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2020 Primary Updates

Idaho
In Canyon County, some voters were unable to vote on school levies because of issues with the county’s new voting equipment and some had issues with their an entire ballot. Officials were able to find a workaround, but the problem, extra letters added to coding affected most county precincts. “On some of our poll pads, inadvertently an extra letter was added to the code” he Canyon County Clerk Chris Yamamoto told KTVB. “This is something that’s done by that vendor. They don’t know how that happened or why.” For Bannock County Clerk Jason Dixon, Tuesday night was smooth sailing. With around 30% turnout, the county was able to release results by 10 p.m., an hour earlier than expected.

Michigan
In the weeks and days leading up to Michigan’s primary clerks and the secretary of state tried to temper expectations about when the results would be ready given that the state was offering no-excuse absentee voting and same day registration for the very first time in a presidential election.

About one million voters requested absentee ballots and even though results weren’t complete Tuesday night, 100 percent of precincts were reporting by 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

The biggest story out of Michigan on primary day was that lines formed in places for those wishing to register and vote on that day. According to The Detroit Free Press, 13,503 people registered to vote at clerks’ offices around the state. More than 6,000 of those people got in line after 4:30 p.m., said Jake Rollow, spokesman for Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. About two-thirds of the people registering to vote on Election Day were between the ages of 18 and 29. In Kalamazoo City Clerk Scott Borling said he was not expecting that many people to register that day. “We really didn’t know what to expect,” he told WWMT. “We thought maybe just a few people coming in who forgot. We were not aware of the volume of people we would be getting.” About 300 people registered in Kalamazoo on Tuesday. In East Lansing it was more than 700 people who registered on election day. In Kent County, more than 1,000 registered on primary day.

While absentee voting and same-day registration were the big stories, primary day in Michigan, like it is everywhere, was also filled with odds and ends from the polls. In Genesee County a woman was arrested for circulating petitions inside a polling place. A polling place in Presque Isle County ran out of Democrat ballots around 4 p.m. and voters had to wait about 40 minutes for more ballots. Some voters in Port Huron Twp. ran into problems when they went to their regular polling place only to discover that it had been consolidated into a new location. In Lansing, about 12 voters cast their early morning ballots outside after poll workers setting up the polling place got locked out. And in Coloma Twp. a woman on her way to vote around mid-day accidentally crashed her car into the polling place. No one was hurt, voting was halted for about an hour and the driver said she would be back to vote after speaking to her insurance company.

Mississippi
Primary day in the Magnolia State was relatively quiet although the state did see a bump in absentee ballots. Choctaw County rolled out a new voting system that was well-received by voters and poll workers. “Poll workers love them. They’re much easier to manage. They’re, as you saw, they’re in cases that are like little briefcases that just open up. Everything is there. It’s quick and easy,” district 5 election commissioner Wayne McLeod told WCBI. The convenience was key, but voters also appreciated that the process was much more private.

Missouri
The Show Me State saw two of the strangest stories from Big Tuesday. In St. Louis, a man purposefully drove his car into a polling place, threatened to shoot up the site and poured bleach and water on voting equipment. No one was hurt, but voting was interrupted for several hours while the equipment was moved to another location. Electionline has anecdotally tracked the phenomena of cars crashing into polling places for a long time, but we’re pretty sure this is the first instance we can recall of it being done purposefully. In Kansas City, the city’s mayor, Quinton Lucas was initially told that he was not on the voter rolls when he went to cast his ballot. It turns out a poll worker had inadvertently reversed Lucas’ name when typing him into the e-poll book. Lucas was able to vote later in the day, but the situation grabbed national headlines after Lucas tweeted about it. It also incited a war of words between the mayor and the secretary of state. Kansas City was face with a slight shortage of poll workers after about 70 of them failed to show up in St. Louis is was more than 100. Osage County had issues checking in voters during the early morning hours of primary day.

New Hampshire
While New Hampshire’s much ballyhooed first-in-the-nation primary was held a few weeks, voters in the Granite State went back to the polls this week for Town Meeting Day. The big news out of Town Meeting Day, and something all future primary states should keep in mind, is that the hand sanitizer and wipes people were using to clean their hands was causing problems with feeding ballots into the ballot scanners. “Who would think that being health-conscious would gum up the works?” Atkinson Town Clerk Julianna Hale told the Union Leader.

