electionline Weekly

electionline Daily News Email

electionline is pleased to announce that you may now sign up to receive an early-morning email with the top headlines of the day.

Each morning you’ll receive the top headlines of the day, plus a listing of states featured in that day’s news round up.

To sign up, simply visit our site and provide us with your email and you’ll begin receiving the news in your inbox each morning.

2020 Election Updates

Arizona: While ballot counting continues in Arizona, as is it typically does in this mostly vote-by-mail state, officials are deeming the 2020 primary a success. There was some in-person voting on Tuesday and that’s were some issues did arise. In Pima County, at least 41 incorrect ballots were given to Republican voters in the closed-primary state. Elections Supervisor Brad Nelson chalked it up to human error. In Maricopa County, more than 51,500 people still showed up to vote in-person on Tuesday. While there were no lines, there was some confusion because some polling sites had been forced to move due to the pandemic. Maricopa County’s early voting ballot status webpage was down for bit just after polls opened at 6 a.m., but was back up and running by 7 a.m. For elections officials whose jurisdictions cover the Navajo Nation, the 2020 primary season meant changes to their normal process. Due to the closure of government buildings on tribal lands, Coconino County set up tents for voting and the secretary of state’s office also sent portable hand-washing stations. Some county election workers in Tuba City had to shift their hours because they didn’t have the option of staying at hotels on the Navajo Nation that were closed because of the pandemic County Recorder Patty Hansen told the Associated Press. “It has been a challenge for us to determine what will be the safest locations and procedures for our Navajo Nation, Havasupai and Hopi voters, but I’m very pleased that we’ve had such good collaboration with the tribal governments,” Hansen said. And sadly, a proposed test of a drone to carry vote tallies from the Havasupai Reservation polling location in a gorge off the Grand Canyon had to be scrapped because there was no way for the pilot of the drone to maintain line of sight through the canyon or comply with other federal regulations, Hansen told the AP.

Kansas: While mail ballots are still trickling in, overall primary day in Kansas went well with many people choosing to vote at home instead of in-person. For those that did show up at the polls on Tuesday in places like Sedgwick County, they found sanitized polling places that were cleaned throughout the day by an army of workers organized by a local cleaning business. In Ellis County, the polling area was cleaned every hour and voters were given pens that they then kept to cast their ballots.

Michigan: With more than 1.6 million Michganders voting by mail for the August primary, things were relatively quiet at the polls. There were some issues in Detroit when poll workers who failed to show up for their assigned duties meant that several polling places opened late. Those voters who did show up to vote in-person in places like Battle Creek, Livingston County, Oakland County, Washtenaw County, found no lines and sanitary conditions. Elections officials reported few, if any complaints from voters about measures put in place to protect from the coronavirus. “It went very well. I felt very safe. And it was quick, easy in and out,” said Diana Paivanas, one of the few voters at a polling place In Lenawee County. Processing absentee ballots seemed to be the major focus of most elections office and in Ann Arbor they hired more than 70 poll workers just to process and count the 28,000 absentee ballots received. In Genesee County, thousands of mail ballots had to be spoiled because voters failed to follow the instructions provided. Only three counties, including Ingham County, had not reported all their votes by 3:15pm on Wednesday according to the secretary of state’s office. Delta Township Clerk Mary Clark said about half of her regular poll workers skipped working the primary and she was on the phone as late as Sunday night trying to recruit more. “We were on the phone Sunday calling friends of friends of friends, [saying] ‘Spread the word. Is there anybody that will work?,'” she said.  She conducted a series of emergency training sessions for 12 new poll workers in on Sunday, two days before the primary election.  “It was nothing short of a miracle,” she told the Lansing State Journal. 

