electionline Weekly

Election Security Updates

In a daylong meeting in California, security teams from Facebook, Google, Twitter and Microsoft met with members of the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security to discuss and coordinate how to best help secure the 2020 election. According to The New York Times, the agenda was to build up discussions and strategic collaboration ahead of the November 2020 state, federal and presidential elections. Tech company representatives and government officials talked about potential threats, as well as how to better share information and detect threats, the social network said. Chief executives from the companies did not attend, said a person briefed on the meeting, who declined to be identified for confidentiality reasons.

“Improving election security and countering information operations are complex challenges that no organization can solve alone,” Nathaniel Gleicher, head of Facebook cybersecurity policy, said in a statement. “Today’s meeting builds on our continuing commitment to work with industry and government partners, as well as with civil society and security experts, to better understand emerging threats and prepare for future elections.”

A progressive group — Stand Up America — is spending more than $100,000 on a campaign to pressure Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and other Republicans to pass a bill that will provide $600 million in election security. According to Roll Call, the money will be spent on billboards and Facebook ads.

2019 Election Updates

North Carolina: With Hurricane Dorian bearing down, counties conducting early voting for the special Congressional elections (NC3 and NC9) closed early voting one day early. Elections officials are taking a wait and see approach to how voting on Tuesday may be impacted.

Election News This Week

Beginning in November voters in Dallas County, Texas will now be able to vote at any location they wish after the secretary of state’s office approved the county’s plans to move to vote centers. With Dallas now moving to vote centers that means three of the state’s largest counties — Harris, Dallas and Travis — will use vote centers. This covers about 4.5 registered voters. There are now 60, of 254, Texas counties using vote centers.

In other Texas vote center news, Hays County is looking to solve problems before they arise. The county commission has agreed to appoint a citizens election commission to advise the county on polling locations and review changes. According to County Judge Ruben Becerra, the group’s mission would be “to serve Hays County as an independent advisory commission in the area of effectively identifying voting center locations and addressing locations after each election period.”  In addition to considering where people need polling locations, the commission will “evaluate the distribution and effectiveness of the early voting polls and vote centers and recommend changes as needed,” Becerra told the Community Impact Newspaper.

Routt County, Colorado Clerk and Recorder Kim Bonner has withdrawn her affiliation with the Democratic Party. Routt, who is in her fourth term as county clerk, told the Steamboat Pilot that her aim in revoking her affiliation is to make herself and her office more inclusive and nonpartisan ahead of 2020. “Politics are getting so intense, I felt that I needed to remove myself from that,” she told the paper. In switching to an unaffiliated, or Independent, voter status, Bonner hopes to promote confidence in local elections and boost voter participation. “The message is, ‘let’s try and get the vote out.’ We don’t care which party is voting,” she said.

For weeks, New York counties had worried whether or not the state would provide funding to help them implement early voting and last week the governor’s budget decision announced plans to distribute $10 million to help with roll out. “There was never any question that the full $10 million to support early voting would be made available, and the full amount has been approved today,” state Budget Director Robert Mujica said in a statement to the Democrat & Chronicle. “We look forward to the expanded access to the polls that early voting will provide voters this fall.” The state board of elections had told counties the state was only going to distribute about 22 percent of what was necessary. With the full $10 million approved, counties will get $15,000 per polling site, with the rest of the money distributed based on their total number of voters. Counties are planning on opening 245 early voting sites statewide.

According to a review by the Associated Press, showed that while Louisiana law change in March that restored the voting rights to thousands of convicted felons, only a few had taken advantage of the law and registered to vote. But since the law took effect, 581 felons have had their voting rights restored. The secretary of state’s office has said it cannot determine which were able to register specifically because of the law change. The data shows 82 felons had their voting rights reinstated in February before the voting rights restoration took effect. By comparison, the number was 77 in March and 88 in April. The secretary of state numbers show 179 felons had their voting rights reinstated in May, followed by 99 in June and 138 in July.