Washington
Washington doesn’t generate too many headlines on voting days due largely to the fact that it’s an all vote-by-mail state and while there wasn’t a lot of news out of the Evergreen State this year, voting in the time of the coronavirus and changes to the state’s voting laws did generate a few headlines. This was the first presidential primary with same day registration in Washington and like in Michigan that lead to long lines to register and cast ballots. For the first time, workers processing ballots in King County were required to wear gloves.

Election News This Week

Coronavirus Update: With the coronavirus officially being declared a pandemic and the president introducing travel and work protocols for Americans and with sports teams, performers and organizations canceling games, concerts and events, voting goes on in America. Four states—Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio will still hold primaries next week and Georgia the week after that. The states with elections next week are busy making sure their early voting sites are as sanitized as possible and they are encouraging voters to vote-by-mail. In Ohio the state has moved numerous polling sites out of nursing homes and other locations where there may be vulnerable people. Other states like Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York  and Wisconsin that have elections further out in April are still making preparations and considering what if any changes they may need to make. Arkansas officials are considering what to do about an upcoming runoff election. In Massachusetts, Secretary of State William Galvin is seeking emergency election powers. In New Jersey, the Union County board of elections has suspended all public outreach events. It’s an ever-changing situation and electionline will do its best to keep you updated.

The Georgia State Election Board has unanimously voted to order Athens-Clarke County to use the state’s new touchscreen voting system. The county had previously said that it would conduct the upcoming election by paper ballot citing privacy concerns. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the board conceded that the Athens-Clarke officials raised some legitimate concerns about ballot secrecy, but that those concerns were not enough to reject the new system. “There are reasonable concerns about ballot secrecy in some limited number of precincts,” said David Worley, a member of the State Election Board. “The reasonable way to deal with that is not to make a wholesale change.”

Howdy! This week Texas became the 30th state and the District of Columbia to be a member of ERIC. “Today’s announcement that the Lone Star State will join ERIC is an important next step as we strive to identify and conduct outreach to eligible but unregistered voters,” Keith Ingram, Texas director of elections said in a statement. “Through this outreach, our state will continue to foster an active and engaged citizenry by encouraging all eligible Texans to play an active role in our democratic process.”

Well, this is an interesting turn of events. According to the Bismarck Tribune, no one in Burleigh County wants to be the county’s auditor — the person responsible for running the county’s elections department. The county’s previous auditor/treasurer Kevin Glatt resigned in October without a public explanation. Since then, Allan Vietmeier has been serving as the interim auditor, but he has not plans to run for the position full time and the county has no record of anyone circulating petitions to run for auditor. “I don’t know if somebody is out there circulating petitions, but we haven’t heard anything in our office,” County Elections Manager Erika White told the paper. “It’s a very important role. So we need somebody who will want to do the job and cares about Burleigh County.” There is the possibility of course for a write-in candidate if no one appears on the ballot but state elections officials say they are unaware of anyone every winning a countywide write-in vote. 

Genealogy service Ancestry.com is offering a free service in 2020 to allow users to discover if their family has connections to the suffrage movement. The historical consultant for the project, Lisa Tetrault, says this tool can remind users that historical social movements had success thanks to the help of everyday people. “It reminds us that making change and being part of the democratic process is something that everyone has access to and something we’ve all participated in,” says Tetrault, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who specializes in gender, race and history. “It’s not just history made by famous people.”  Try it, it’s fun. It’s not just those involved in the movement itself, but will help you learn which of your female relatives were alive to gain the right to vote. I learned that my second great-grandmother Sarah Bromlee and my third great-grandmother Amanda Boehm were both alive to see the passage of the 19th Amendment.

Personnel News: Tammy Smith is the new Richland County, South Carolina elections director. Pat Gill is seeking his seventh term as Wood County, Iowa auditor. Brad Johnson, Montana public service commission chairman, is running for secretary of state. Dwight Jordan has been appointed to the Nash County, North Carolina board of elections.

Legislative Updates

Federal Legislation: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) has introduced legislation that would provide $500 million in federal funding to help states to conduct elections by mail in during to coronavirus pandemic. Wyden’s bill would give all Americans the right to vote by mail if 25 percent of states declared an emergency related to the coronavirus outbreak. The bill also would require state and local officials to prepare for possible coronavirus disruptions and to offer prepaid envelopes with self-sealing flaps to minimize the risk of contagion from voters’ licking envelopes. The bill would prohibit states from using the $500 million to implement mobile or other Internet-based voting technologies, though voters could still request their ballots through online means.