Missouri: Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft posted a message to social media late Tuesday night praising local elections officials for a job well done including poll workers. “I want to thank our poll workers across the state – thousands of them – who showed up and made it possible for the people of Missouri to vote,” Ashcroft said in the post. “And I want to thank the people of Missouri for showing up and making sure their voices were heard. That’s three times under COVID-19 that Missouri has shown the country how to have good elections – safe, secure and healthy. Let’s do it again in November.” There were some issues that did arise with in-person voting on Tuesday. As far as we’ve seen, St. Louis County had the only issue with voters and masks on Tuesday, anywhere where one voter refused to vote with a mask on. Also in St. Louis, at least one polling place opened late because the doors were not unlocked in time. Some elections officials in Kansas City and St. Louis reported problems with poll workers not showing up although it did not affect voting. In Kansas City, there were only 50 polling locations instead of the normal 142. “It wasn’t bad at all,” 68-year-old Lee Wallace of Kansas City told the Kansas City Star after casting his ballot at the Brush Creek Community Center. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was pretty easy.” Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said about 18,000 voted in-person on Tuesday and there were no issues or glitches.  In Sikeston, election officials relied on high school students to keep the polling places clean. “We’re wiping things down to make sure that we keep the spread of the virus as minimal as possible so that people feel safe to come and vote,” sophomore Zoie McDonald told KFVS. She said it was important to volunteer. “We’re getting community service hours but even if we weren’t, I probably would still do it,” senior Madeline Sherrod told the station, calling the experience “cool”. There was at least one election night issue. Clay County was forced to recount a county commission race after a voting machine error. At press time, it was unclear what caused the counting issue.

Washington: Voters finished the 2020 primary season in Washington in typically quiet fashion for an all vote-by-mail state. Things in King County were actually quieter than expected at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field which had benne set up as a super vote center to help with same day voter registration and last minute questions and ballot drop offs. “Seeing nobody here is definitely outside of the normal,” Leland Buchanan, the vote center lead told the Seattle Post Intelligencer. “We were definitely expecting a larger turnout.” Given the current conversation about voting by mail, elections officials in Washington did probably spend more time talking about voting security and the vote by mail process than they normally do including in Clark County and  Spokane County. And of course, because it’s a vote-by-mail state, that means ballots are still being counted statewide including in Clallam County. And in the race for secretary of state, Incumbent Secretary of State Kim Wyman (R) appears to be poised to take on State Rep. Gael Tarleton (D) in November.

Election News This Week

Earlier this year, the residents of Yellow Springs, Ohio voted 727 to 571 to allow noncitizens to vote in village elections. Now, Ohio secretary of state Frank LaRose has ordered the Greene County board of elections to reject noncitizen voter registrations and to put measures in place to ensure only citizens may vote in Yellow Springs. According to the Springfield News, LaRose said the measure violates both the U.S. Constitution and the Ohio Constitution. LaRose cited the Ohio Revised Code in his order, saying “While it is true that Ohio’s Constitution confers “home rule” powers on Ohio’s municipalities, those municipalities may only exercise home rule powers “as are not in conflict with the general laws.” According to the paper Yellow Springs intends to fight the order, though Village Council President Brian Housh said the village also does not want to incur tax payer dollars in the process. Housh hopes Gov. DeWine steps-in before the issue moves to court. “I guess what it looks like, if they are really going to pursue this, then I guess it will go to the Ohio Supreme Court,” Housh said. As of March 2020, 12 municipalities in the U.S. allowed noncitizens to vote in some or all local elections.

COVID-19: The Chicago Board of Elections was forced to temporarily close its offices after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.  The Illinois state board of elections was also forced to close its offices for about two weeks after staff members tested positive for the disease. Jackson County, Kansas Clerk Kathy Mick and another member of her staff were diagnosed with COVID-19 just days before the Aug. 4. The diagnosis led to two other staff members being forced to quarantine as well. “I have an excellent staff in there carrying on without me,” Mick told KCTV. “I’ve had a wonderful group of people step up to help me.”