Election Office News: The Rhode Island Board of Elections has pushed back a vote on whether or not to move their offices to the suburbs of Cranston. The Board’s plan met with opposition (and a lawsuit) from two landlords whose properties were turned down for the bid. Plans to move the Virginia Beach, Virginia registrar of voters office and relocate an early voting site were recently scuttled when controversy arose because the property the city is leasing for nearly $3 million is owned by a state senator who also used to serve on the city council. DeSoto Parish, Louisiana Registrar of Voters Amanda Raynes’ plans to move the office to a nearby location that’s 3,000 square feet larger has run into opposition because the office also serves as an early voting location and the clerk of the court believes moving that site violates state law. And in Columbia County, New York, a flea (yes, fleas) infestation at the county municipal building has force the closure and emergency renovation of the county board of elections office.

Personnel News: Tara Purcell has been promoted to director of the Northumberland County, Pennsylvania board of elections. Karen Nance has resigned from the Robeson County, North Carolina board of elections. State Sen. Mark Hass (D-Beaverton) officially entered the race for Oregon secretary of state this week. Multiple attempts by pest control workers to eradicate the fleas have been unsuccessful, and now the county is forced to renovate the office.

Research and Report Summaries

The National Bureau of Economic Research released a working paper on voter identification last month. The study, Strict Voter Identification Laws, Turnout, and Election Outcomes, explores the impact of voter identification laws on turnout and election outcomes using historical data on more than 2,000 races in Florida and Michigan, which both allow and track ballots cast without identification. The paper finds that at most only 0.10 percent and 0.31 percent of total votes cast in each state were cast without IDs.

The Department of Defense’s (DoD) Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) released a report on active duty military (ADM) participation in the 2018 midterms this week. The report summarizes findings from FVAP’s 2018 Post-Election Voting Survey on Active Duty Military (PEVS-ADM), one of three interrelated post-election surveys supported by FVAP. The study examines voting measures for ADM in 2018, registration and participation rates vary by Service, ADM knowledge of the absentee ballot process, and electronic request and return of absentee ballots, among other issues.

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice released a report on felony disenfranchisement in North Carolina last month. The report, The Freedom to Vote: Felony Disenfranchisement in North Carolina, examines the state’s policy and practices regarding felony disenfranchisement and voting rights restoration, highlighting that North Carolina is 1 of 18 states that disenfranchise persons who are on felony probation and post-release supervision. Using data from the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, the study finds that nearly 70,000 North Carolinians could not vote in 2017 due to their felony probation or post-release status.

New York University’s Stern Center for Business and Human Rights issued a report on disinformation in the 2020 elections this week. The report, Disinformation and the 2020 Election: How the Social Media Industry Should Prepare, assesses some of the forms and sources of disinformation that may play a role during the presidential election campaign in 2020, including digital voter suppression, and offers recommendations to social media companies on how to combat it.

(Research and Report Summaries are written by Dave Kuennen.)

Legislative Updates

Alaska: The Alaska Division of Elections has denied an initiative that would have, among other things, instituted ranked-choice voting and opened up the state’s primary elections to all registered voters. “The single-subject rule serves an important constitutional purpose in the initiative context by protecting voters’ ability to have their voices heard,” wrote Attorney General Kevin Clarkson in his opinion to the Lt. Governor. “But 19AKBE, if certified, would force voters into an all or nothing approach on multiple important policy choices, all of which implicate their fundamental constitutional rights in different ways.”

Massachusetts: The state’s Attorney General has certified initiative petitions that would put ranked choice voting on the ballot on the November 2020 ballot. The initiative petition would implement ranked-choice voting, starting in 2022, for primary and general elections for all Massachusetts statewide offices, state legislative offices, federal congressional offices, and certain other offices.

Ohio: Senate Bill 191 would establish a new online system for voters to submit an absentee ballot request. The system prioritizes security by requiring the requestor to verify the last four digits of their social security number, driver’s license or state ID number and birth date. Upon receipt of the request, the signature of the voter will be compared to that on file with the statewide voter registration database.

Legal Updates

Florida: The state’s Supreme Court announced late last week that it will hear oral arguments the first week of November whether the state can continue to restrict voting privileges to felons who have unpaid fines and fees.

New York: Jefferson County Republican Elections Commissioner Jude Seymore has sent the county a bill for $8,900 for legal fees incurred during the fight over Watertown’s mayoral race. Seymore told WWNY that if the county says no to the bill, he may consider filling an Article 78 proceeding, which would take the county to court and challenge the determination that he is not entitled to a lawyer.