Alaska: A ballot measure seeking to move Alaska to a ranked choice voting system has collected enough signatures to appear on the November ballot. The measure would make three main changes: It would eliminate party-run primary elections. The top four vote-getters in the late summer state primary would advance to the November general election, regardless of party. It would install ranked-choice voting in the general election. Voters would be asked to rank their top choices in the November election. Votes would be tallied, and if a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, he or she would be named the winner. If no candidate receives half the vote, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Any ballots cast for that candidate would go to the voters’ second choices. The process repeats until a candidate has at least half the vote or until there is only one candidate left.  It would require disclosure for “dark money” political contributions. Groups donating to candidates or causes would be forced to say where they got their money.

Florida: The House has approved a bill to remember a 1920 event in which white Floridians killed and destroyed the property of black residents who organized a voter registration event. Under the legislation, schools will be required to include lessons on the Ocoee Election Day Massacre and state history museums will also have to include information about the event.

Kentucky: With the support of Secretary of State Michael Adams, Rep. Jason Nemes has introduced House Bill 596 which: Extends polling hours from 6 PM to 7 PM local time Extends the voter registration deadline so prospective voters have more time to register before an election; Makes voting by mail easier by permitting the choice of absentee voting in person or by mail; Permits additional reasons for early voting: employment as “essential service personnel” such as first responders; bereavement; serious injury or illness of a family member; Permits counties to establish “vote centers,” where any voter registered in a particular county may vote, rather than having to vote at his/her precinct. This benefits voters who may work on one side of the county and have a long commute home to the other side of the county; Allows counties who don’t adopt vote centers to more easily consolidate multi-precinct voting at one location; Allows voters more time to change party affiliation prior to a primary election so they can vote in their preferred party’s primary; Allows registered independents to serve as poll workers, addressing our poll worker crisis; Permits poll workers to sign up for half-day shifts, further addressing our poll worker crisis; Allows children and parents to obtain a medical-emergency absentee ballot, rather than just the voter and the voter’s spouse; and Reduces wait time for early voting by allowing a county clerk to place early-voting machines in any of the clerk’s office locations.

Louisiana: Rep. Mandie Landry of New Orleans has introduced a bill that would allow every Louisiana resident to vote by mail and require the state to provide pre-paid postage on absentee ballots.

Also in Louisiana, Rep. Matthew Willard (D-New Orleans) has introduced legislation that would change how the state’s voter list is maintained. Under Willard’s bill, residents would be removed from the rolls if they are inactive for four regularly scheduled federal general elections, rather than two such elections as under the current rules. Voters on the inactive list would not see their registrations cancelled within 120 days before an election in their jurisdiction.  

New Hampshire: The House has approved the Secure Modern Accurate Registration Technology (SMART) Act that would allow residents to register to vote when getting a new or renewing an existing driver’s license. Voters would be allowed to opt-out of registering. The House voted 202 to 146 for the bill, heads back to the Senate, where it originated last year.

North Dakota: North Dakota Voters First has submitted a proposal for a statewide ballot petition that if approved would require all voting machines to produce a paper record of every vote cast, require random audits of election results and also allow North Dakota military-overseas voters more time to cast their ballots. The measure also would move the state to an open primary election system, where all candidates are listed on a single ballot. The four candidates who receive the most votes then advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. If no candidate then secures a majority of the vote in the general election, an instant runoff will be held.

Pennsylvania: The For the People Act is awaiting action from the Senate. The Act is a package of bills that would institute automatic voter registration, same-day voter registration and early voting, and put limits on corporate campaign contributions, and allow for pre-registration of 16- and 17-year-olds.

Tennessee: The Bristol city council has voted 4-1 move the city’s elections from May to November.

Utah: The House has voted in favor of SB83 that would permit a political party or candidate to obtain specific pieces of information from a voter registration record classified as private such as a person’s name, address, birth year, political affiliation and voting history.

Virginia: The Senate has approved bills that will move the state to an automatic voter registration system as well as allow for same day registration. Both bills have already been approved by the House and they await Gov. Ralph Northam’s signature.