The FBI has been in touch with Ralls County, Missouri Clerk Sandy Lanier after she was attacked on social media. According to The Courier-Post, said recently that her office was under attack and that her staff was being intimidated. In an interview about a Facebook post, Lanier said that employees in her office had been contacted by people she declined to identify, who asked questions about Lanier’s personal life and her family. Lanier said that she called the Missouri Ethics Commission, the Missouri Secretary of State and the FBI to report her concerns about pressure on her office. “Contact was made with employees in my office and my family, asking personal questions about my life and slandering me in an effort to persuade the upcoming Aug. 4, 2020, election,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “These are negative campaign ethics. Please understand that these kind of attacks will not be tolerated. As the Election Authority for Ralls County, I took an oath for this office and will stand behind this oath.”

Election Office Updates: Officials in Cobb County, Georgia voted to spend $7.5 million to purchase 51,000 square feet of office space for the county elections office. Janine Eveler told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the department’s current office is only about 12,700 square feet. Renovations will need to be done on the new space, but Eveler said she hopes the office can relocate sometime next year. The Dauphin County, Pennsylvania bureau of elections will conduct its last elections in its current location because in the new year the bureau will move into the former county Area Agency on Aging building. The building is 9,000 square feet, four and a half times the size of what the county is currently working with downtown. Hundreds of voting machines and scanners have already been taken into the basement. Renovations will start this fall with a timetable to move in around February 2021. “This will be our one-stop-shop for elections,” County Commissioner Mark Pries told Fox 43. In Richmond, Virginia, the city’s general registrar office is moving out of City Hall and into its new digs where it has signed a 10-year lease for 38,400 square feet of office and storage space, along with a parking lot with about 225 spaces. The office is initially taking 31,000 square feet of the building. It will take the rest of the space on Jan. 1, 2022, when communications firm Windstream plans to vacate the first-floor space it currently occupies. General Registrar Kirk Showalter said the city has been searching for five years for a space that could consolidate the office’s operations, which currently are split between its City Hall space and a 6,000-square-foot storage warehouse it leases. She said the new space will increase the office’s storage capacity to 10,000 square feet.

I Voted Sticker News: Like peanut butter and chocolate, suffrage and “I Voted” stickers are two great things that go great together and Wilton, Connecticut has joined a growing list of states and localities that will honor the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment with special suffrage “I Voted” stickers. Although Wilton’s will be a bit different because they will be virtual stickers. A set of six stickers features the images of four Wilton women known to have registered to vote in Wilton  in 1920. A fifth sticker features a group of Connecticut suffragists and the sixth honors all Wilton women, known and unknown, who cast their first ballot 100 years ago. Although the pandemic eliminated actual stickers, designer Pamela Hovland pursued the idea of virtual ones that people could display on their social media sites or print out and display in their windows or elsewhere. “We were very lucky to have photographs in the Wilton history room of about 30 to 40 of the women who voted in that election,” Julie Hughes who works in the Wilton Library’s history room told The Wilton Bulletin.  “We were able to choose the best, sharpest photographs, and we were lucky those women were ones we happened to find historical information about.”

Personnel News: Beth Lechman has resigned as the Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania elections director. Cricket Miller has resigned as the Hood County, Texas elections administrator. Miller is now the new Parker County, Texas elections administrator. An effort to recall Mesa County, Colorado Clerk Tina Peters fell about 1,300 signatures short of the 12, 192 signatures needed to force the recall election. Kathy E. Van Wolfe announced that she will be retiring as the McLennan County elections administrator effective Nov. 30. Jennifer Bellas is resigning as the Armstrong County, Pennsylvania director of elections and chief registrar effective Aug. 14. The Chatham County, Georgia board of elections voted to censure Board Member Debbie Rauers for harassing an employee in November 2019.

Research and Report Summaries

The Pennsylvania Department of State released its after action report on the state’s June primary elections this week. The report provides an overview of the procedural and policy changes put in place for the primary, as well as statistics on voter registration, turnout, absentee and mail-in ballot usage, polling places, and canvassing. The report includes recommendations for state lawmakers.