North Carolina: In a unanimous decision, a three-judge superior court panel Wake County has ruled that the state’s legislative districts are unconstitutional. The judicial panel set a Sept. 17 deadline for the General Assembly to submit redrawn state House and Senate district maps.

Ohio: The secretary of state’s office has reached a settlement with the ACLU of Ohio that will allow voters who have been purged from the state’s voter rolls to cast a provisional ballot through the 2022 election. The agreement applies to any local, state, special or federal election through 2022. Voters who cast a provisional ballot in any of these elections will also be restored to the voter rolls. “As long as they still live in the same county where they were originally registered to vote and otherwise remain eligible, they can vote provisionally and have their provisional votes counted,” Freda Levenson, legal director for the ACLU of Ohio told WOSU.

Ohio Democrats have filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Frank LaRose in an effort to stop his office from removing more than 200,000 voters from the state’s voter registration rolls. The 17-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus seeks a restraining order blocking the Sept. 6 purge and asks that LaRose be ordered to conduct “a manual review of the voting history of each voter at risk of being purged.” Democrats also are demanding an independent audit to review Ohio’s process for updating voter rolls removing infrequent voters from the lists. On Tuesday U.S. District Judge James L. Graham ruled that the party failed to show irreparable harm would be suffered absent his issuance of a temporary restraining order.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose was dismissed from a lawsuit filed by members of environmental activist groups who accused elections officials of using unconstitutional tactics that kept certain initiatives from going before voters.

Tennessee: The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit against the secretary of state’s office seeking a preliminary injunction against a legislation set to become law on Oct. 1 that would impose both criminal and civil penalties on organizations that host voter registration drives if they return incomplete applications or fail to comply with certain requirements.

Tech Thursday

North Carolina: This week, the North Carolina State Board of Elections launched a new website to keep voters informed about the effects Hurricane Dorian is having on the special Congressional elections set for Tuesday. The site includes county-by-county information on closings of one-stop early voting sites and county boards of elections offices, along with additional information for voters.

Utah: Utah County Clerk Amelia Powers Gardner said the county’s recent test of a blockchain mobile voting app for military and overseas voters was a success. “It was absolutely a success. It went a little better than I expected,” Powers Gardner told ABC4. She says an audit of the process shows 22 of 58 eligible voters took advantage of the option. That’s a 38 percent turnout, compared to a 25 percent turnout countywide. The mobile voters are residents of seven of the nine cities that held elections. And, Powers Gardner says not one mobile vote was disqualified.

Opinions This Week

National Opinions: Stacey Abrams | Election security | Mobile voting | Voter ID | Paper ballots | Voter suppression

California: Voter fatigue

Florida: Voting rights

Georgia: Election security

Indiana: List maintenance, II, III

Louisiana: Turnout

Maine: Ranked choice voting, II

Mississippi: Voting equipment, II | Testing & certification

Nebraska: Native American voting rights

New Hampshire: Voter fraud

New Jersey: Vote-by-mail

New York: Early voting

North Carolina: Comparing other states | Robeson County | Voter ID, II

North Dakota: Voting equipment, II

Ohio: List maintenance, II

Pennsylvania: Voting equipment

Texas: Straight-party voting

Virginia: Election security

Upcoming Events

First Nations Voting Rights Conference — Across the United States, Native nations are taking action to guarantee access to fair voting and elections. At First Nations Voting Rights Conference, we’ll compare strategies for equal representation, preparation for the 2020 census, redistricting, and rural addressing projects to ensure that every vote on Native Nations across the US is counted. Where: Salt Lake City, Utah. When: Sept. 25-27.

NCSL Redistricting Seminar — It’s almost time to redraw districts—and it’s definitely time to plan for it. When it comes to redistricting, the learning curve is steep. Let the National Conference of State Legislatures help you and your team prepare for this complex, once-a-decade task. Where: Columbus, Ohio. When: October 24-27.

IGO 2020 Mid-Winter Conference — The International Association of Government Officials will hold its 2020 Mid-Winter Conference in Isle of Palms, South Carolina in January of 2020. Check back here for more details as they become available.  Where: Isle of Palms, South Carolina. When: Jan. 20-24.