Washington: House Bill 1251 has been approved by the senate. The bill requires the secretary of state, the attorney general, and the chief information officer to consult with county auditors to identify instances of security breaches in elections systems and data and determine whether the source of any breaches are foreign or domestic entities. Additionally, it mandates the Secretary of State to report to the Legislature when security breaches occur, as well as provide recommendations to increase the security of Washington’s elections system 

Wyoming: A bill that would have prevented crossover voting has failed in the Senate. This is the second attempt in as many years to limit voters to voting for their own party. HB209 (Change in Party Affiliation) passed easily through committee 8-1 and at third reading of the House floor 44-14 on February 28. It failed to advance out of the Senate Corporations Committee.

Also in Wyoming, the Senate has approved a bill that would allow county clerks to accept tribal IDs as official identification for voter registration if the ID includes the applicant’s driver’s license number or last four digits of their social security. The bill was approved unanimously and without debate. Both the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Business Councils expressed support for the bill before it was introduced. However, some tribal leaders would prefer that the legislation go further. Eastern Shoshone Business Councilwoman Karen Snyder told Wyoming Public Radio that the default format for Eastern Shoshone Tribal IDs does not include a driver’s license number or last four digits of social security. “There were some opinions that felt like the bill, initially, was a slap in the face to tribal sovereignty,” Snyder said. “I’m not going to be as aggressive as to say that. I’m going to say it’s a provisional win for us.”

Legal Updates

Florida: Cheryl Hall, 63 of Lake County has been charged with 10 felony counts of submission of false voter registration after she turned in voter registration forms on behalf of Florida First. About 119 forms with some type of fraud were turned in. Some were new registrations with incorrect information and others were forms that Hall had switched the party affiliation on.

Georgia: Under the settlement in federal court, Georgia election officials agreed to contact voters whose ballots were rejected by email, phone and mail within three business days. Voters must be contacted the next business day if absentee ballots are invalidated during the 11 days before Election Day. The agreement resolves a lawsuit filed in November over 8,157 absentee ballots that were thrown out in the 2018 general election; about 3% of all absentee ballots returned by mail.

Indiana: The U.S. attorney’s office has announced that will be examining polling places in the Southern District of Indiana to determine if the sites are compliant with the American with Disabilities Act. According to the Indianapolis Star, the Southern District encompasses 60 counties.

Ohio: The groups seeking to put a ballot measure before voters are appealing a decision by the Ohio Ballot Board to split the Secure and Fair Elections Amendment into four separate ballot questions. The Amendment would, among other things, require 28 days of early voting, automatic voter registration and same day registration. According to WVXU, the Ohio Ballot Board said this measure did not follow the single-issue requirement and split the initiative four ways. Each petition would need 442,958 signatures. The petitioners are appealing to the state’s Supreme Court.

North Carolina: State Appeals Court Judge Chris Brook has recused himself from participation in the voter ID case because of his previous work as an American Civil Liberties Union attorney fighting against a 2013 voter ID law in the state. 

Texas: The Texas Democratic Party, joined by national Democratic groups has sued the state elections officials in an attempt to stop a new ban on straight-ticket voting. According to The Associated Press, The lawsuit was filed in federal court along the Texas border in Laredo, and points to long lines snaking out of polling places in Houston during this week’s election, when some voters waited more than an hour in mostly minority, Democratic neighborhoods. Lines in mostly white, Republican neighborhoods were shorter.

Also in Texas, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state’s attorney general is able to prosecute a defendant indicted for election fraud. The trial court previously quashed part of the indictments, blocking the state from alleging and proving that the defendant committed multiple fraudulent acts during a single election. The court also lowered two election-fraud charges from felonies to misdemeanors. In its opinion, the Seventh Court of Appeals ruled that the trial court erred in quashing the allegations. It reversed the trial court’s order and remanded the cases for trial. Under Texas election laws, the State has a duty to prosecute each election violation, including repeated violations by the same offender.

State District Judge Emily Tobowlowsky has approved a request from Dallas County to redo the tally of votes cast in the March 3 primary after it discovered that an unknown number of ballots from 44 tabulating machines were missed in the initial count. It is unclear how many ballots were missing, and if the missing ballots might affect the outcome of any races.

Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty has filed a petition with the state’s Supreme Court to review the case over whether or not more than 200,000 people should be immediately removed from the voter rolls. The petition is asking the court to review the case before the November election, but not the upcoming April primary. Justice Daniel Kelly said that he will most likely participate in the case since it won’t be heard until after his primary in April. He had initially indicated that he may recuse himself.