The Registrar of Voters for Orange County, California released a report on its COVID-19 response measures last week. The report details measures taken by the county during all-mail-ballot local elections in April and May, a subsequent recount in May, and a post-election audit in June, as well as the county’s preparations for the November elections. The report covers candidate filing, vote-by-mail voting, poll worker recruitment and training, vote center locations, drop box locations, services for voters with disabilities, language assistance, post-election audits, public observation, and public education and outreach.

The Rand Corporation released two reports on election administration in the COVID-19 environment this week.

• An Assessment of State Voting Processes: Preparing for Elections During a Pandemic summarizes state election laws on voter registration, remote voting, and early voting, and discusses the potential implications of these laws for the execution of the November elections under COVID-19 pandemic conditions.
• Options for Ensuring Safe Elections: Preparing for Elections During a Pandemic presents and analyzes options for registration and voting amid potentially extended threats resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. State Department’s Global Engagement Center released a report on Russian disinformation this week. The report details Russia’s “disinformation and propaganda ecosystem,” a collection of official, proxy, and unattributed communication channels and platforms that Russia uses to create and amplify false narratives. The report identifies and explores the ecosystem’s five main pillars: official government communications; state-funded global messaging; cultivation of proxy sources; weaponization of social media; and cyber-enabled disinformation.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation released a report on voter registration in Florida last week. The report, Is Florida Ready for the 2020 Elections?, analyzes Florida voter registration data in a national context and takes a closer look at data in Hillsborough and Miami-Dade counties. The report examines deceased individuals remaining on the rolls, duplicate registrations, registrants at non-residential addresses, registrants aged 105 and older, and other issues.

Election Security Updates

A House Homeland Security subcommittee heard from several witnesses, who said it is critical for Americans to have confidence in the election system, given the foreign meddling that occurred four years ago. John Gilligan, president and CEO of the Center for Internet Security, said states have made technical improvements that make it difficult to hack into voting systems. He noted that election officials have consistently said that there was no evidence any votes were changed in the 2016 election. “Those systems tend to be highly resilient, and they’re not easily accessible,” Gilligan said. When asked his greatest fear for the upcoming election, he cited the issue of voter confidence that was rattled four years ago. “I believe that the biggest challenge that we continue to have into 2020 … is to be able to ensure that the American public has clear information about what is being done to protect the systems,” Gilligan said.

The State Department has announced that it will offer rewards of up to $10 million for information to help identify any person who, acting at the direction of a foreign government, tries to hack into election or campaign infrastructure.

Legislative Updates

Federal Legislation: A group of House Republicans on Monday introduced legislation that would appropriate $400 million to states to address election challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emergency Assistance for Safe Elections (EASE) Act would designate $200 million to assist with sanitizing in-person polling stations and purchasing personal protective equipment, while a further $100 million would go towards recruiting and training new poll workers, following a nationwide shortage of workers due to the pandemic. The final $100 million would be appropriated for states to maintain the accuracy of their voter registration lists. Other provisions in the bill include measures to increase the cybersecurity of the elections process, including establishing an election cyber assistance unit at the Election Assistance Commission, and updating voluntary voting system guidelines established by the Help America Vote Act to cover next-generation voting technology, such as e-pollbooks.

Idaho: The Legislature’s State Affairs Working Group has voted in favor of recommending a special session on the second draft proposal submitted to it by county clerks, to make a one-time change for the November election to allow consolidated voting centers, in counties where running the usual in-person voting precincts proves problematic. Senate members of the committee voted 8-0 in favor; House members split 10-4.

Iowa: In a statehouse ceremony, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed an executive order restoring the voting rights to thousands of formerly incarcerated Iowans. The executive order automatically restores their voting rights once they have discharged their sentence or been granted probation or parole. Reynolds, signed the order to restore the right to vote to felons who have completed their sentences or have been paroled or placed on probation, and to set up a process where she will daily restore voting rights of eligible felons going forward. “It boils down to our fundamental belief in redemption and second chances,” she said. “Quite simply, when someone serves their sentence and has paid the price our justice system has set for their crime, they should have their right to vote restored automatically, plain and simple.” The order does not apply to felons who were convicted under Iowa’s Chapter 707 homicide criminal code section — which includes murder, manslaughter and voluntary manslaughter — nor does it extend voting rights to felons with special lifetime sentences for sexual crimes or other offenses.

