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Clearie Awards

EAC Opens Submission Period in Fourth Annual ClearieAwards
Celebrating Best Practices in Election Administration

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is seeking submissions for its fourth annual national Clearinghouse Awards. Dubbed the “Clearies” for short, the awards provide election offices an opportunity to share their innovative efforts and celebrate successes. The Clearies play an important role in furthering the EAC’s responsibilities under the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). Under that Act, the EAC serves as a clearinghouse for election administration information.

The Commission will present awards in the categories of outstanding innovations in elections, improving voting accessibility for voters with disabilities, and recruiting, training and retaining election workers. It will also award a special award in 2019 recognizing the most original and creative “I Voted” sticker submitted for consideration. Entries from all sizes of jurisdictions, both large and small, are encouraged to submit their work. All entries must be received by Monday, November 25, 2019. The 2018 winners of the Clearie awards can be found here.

“The EAC Clearie Awards celebrate the innovative and creative approaches that election officials use each day in their work to serve voters,” said EAC Chairwoman Christy McCormick. “These awards are a testament to their work and dedication and highlight best practices that other election administrators can emulate.”

This year’s entries will be judged using the following criteria:

• Innovation
• Sustainability
• Outreach efforts
• Cost-effectiveness
• Replicability
• Creating positive Results

Election officials utilize innovative and resourceful initiatives on Election Day. We want to hear about these outstanding best practices in EAC’s 2019 competition. By incorporating Election Day into the submission deadline, we are able to capture activities implemented throughout the 2018 and 2019 elections.

All submissions should be sent to the EAC via an email to clearinghouse@eac.gov. Nominators should use the following subject lines based on entry category: Election Worker Competition, Accessibility Competition, Outstanding Innovations Competition, or Sticker Competition.

All entries must include a summary of the election program nominated. Entrants may attach relevant documents, images and links that can be used to assess the entry. Submissions should also include contact information for the person submitting the program for consideration. Each entry must be submitted in a separate email.

For more information about this year’s competition, please contact Patrick Leahy at pleahy@eac.gov.

Election Security Updates

This week, a Senate Appropriations subcommittee left out funding for election security in its annual spending bill. According to The Hill, Democrats including Sens. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.) argued that time is running out to implement election security upgrades such as replacing outdated voting machines with just over a year left prior to the 2020 elections.

Congress has essentially until the end of October to pass legislation that can still make an impact in time for the general election in 2020, so we have to move, and the fact is that the window may have already closed to secure some of the 2020 primaries,” Wyden said.

According to The Hill,  Republicans are likely to put up a fight against these funds, citing the remaining money states have not yet spent from the $380 million designated to them last year, and concerns around federalizing elections.

“That’s the first step in federal control of elections,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) told reporters.

2019 Elections News

North Carolina: The Bladen County board of elections has determined that two people voted twice during the recent special election for the 9th Congressional district. According to the Bladen Journal the board originally though three people had voted twice but upon further review found that it was only two people. The matter was referred to the state board of elections and the district attorney.

Election News This Week

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has opened an investigation into Fulton County’s election security procedures after two e-poll book laptops were stolen from an Atlanta polling place. “It is unacceptable that bad actors entered a polling location under the cover of night and were able to steal critical elections machinery,” Raffensperger told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The computers were stolen the night before a runoff election and were replaced in time for polls to open so voters weren’t affected, but the laptops did contain the state’s voter registration database and all the information that comes with it. Richard Barron, Fulton’s director of registration and elections, said the county will be reviewing its procedures, but poll workers did what they were supposed to do. “Other than providing 24-hour security at all polling locations, I’m unsure how you secure every building,” he told the paper. “Ours was in a government facility that had an alarm and was locked.”

A new privacy law in Utah has political parties up-in-arms. The law allows voters to keep all of their information, including name and party affiliation private and according to The Salt Lake Tribune, about one in every eight Utah voters uses the law to keep their information private. As of July 31, the office of Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox reports that 206,832 voters out of 1.67 million in Utah — or 12.4% — have opted to make their voter registration private since last year. So, their names, birthdates, addresses, phone numbers, party affiliation and when or if they voted are not released in public databases sold by the state. Unlike most other states that allow certain people—celebrities, victims of violence, etc.— to keep their information private anyone in Utah can opt into the program.