Tech Thursday

Illinois: Illinois’ beleaguered automatic voter registration system continues to face problems. The most recent issues found that around 1,000 people who had applied for new licenses should have been registered to vote but that they system opted them out. According to the Herald & Review, the affected individuals have been registered and can vote in Tuesday’s primary, according to election officials. Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) has filed legislation seeking an independent audit of the system.

Nebraska: During in the May 12 primary election, several busy precincts in Lincoln County will have sensors that can detect the number of cell phones at the precinct. Election Commissioner Dave Shively said that information will then used to help the county determine what additional resources may be needed at the polling sites. “It’s just basically counting numbers,” Shively told the Lincoln Journal-Star. The technology comes from Election Tek LLC. The pilot would begin April 13 at the Lancaster County Election Commission Office, when early voting begins, and then two sites would be tested on primary election day, Shively said. By using the sensors, the county elections office will know in real-time if a site needs more resources instead of relying on call from a poll worker.

Washington: According to data gathered from King County, turnout for King Conservation District’s Board of Supervisors, which was conducted by the county elections department using a mobile voting system, nearly doubled from the last election. According to The Hill, An analysis of the votes conducted by the National Cybersecurity Center indicated that 94 percent of voters in 2020 elected to use the new electronic submission method for their ballots, even when presented with the option of verifying the ballot by printing it out and mailing it. “Best practices and standards can and do exist for mobile voting, just as they do for casting a paper ballot; when vendors and jurisdictions embrace those standards, the voter wins,” Forrest Senti, the National Cybersecurity Center’s director of business and government initiatives said in a statement.

Opinions This Week

National Opinions: Voter suppression | Early voting | Voting rights lawsuits | Elections documentary | Super Tuesday | Voting rights, II | Voter education | Election security | Ranked choice voting | Election reform | Ex-felon voting rights | Primaries | Lines | Ballot counting | Coronavirus, II

Alabama: Poll workers | Kids at the ballotbox

Arizona: Early voting

California: Lines, II | Ballot counting | Early voting | Voter’s Choice Act | Primary, II | Los Angeles County, II, III, IV | Voter education | Voting system, II

Colorado: Early voting; Ranked choice voting

Connecticut: Imperfect elections

Florida: Changing votes | Election security | Broward County

Hawaii: Voting system

Illinois: Primary delay

Iowa: Ex-felon voting rights

Kentucky: Election legislation | Voter ID

Michigan: Ballot counting

Minnesota: Voter ID

Mississippi: Get out the vote

Missouri: Secretary of state

Montana: Voters with disabilities

New Mexico: Ranked choice voting

North Carolina: Voting machines, II | Access to voting

Oregon: Election security

South Carolina: Poll workers

Texas: Turnout | Lines, II |  Harris County | Tarrant County | Voting problems

Washington: Primary

West Virginia: Voter access

Upcoming Events

Election Center Special Workshop: The following courses will be offered during this workshop: Course 3 (Planning and Budgeting); Course 4 (Information Technology & Security); and Renewal Course 21 (Public Trust and the Integrity of Elections). Where: Seattle When: April 29-May 3

NASED Summer 2020 Conference: — 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 Summer 2020 Conference. Where: Reno, Nevada When: July 19-22.

NASS Summer 2020 Conference: The National Association of Secretaries of State will hold their Summer 2020 conference at the Silver Legacy Reno, Nevada. Check back here for more information about the Winter 2020 conference when it becomes available. Where: Reno, Nevada. When: July 19-22. 

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.