NASED Winter 2020 — Twice a year, the National Association of State Election Directors members gather to discuss the latest developments in election administration.  Members of the public are welcome to attend at the non-member registration rate. Check back here for more information about the Winter 2020 Conference. Where: Washington, DC. When: January 30-February 2.

NASS Winter 2020 — The National Association of Secretaries of State will hold their Winter 2020 conference at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C.’s West End. Check back here for more information about the Winter 2020 conference when it becomes available. Where: Washington, D.C. When: January 30-February 2.

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 Design Researcher, Center for Civic Design — Do you have a special mix of government experience with so much skill at qualitative user research and usability testing that you appear to do it effortlessly?  Love mashing up qualitative research methods to answer a Big Question? Have experience managing delicate stakeholder relationships? Ever had to face a steep learning curve to get the work done? Tell us about it. The right person cares deeply about plain language, usability, and accessibility—and is excited about solving wicked problems to make it easier for voters to vote the way they intend. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Customer Support Consultant, Hart InterCivic— The Customer Support Consultant is responsible for providing application and hardware support to Hart InterCivic customers via telephone and email for all Hart InterCivic products.  The Support Consultant is also responsible for monitoring all requests to ensure efficient, effective resolution. The successful CSC will work directly with customers and other staff members. The position is responsible for responding to customer contacts, dealing with issues in a professional manner, providing technical direction to customers in a manner they can understand and being a customer advocate.  The CSC must have outstanding written and verbal communication skills. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Data & Analytics Director, Voto Latino — Voto Latino seeks a Data & Analytics Director to build a program to track, support, and optimize our rapidly growing online and offline outreach to young and diverse voters. We know that Latinx voters are poised to be the largest minority voting bloc in 2020, with more than 800,000 Latinx citizens become eligible to vote each year. Voto Latino, building on a track record of organizational successes since 2004, is ready to take on this challenge, with the guidance and support of a great Data & Analytics Director. This position will work across teams — field, political, digital, communications — and act as the central data resource and key strategist for all of Voto Latino’s campaigns and programs. This position will be responsible for building and implementing sophisticated targeting programs nationally for both our growing online and on-the-ground efforts. There will be a strong focus on key states for civic and electoral engagement, working with data vendors, visualizing data and analytics, learning from historic and contemporary data, and managing Voto Latino’s voter outreach data. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Specialist, St. Louis Park, Minnesota— Provide quality administrative assistance and support services to the city clerk’s office, focusing on duties associated with the administration of local, state, and federal elections. Recruit and train election judges under the direction of the city clerk. Implement absentee voting activities to ensure high quality service delivery under the direction of the city clerk. Assist City Clerk with voter education and outreach activities. Assist with administrative functions related to local, state, and federal elections. Salary: $60,498-$75,623. Deadline: September 8.  Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Specialist, City of Richmond, Virginia— We are looking for a self-starter with attention to detail and the ability to work in a team environment.  The position is a part-time permanent position with seasonally variable hours based on the election cycle which includes elections every November, the possibility of primaries every June,  and during March of presidential election years. Special elections may be called at other times. Flexibility in scheduling is important. The position performs technical work in the set up, maintenance and repair of voting equipment. This includes, but is not limited to, electronic poll books (EPBs), voter lookup devices, ballot scanners, accessible on-demand ballot marking and/or printing devices, and associated devices.  The individual is responsible for preparing and testing voting equipment for primaries, general elections and special elections, and repairs or replaces damaged or malfunctioning parts. They maintain election supplies and pack them for delivery to the precincts for Election Day. Work includes delivering voting equipment and election supplies to the polling places, explaining, demonstrating, training election officials on voting equipment operation, and receiving voting equipment and election supplies after election. Some interaction with the public to explain voting equipment can be expected.  Work is performed under the supervision of the General Registrar and Electoral Board per Code of Virginia. Salary: $18.00 to $27.00 per hour. Benefits: Benefits include vacation, sick leave and health insurance. Deadline: September 22, 2019. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Global Election Technology and Cybersecurity Advisor, IFES — IFES seeks a Global Election Technology and Cybersecurity Advisor to counter evolving threats to democratic processes stemming from changes in election technology and cyber vulnerabilities. This individual will work closely with frontline defenders and elections experts around the world to help democratic institutions flourish in the face of rising anti-democratic trends. IFES’ Election Technology and Cybersecurity Advisor understands the unique and varying dimensions of cybersecurity in the elections context, and has demonstrated expertise and innovation in analyzing threats and proposing and implementing solutions to mitigate or manage those threats. He or she is an expert in election technologies and cybersecurity. As such, he or she understands the institutions and processes involved in elections, has demonstrated an ability to partner closely with relevant actors globally, and is oriented toward countering current challenges as well as anticipating future threats. At the same time, he or she understands the critical importance of transparency and verifiability in the elections context and how to advance these principles without compromising security. He or she understands the cross-cutting nature of election technology and model’s collaboration with electoral advisors in other technical fields such as legal/regulatory reform, inclusive political processes, and strategic communications. He or she maintains strategic relationships with a range of actors, such as governments, donors, EMBs, judiciaries, INGOs, foundations, technology vendors and other technology actors. He or she is actively tracking next generation challenges such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing – and the challenges they might pose for the electoral process. The Global Election Technology and Cybersecurity Advisor will report to the Senior Director (Applied Research, Learning and Strategy) in the Center for Applied Research and Learning. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Global New Media and Disinformation Advisor, IFES — IFES’ New Media and Disinformation Advisor is an expert in new media and the challenges stemming from disinformation in political and electoral contexts. As such, he or she has a deep understanding of how new media is being used in the context of elections around the world, with a commitment to confronting existing challenges as well as anticipating tomorrow’s threats. This individual is well-versed in the dynamics of major social media platforms, understands challenges and developments in the regulation of these platforms, and closely follows the emergence of the next generation of challenges in this space. He or she is also versed in the technological shifts underpinning this issue set, including data-mining and privacy, artificial intelligence, deep fakes and quantum computing that will enable a forward-looking perspective on emerging threats to electoral processes stemming from technological changes. He or she understands the cross-cutting nature of new media challenges and models collaboration with regional experts and electoral advisors in other technical fields such a legal/regulatory reform, cybersecurity, inclusion, and public outreach. He or she maintains strategic relationships with a range of actors working or thinking in this space, such as governments, technology and new media companies, donors, election administrators, judiciaries, INGOs, academics and foundations. The Global New Media and Disinformation Advisor will report to the Senior Director (Applied Research, Learning and Strategy) in the Center for Applied Research and Learning. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Program Director, National Voter Registration Day — We are seeking a Program Director to organize and rally key national partners around one of the most prominent and important civic holidays in the nation – National Voter Registration Day – held on the fourth Tuesday of every September. In 2020, we aim to break past years’ records and register over one million voters with the help of over 50 major national partners and 4,500 field partners. To do this we require a creative and entrepreneurial Program Director with sincere people skills and a passion for civic engagement and democracy. Salary: $68,000 and $76,000. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Project Manager, Hart InterCivic— Project Managers at Hart InterCivic are highly motivated “self-starters” who are enthusiastic about providing exceptional customer service. Working with other members of the Professional Services and Operations teams, the Project Manager directs activity, solves problems, and develops lasting and strong relationships with our customers. Hart InterCivic’s unique and industry known culture of innovation, transparency, and customer-centric focus creates an environment where team members will continually grow and be challenged to develop their careers. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Product Manager, Hart InterCivic — as Product Manager, you will join a team that is charged with product planning, design, and execution throughout the lifecycle of Hart’s products, in support of the company’s overall strategy and goals. This includes: gathering, validating, and prioritizing internal and external customer needs; documenting and communicating product and technical requirements; gathering market and competitive intelligence; supporting the certification, sales, and marketing teams. The Product Manager must possess a unique blend of business and technical savvy – with experience in elections technology or other government-oriented products preferred.  To succeed in this role, the ideal candidate must spend time in the market to understand its unique attributes; demonstrate competence with specialized hardware and software; and find innovative solutions for the broader market. The Product Manager plays a key role in helping others to understand the product positioning, key benefits, and target customer, as well as providing advanced subject matter expertise in using the company’s products. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Software Sales Specialist, VOTEC— VOTEC’s Sales Specialist is responsible for creating news sales with prospects and existing clients in targeted areas in the US. We are looking for an election professional comfortable using insight and consultative selling techniques to create interest that offers unique solutions on their operations, which link back to VOTEC’s solutions. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

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