The Prince William County, Virginia electoral board had to hold an emergency meeting this week after the county’s elections director proposed eliminating the first five Saturdays of in-person absentee voting for the upcoming November election. According to Inside NoVA, Elections Director Michele White said the county did not have the $16,000 it would cost to keep the office open for the Saturday hours. The electoral board voted 3-0 to keep the office open on Saturdays. Board Secretary Keith Scarborough told the publication the electoral board is sympathetic to budget concerns, but said there are other things the office can do to balance their budget. “This election has the most direct impact on local citizens so we want to make sure people have as many opportunities as possible to vote in this election,” Scarborough said.

Three cheers to Vigo County, Indiana that found a unique way to get rid of old elections equipment. The county will distribute 5-year-old laptops that used to serve as e-poll books to 21 area nonprofits. “We’ve got a wide variety of people we will be able to help with laptops,” Vigo County Clerk Brad Newman told the Terre Haute Tribune Star. There are 49 laptops going to organizations that include preschools, churches as well as agencies such as Swope Art Museum, Happiness Bag and Council on Domestic Abuse.

This week, Democracy Works announced that it had received a new $3 million investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The organization will use Knight’s new support to jump-start a $20 million fundraising round aimed at transforming the American voter experience during the 2020 election cycle. This new round of funding will support the large-scale growth of the organization’s innovative registration and information platform, with the ultimate goal of increasing voter participation around the country. “The backing of Knight Foundation sets Democracy Works up to raise a new round of support that stands to dramatically impact turnout in the 2020 election and beyond,” said Seth Flaxman, Democracy Works chief executive officer. “This investment is about improving the health of our democracy — it will help us reach millions of new users, turn the internet into an onramp for voting, and modernize the voting experience throughout the country.”

I Voted Sticker News: This week the state of Maryland launched the 2019 “I Voted” Sticker Competition which is open to all Maryland students in pre-K through 12th grade. The State Board of Elections is partnering with Fine Arts Office of the Maryland State Department of Education to conduct the contest. The design must contain the theme of the State of Maryland, voting, or elections in the State of Maryland or the United States. This will be the first custom I Voted sticker in Maryland. The stickers will be available in 2020.

Personnel News: F. Ann Rodriguez has announced that she will not seek another term as Pima County, Arizona recorder. She was first elected to office in 1992. Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner has officially filed to run for secretary of state in Oregon. Marlene Ferguson has retired as the deputy director of the Haywood County, North Carolina board of elections after 30 years of service. Nan Kottke has retired as the Marathon County, Wisconsin clerk. Kim Trueblood has been appointed to fill her shoes. North Dakota Director of Elections John Arnold has been appointed deputy insurance commissioner. After 36 years on the job, Winchendon, Massachusetts Town Clerk Judy Lajoie has retired. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has voted not to reappoint executive director Brian Newby for another four-year term. According to Politico, the Commission also voted not to retain Cliff Tatum as the general counsel.

Legislative Updates

California: ACA 8 which would have lowered California’s voting age to 17 and was approved by the Assembly in August failed to get Senate approval by the September 13 deadline.

Kansas: Gov. Laura Kelly visited Sedgwick County to sign new legislation into law that will allow counties to move to a vote center model. Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman is a strong proponent of the bill.

Minnesota: After a study session, the Minnetonka City Council has tasked the charter commission with further study of whether or not the city should move a ranked choice voting system.

New Hampshire: The Legislature was unable to override several vetoes by Gov. Chris Sununu (R) including a bill that had reversed voter registration requirements.

New Jersey: The Legislature is considering a bill that would give poll workers a 50 percent pay raise—their first in 18 years.  They are currently paid $200 per election, with the state paying $125 of that. A bipartisan bill seeks to increase that to $300 and would require the state government, not counties, to pay the additional $100.

Wyoming: This week lawmakers vote down to pieces of elections-related legislation. One defeated bill would have eliminated the practice of crossover voting in primary elections and another defeated piece of legislation would have required a state-issued photo ID in order to vote.

Legal Updates

Alaska: Anchorage Judge Yvonne Lamoureaux has granted permission for a political group that introduced a ballot measure to overhaul Alaska elections, including implementing ranked-choice voting, to begin collecting signatures while the application is being litigated.

Arizona: As part of settlement with The Navajo Nation, Arizona voters who forget to sign their early ballot envelope will have a chance after Election Day to fix their mistake. Secretary of State Katie Hobbs has agreed to a new policy to require officials to notify voters about missing signatures on early ballots and give them five business days after an election to remedy the problem.

Florida: Judge Robert Hinkle turned down Gov. Ron DeSantis’ request to put on hold a challenge to a new state law that requires those who wish to have their voting rights restored, as determined by Amendment 4, to fulfill all financial obligations. The state had asked the court to put the challenge on hold while the state’s Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of Amendment 4.