Assistant Director, Kentucky State Board of Elections— The Kentucky State Board of Elections is an independent agency of state government, established by the Legislature to administer the election laws of the Commonwealth. The SBE also provides training and resources to the County Clerks and County Boards of Election, and supervises registration and purgation of voters within the state. The position of Assistant Director is a highly skilled and valued member of the SBE staff who performs duties ranging from staff management, advising and training of local and state officials, budgeting and policy development. While not required, a license to practice law is preferred. Compliance with Kentucky Revised Statute 117.025 requires that this position be filled by a candidate that is a registered member of the Republican Party of Kentucky. Out of state candidates will be considered if they can show proof of registration with the Republican Party of their current state of residence. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Assistant Registrar, Falls Church City, Virginia— The City of Falls Church is seeking an individual to fill a full-time (40 hours per week, Monday through Friday) Assistant Registrar position. Individual selected will provide professional and technical support services to the Director of Elections & General Registrar of Voters. Responsibilities: During elections, assists the Registrar with making arrangements for setting up polling places, supervising the preparation of voting lists by precincts, publishing notices in accordance with regulations, supervising the printing and maintenance of election ballots according to election laws, making arrangements for adequate facilities and equipment at poll stations; Helping candidates with campaign finance filings; Drafting voter correspondence; Generating and interpreting reports and auditing work for accuracy; Making calendar and website updates, posting meeting notices and understanding FOIA; Mail new voter information notices to all new registered voters and those with address changes; Mailing ballots to qualified voters; Election officer training including updating manuals; Ballot security including identifying threats to vote security and act decisively to defend the integrity of the election and voting process; Voter outreach including voter registration drives at high schools and nursing homes; Preparing extensive documentation for testing and conducting and evaluating elections; Assisting voters with registration and absentee voting; and,  Perform related tasks as required. Salary: $46,339+. Deadline: April 2. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Election Assistance Commission— The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is looking for a seasoned manager to serve as Chief Operating Officer (COO). This is an exceptional opportunity for an individual to oversee the functions and programs of the Commission coming up to the 2020 Elections! The COO is the primary management official responsible for supervising the day-to-day operations of EAC staff. EAC has several program operation divisions which will report to the COO: Voting Systems Testing and Certification, Grants, Research, Communications, HR/Administration, and Finance. Plans and implements communications plans, events, media campaigns, press conferences, briefings, messaging and interviews. Participates in developing communications and media initiatives, planning and implementing of media events, and maintaining a proactive media strategy for the EAC. Under the leadership of the Executive Director, EAC is elevating attention on management issues and transformational change. To manage this change, and to enable the Executive Director to focus attention on Congressional affairs, external relations, budget formulation and execution, and clearinghouse activities, the COO position was created to manage the programmatic, financial management, and administrative functions of the Commission, all of which will continue to be directed by talented professionals with strong expertise in their areas of responsibility. The COO will have special responsibility for supervising senior staff, ensuring that key program areas work in a carefully coordinated way, as well as ensuring that new systems and procedures are effectively adopted whenever such change is required to support the Commission’s transformation and improvement. Salary: $134,789 to $156K.  Deadline: April 8. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Communications Associate, Democracy Works— The communications team ensures the vision of Democracy Works is clearly and creatively articulated to our stakeholders in a variety of contexts. We develop strategic communication plans and programs for our internal and external audiences, promoting the mission and brand of Democracy Works across several channels. We love democracy and are excited to communicate our work to strengthen it. As a part of the team, you will: Support and maintain a strategic, goal-oriented vision for all Democracy Works internal and external communication projects; Develop fresh story ideas: Proactively research and write materials to tell our story and engage a variety of audiences (i.e. website, blog and social media content); Produce communication materials: Prepare executive talking points and bios, briefing materials, newsletters, and presentations that align with our organization’s strategic goals and branding; Assist other teams by copy-editing and proofreading written content; Brainstorm strategic outreach ideas, and produce creative content for new and ongoing projects; Media outreach: Identify strategic narratives and compelling storylines to pitch relevant reporters and secure timely media coverage; Media monitoring: Track and report media coverage of Democracy Works, our products, campaigns, and industry trends; and Press lists: Build and maintain comprehensive press lists to develop relationships with reporters Deadline: Target start date April 28. Salary: $58K-$68K. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Deputy Chief Information Security Officer, U.S. Election Assistance Commission— As the Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (Deputy CISO), the incumbent provides policy, leadership and direction, and serves as a key contributor to the EAC’s strategy regarding achieving mission goals; ensuring that all IT functions are integrated, prioritized and executed within agency priorities and allocated resources; and working closely with EAC’s service providers. Salary: $96,970 to $148,967. Deadline: April 27. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Development Director, Election Administration Resource Center— The Election Administration Resource Center is seeking a proactive, relationship-driven Development Director to help shape the organization’s fundraising strategy and establish a group of individual and foundation donors. You will collaborate with the Board, Executive Director, and staff to lead the organization to strong financial sustainability. Current funding is on a three-year cycle, and plans for the 2021-2024 period will start immediately. You are a highly-organized, self-monitoring exceptional communicator who loves prospecting, authentic relationship building, and making big asks. General job responsibilities: Work with the Finance Officer to plan and operate the annual budget; Establish and maintain relationships with various organizations throughout the nation and utilize these to enhance the mission of the Election Administration Resource Center; Identify potential donors and otherwise increase the overall visibility of the Election Administration Resource Center. Diversifying revenue streams and securing multi-year funding opportunities should be a primary focus; Lead the development and execution of a million dollar three-year fundraising strategy growing existing budget from $1M to $2M annually; Define appropriate goals, track metrics, and prepare progress reports for the board and grant funders; Develop and execute fundraising campaigns to increase the reach of the Election Administration Resource Center and generate revenue. Application: Please send a resume, three references, salary history, and requirements, along with a cover letter of no more than two pages to rosemary.blizzard@rankedchoicevoting.org.

