearings, and other meetings; and Interact with election officials and other election experts. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Software Product Specialist (Chicago, IL) – Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a data-savvy and passionate Software Product Specialist to join our team in Chicago, IL! This position is responsible for the precise data entry and formatting of election information for our customers in order to style, proof, and finalize ballots which are utilized in elections. This position requires a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail as well as experience with Microsoft Excel including formulas and macros. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
State Election Technology Associate, Clear Ballot— our growing team has an immediate need for a new member to manage testing, approval and certification campaigns of election technology in new states. This position works directly with State Government to test and approve voting systems. Certification and approval is key to success in the election systems domain. Diplomacy and empathy alongside professional and tactful communications are key contributors to smooth state certification campaigns of new election technology. All voting system components (ballot layout, in-person voting, absentee voting, results reporting and audit) and their associated documentation are certified by state agencies; evaluation is performed by demanding government laboratories. Requirements vary across the States; and these requirements are found in statute, Rule, by written and oral tradition, and sometimes are ambiguous and even unwritten. Attention to detail is paramount to success. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Systems Engineer, Clear Ballot — 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. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Systems Manager (Chicago, IL) – Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a tech-savvy, customer focused Systems Manager to join our team in Chicago, IL! This position will be responsible for the readiness of Dominion’s voting systems to perform properly in the assigned jurisdictions which includes defining the functionality of the D-Suite system, monitoring the development of the system in accordance with the required functionality, and managing its testing and preparation for delivery to the market. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Systems Specialist – Advanced Field Support (Toronto, ON) – Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking an experienced & passionate Systems Specialist – Advanced Field Support to join our team in Toronto, Ontario! This position provides highly skilled and technical support in the testing, implementing and triaging of election systems both pre and post deployment. This includes providing functionality requirements of the system, monitoring the development of the system in accordance with the required functionality, and participating in its testing and preparation for delivery to the market. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
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