Kentucky: Kentucky State Police seized a computer Tuesday from the Office of the Secretary of State as part of an ongoing investigation into how Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes and her aides used voter data.

New Jersey: Michael Gibbons, 33, who served as the deputy chief of the Atlantic County Superintendent of Elections office has been indicted on charges that he ran an overtime scheme to make extra cash. He is accused of paying county workers to clean out his mother’s attic.

Tennessee: U.S. Judge Aleta Trauger has blocked Tennessee’s new voter registration law which would have penalized third-party groups for everything from incomplete forms to forms that weren’t turned in quickly enough. “There is simply no basis in the record for concluding that the Act will provide much benefit to Tennesseans, and even less reason to think that any benefit will come close to outweighing the harms to Tennesseans (and non-Tennesseans) who merely wish to exercise their core constitutional rights of participating in the political process by encouraging voter registration,” Trauger wrote when she approved the preliminary injunction in the days before her ruling.

Also in Tennessee, U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker ruled that a lawsuit filed by a group of Shelby County voters challenging the security of the state’s voting machines failed to show that any harm has come to plaintiffs and that they have no standing to bring suit.

Tech Thursday

Equipment Certification: According to Cyberscoop, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission has told lawmakers that it will not de-certify certain voting systems that use outdated Microsoft Windows systems. In a letter to lawmakers, the EAC said the act of de-certifying the system is cumbersome and “has wide-reaching consequences, affecting manufacturers, election administration at the state and local levels, as well as voters.”

Lines: A team of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh have used a unique way to determine wait times at polling places. According to the MIT Technology Review, the team used the location of 117,000 polling stations around the country to find cell phones that spent more than one minute there on Election Day. However, they ignored phones that visited the polling station before or after this date to exclude individuals who live or work at the site. Using this, the team determined the average wait to vote across the US was 19 minutes in 2016, with 18 percent of individuals waiting more than 30 minutes. The team further broke down the data based on percentage of black and white voters and found that “Voters from areas [with the greatest percentage of black people] spent 19% more time at their polling locations than those in the bottom decile,” they say. “Further, [these] voters were 49% more likely to spend over 30 minutes at the polling location.”

Colorado: This week Colorado became the first state to stop using barcodes on ballots. The QR codes that are being phased out are only used on paper ballots in the polling place. Currently, only about 5 percent of ballots cast in Colorado elections are done with the use of in-person voting machines, and about half of those voters opt for paper ballots. That means only about 2-1/2 percent of ballots cast would be impacted by the change. “We live in a constantly changing threat environment,” Secretary of State Jena Griswold said when announcing the change. “Hostile actors will continue their efforts to discover vulnerabilities in the attempt to undermine confidence in our elections. We must continually assess all election systems to identify areas that should be improved.”

Opinions This Week

National Opinions: Voter registration | African American turnout | 2016 | Election security, II, III, IV, V | Universal Postal Union | Turnout

Alaska: Ranked choice voting

Connecticut: Primary results | Paper ballots | Absentee voting

Florida: Amendment 4 | Early voting

Georgia: Election security

Illinois: DuPage County

Indiana: Voter ID, II

Kentucky: Secretary of state

Louisiana: Voting equipment | Election fraud

Maine: Ranked choice voting

Massachusetts: Local elections | Election reform

Michigan: Election security | Ballot counting

Minnesota: Election security, II

Montana: Automatic voter registration

Nevada: Election security

New York: Ranked choice voting, II | Early voting

Ohio: Marion County | Election security

Pennsylvania: 2020 | Absentee voting

Virginia: Automatic voter registration

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

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.

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.

Deputy Registrar of Voters, Lake County, California — Attention Elections Rockstars and Public Servants! The Office of Registrar of Voters in Lake County, CA is recruiting for a Deputy Registrar of Voters (ROV). Consider joining the team! This is a unique opportunity for a strong candidate with some elections and/or local government experience to jump into a leadership position within a small elections department. This is a time of change for the Office of the Registrar of Voters on a number of fronts and we are seeking a Deputy Registrar of Voters that welcomes learning and teaching new practices, has strong project management skills, and is voter/customer focused. The County of Lake has 33,000 active registered voters and is home to beautiful Clear Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the State. The Office of the Registrar of Voters is located in the County Courthouse building in Lakeport, CA. Deadline: September 30. 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.

Marketplace

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