Director of Communications, U.S. Election Assistance Commission— Plans and implements communications plans, events, media campaigns, press conferences, briefings, messaging and interviews. Participates in developing communications and media initiatives, planning and implementing of media events, and maintaining a proactive media strategy for the EAC. Develops and maintains productive relationships with members of the media. Enlist the cooperation of media representatives in providing accurate information to the public that furthers the goals and objectives of the EAC. Provides background information to the media as required and drafts talking points for spokespersons ahead of interviews and presentations. Researches, develops, writes and edits reports, presentations, press releases, fact sheets, feature articles, letters, speeches, testimony, annual reports, opinion pieces, videos, and other public-facing communications materials that effectively communicate the Commission’s goals to EAC stakeholders and a variety of public and internal audiences. Procures and manages contracts and assists with the procurement of other Communications-related needs, i.e. photography, video, subscriptions, and other non-EAC services and goods. Attends staff briefings and policy discussions to gain knowledge of Commission activities in order to remain current on the latest developments of interest to the public, assist in preparing for and responding to media inquiries, and formulate recommendations regarding agency policies and programs. Performs other related duties as assigned. Salary: $96,970 to $148,967. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Director of Elections, Pasquotank County— Independently performs complex technical, administrative and managerial functions in the operation of the office of the Pasquotank County Board of Elections. Responsibilities include receiving and processing applications for registration; candidate filings; processing absentee ballot applications; training and supervising personnel; preparing for federal, state, district, county, municipal and special elections; directing the day-to-day operation of the office, including budget proposals; providing clerical and administrative assistance to the Pasquotank County Board of Elections. Considerable tact and courtesy must be exercised in the extensive public contact of this office and in the dissemination of information to the news media, political parties, candidates and the general public. Independent judgment and initiative are required in applying laws and administering policies to specific cases and in carrying out assignments. Duties are performed in accordance with Chapter 163 of the North Carolina General Statutes and other relevant federal, state and local election laws, rules and regulations, under the administrative supervision of the county board of elections. Records are subject to use and scrutiny by the general public. Attendance is required at a variety of meetings. Upon employment (after May 1, 1995), employee must complete the State Board of Elections certification requirements. The director reports to the Chairman of the Pasquotank County Board of Elections and the State Executive Secretary-Director of Elections. Deadline: March 17. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Executive Director, Chicago Board of Election Commissioners— The Executive Director serves as the chief administrator, providing leadership and implementing policies and programs to carry out the work of the Board. The Executive Director directs an annual operating budget of approximately $34M and leads a staff of 130 full-time employees broken into 7 Divisions comprised of: Registration; Information Technology; Human Resources; Finance; Community Services/Poll Workers; Pre-Election Voting & Logistics; and, Warehouse Operations. All full-time employees, including the Assistant Executive Director, are compensated through the City of Chicago and subject to the benefits offered to City employees, although they are employees of the Board and not the City. Although an employee of the Board, the Executive Director is compensated through Cook County and receives employee compensation and benefits in line with County policies. By statute, the Executive Director must take an oath of office before the Cook County Circuit Court. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Grants Specialist, U.S. Election Assistance Commission— The Grants Specialist will assist the Grants Director to manage and administer the grants program for the EAC pursuant to 5 USC §3109 (See 42 USC §15324(b)) and §204 (6)(c) of HAVA. The incumbent provides expert advice to EAC leadership regarding grants management; provides advice and guidance to States and U.S. territories regarding the use of funds provided by EAC to ensure State/U.S. territory compliance with HAVA, Appropriations Law and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) circulars; conducts pre- and post-audits to review how funds have been spent; and makes recommendations to the Executive Director for audit resolutions. Salary: $69,581 to $128,920 per year.  Deadline: June 17, 2020. 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.