Minnesota: After several virtual meetings, the Minnetonka Charter Commission passed a resolution July 28 rejecting the ranked-choice voting charter amendment proposed by the city council, asking it to rescind the ordinance. At its first June meeting, the Minnetonka City Council adopted an ordinance to amend the city charter requiring the use of ranked-choice voting for municipal elections and remove all references to primaries from the charter. This accelerated the process for the Charter Commission to further study the impacts of the amendment and whether it would be in the best interest of residents. The commission had up to 60 days, or until Aug. 7, to review the proposed amendment, though it could potentially take up to 150 days, or until Nov. 5, if more information was requested.

Mississippi: The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors approved a request from the Election Commission for additional funding for Election Day. The Board approved the spending of around $11,360 in additional workers and hazard pay due to COVID-19.  The ruling includes the addition of four more poll workers as well as 34 “COVID-19” workers who will be in charge of cleaning the voting precinct and making sure that voters are standing six feet away from each other.

Ohio: State Representatives Jeffrey A. Crossman (D-Parma) and Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) introduced legislation on July 31, the day civil rights leader Congressman John Lewis was laid to rest, to designate Feb. 21 as “John Lewis Voter Registration Day.” Feb. 21. was chosen as the day because it was Lewis’ birthday. The day would promote voter registration throughout Ohio and remind residents of all the work Lewis did to expand voting rights for all Americans.

Oregon: State Sen. Tim Knopp (R-Bend) announced Aug. 3 that he is crafting legislation that would extend the time voters have to mail their ballots. Currently, Oregon elections law requires that ballots arrive at county elections offices by 8 pm on Election Day. That typically means they must be mailed by the Thursday prior to Election Day or be dropped off in person. Knopp is proposing instead that ballots must be postmarked no later than the Saturday before Election Day—effectively giving voters an extra two days and protecting them from unforeseen delays in mail delivery.

Nevada: In a special weekend session, the Nevada General Assembly has approved Assembly Bill 4 that aims to shorten lines by guaranteeing every active registered voter receives a mail-in ballot in November’s general election and any future political contest carried out under a statewide disaster or emergency declaration. The measure also mandates a minimum number of in-person polling places. Voters will still be allowed to drop off mail-in ballots at many of those same locations. Gov. Steve Sisolak has signed the bill into law.

New Hampshire:  Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a bill that would have allowed voters to register when they apply for a driver’s license or an identification card at the Division of Motor Vehicles. He argued there were already plenty of ways for someone to register to vote, including by absentee ballot during the 2020 cycle due to the coronavirus. “New Hampshire has a very accessible voter registration process. Voters have the option of in-person registration with town clerks, same-day registration on Election Day and the ability to register by absentee for those with disabilities or who will be temporarily absent on election day,” he said in his veto statement. “This ease of registering to vote in New Hampshire is reflected in the high percentage of eligible voting age individuals who are able to register and vote every year.”

New Jersey: Assembly Majority Conference Leader Annette Quijano (D-Elizabeth) and Assemblywoman Nancy Pinkin (D-East Brunswick) have introduced a bill that would require voting machine vendors that work with New Jersey to disclose their ownership structure. The proposal would mandate that any owners or shareholders with at least 5% stake in the company be disclosed before the contract is approved. Changes in ownership would also need to be reported.

North Dakota: An executive order issued by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum on March 26 strongly recommended, but did not order, that counties conduct vote by mail and the order suspended the requirement that counties have at least one physical polling location. This order authorized state election officials to make their own determinations at the local level.  On Tuesday, Stark County commissioners were asked to affirm and uphold their oaths by voting on a resolution affirming that they will maintain polling places in order to secure the rights of county citizen to vote in-person this November.  Commissioners thought so and passed the resolution unanimously certifying that the county will have in-person voting come November.