Proposals Manager, Hart InterCivic— The Proposals Program Manager will be responsible for leading and coordinating cross-functional teams for the successful development of proposals and management of the proposal lifecycle. This includes requests for proposals, requests for information, support for post-proposal contract questions, and other related activities. The Proposals Program Manager will work closely with key stakeholders and input providers across each peer group including Sales, Product Management, Finance, Operations and Engineering. This position reports to the Director of Certification and Proposals. For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Quality Assurance Engineer, Democracy Works—You will be our first QA-specific hire, meaning that we are looking for someone who can help us build our approach to QA from the ground up with an eye toward providing guidance to our engineers in their work and potentially building out additional QA capacity over time. As a part of the team you will: Stand up end-to-end testing on our large/complex microservices setup; Structure our approach to QA from the ground up and potentially build a team of QA engineers over time; Write automated testing for our user-facings tools; Integrate into our dev process to confirm the quality of the code our developers are producing; Do some amount of manual testing as needed; Regularly collaborate with other members of the voter engagement team. Salary: $105K-$125K. Deadline: Target start date April 27. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Senior Cyber Program Manager, U.S. Election Assistance Commission— As the Senior Cyber Program Manager, the incumbent provides policy, leadership and direction, and serves as a key contributor to the EAC’s strategy regarding the Election Technology Program. The incumbent furthers the EAC’s efforts in various arenas; works to improve federal, state and local relations with regard to elections; and provides strategic guidance to senior staff on various issues pertaining to elections and specifically, election security. Salary: $96,970 to $148,967. Deadline: April 27. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Site Reliability Engineer, Democracy Works— As our first Site Reliability Engineer, you will guide the direction of the infrastructure engineering discipline at Democracy Works; exemplifying reliable, measurable, secure and repeatable practices that will act as a “force multiplier” across our products. You will: Maintain our infrastructure using Terraform and Kubernetes. Design, build, maintain, and plan for growth of infrastructure at Democracy Works. Create and maintain monitoring and alerting for services. Create and maintain documentation for the systems and tools that you work with. Automate “toil” – discover repetitive manual actions, document those actions, and automate them if possible. Improve existing automation to mitigate risk introduced through the natural process of software change. Join an on-call rotation for services you are responsible for. Review existing code and architecture for security and reliability. Work closely with developers and product teams regarding security and reliability implications of software and infrastructure changes. Aid developers in debugging production issues across services in a distributed system. Assist with interview processes for other available roles at Democracy Works. Work with product teams to balance and prioritize your work according to external deadlines and organizational goals. Salary: $105,000 – $125,000. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Staff Attorney, Voting Rights Practice Group, Disability Rights California— DRC’s Voting Rights Practice Group advocates to ensure voting is fully accessible for people with disabilities by educating government agencies about best practices and educating voters about their rights, including options that allow them to vote privately and independently. The Voting Rights Practice Group provides voting rights and civic participation trainings, advocates with government agencies to improve the voter registration process for people with disabilities, collaborates with election officials to improve accessibility of the voting process, runs a hotline on election days and assists voters with election related complaints, tests accessible voting equipment, creates helpful publications for voters with disabilities and election officials, trains poll workers on making voting accessible, and participates on disability-focused committees in numerous counties. The Voting Rights Practice Group litigates a limited number of voting rights cases. The Voting Rights Staff Attorney shares responsibility with other legal and advocacy staff for providing information, technical assistance, outreach and training and representation in administrative and judicial proceedings to clients with disabilities. The Staff Attorney works under the direct supervision of the Supervising Attorney for Voting Rights and in collaboration with other Disability Rights California attorneys and advocates in their legal, advocacy, and outreach efforts. Salary: $63,063 -$84,513. Deadline: March 20. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Voter Service Manager, Arapahoe County, Colorado— This position provides the opportunity for you to take your voting or government-related experience to a new level in an exciting year where we will administer a statewide primary election in June and the November Presidential General Election. Join our team of dedicated public servants in supporting voters across Arapahoe County while upholding public trust and integrity in our elections process. This position will assist with complex administrative and supervisory work in directing daily activities. The Voter Service Manager supports the Elections Deputy Director, Chief Deputy Director and the Clerk and Recorder with issues concerning all operations of Elections. Salary: $65,960 – $105,365. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

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