Legal Updates

Florida: Nineteen states and Washington D.C., led by attorneys general in Illinois and Washington, filed a legal brief asking the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta to uphold a May ruling that struck down provisions of a Florida law that restricted the voting rights of former felons. That law required people who have served time for a felony to pay off any court debts before they can register to vote. “Voting is a right. It is not a privilege only for those who can afford to pay a poll tax,” Illinois AG Kwame Raoul said in a written statement. “Pay-to-vote laws are discriminatory and serve mainly to suppress Black and other minority voters. Individuals who have completed their sentences deserve a second chance, which includes having the right to participate in our nation’s democracy.” In addition to the attorney generals, three dozen former Department of Justice attorneys are also asking a federal appeals court to side with plaintiffs. The 37-page brief filed this week includes a history of the litigation surrounding discriminatory voting laws that led to the passage of the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and seminal U.S. Supreme Court decisions thwarting states from skirting the constitutional amendment’s prohibition against poll taxes.

Also in Florida, Pinellas County Circuit Judge George M. Jirotka denied Democrats motion for partial summary judgement that the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections violated state law when they refused to initially provide them with the names and contact information for 68 voters who had to cast a provisional ballot in the March 17 presidential primary election. “What’s very important is that I recognize that there’s a constitutional right to public records and we respect that,” Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus told Spectrum Bay News 9 after she learned of the judge’s ruling. “But there is also an unfettered constitutional right to a secret ballot. That was the issue at hand. And I will go to whatever extent I have to go to the highest court possible to ensure that our voters right to a secret ballot is not violated.”

Illinois: The Illinois Municipal League has filed a lawsuit in Sangamon County Court about Election Day being declared a state holiday. The lawsuit questions if a bill passed by the General Assembly in May that made various changes to elections this year due to COVID-19 effects local units of government. The lawsuit contends that the bill only amended the School Code and the State Universities Civil Service Act. It did not specifically mention the Municipal Code which governs Illinois cities. The lawsuit court documents say that the Illinois Municipal League asked the Illinois State Board of Elections and lawmakers who sponsored the bill for clarification, but didn’t receive an answer. The lawsuit says that requiring all municipalities to close on Election Day would be an “unfunded mandate with unintended implications on municipal operations, personnel and collective bargaining agreements.”

Indiana: Common Cause Indiana and the state conference of the NAACP have filed a lawsuit to force Secretary of State Connie Lawson and members of the Election Commission to count absentee votes past the current noon deadline on Election Day. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, comes as state officials are facing increasing pressure to allow no-excuse absentee voting for the Nov. 3 general election because of the health threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic that has already claimed 150,000 American lives. The lawsuit says “even in the best of times the Noon Election Day Receipt Deadline disenfranchises voters, this is not the best of times. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created a number of new and significant challenges for voters and election officials, including serious health risks to in-person voting and significant delays in mail-in ballot delivery.”

Louisiana: Voting rights advocates have filed a federal lawsuit against Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin. The organizations say Louisiana is doing too little to protect ballot access in its November and December elections and should widen mail-in voting options amid the coronavirus outbreak. The lawsuit was filed Monday on behalf of the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP, the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice and voters from Baton Rouge and Hammond. Ardoin crafted an emergency plan for the state’s July and August elections that increased early voting and expanded mail-in balloting. But no such plan has been offered so far for the fall elections.

Minnesota: The Minnesota Voters Alliance, the Republican Party of Minnesota, State Representative Duane Quam, and several election judges filed a petition for the Olmsted County District Court to order the County of Olmsted to change how it appoints members to the absentee ballot review board for the upcoming November elections. The MVA believes the county is violating State statute 203B.121. In particular, the party balance requirement: “No more than half of the election judges in a precinct may be members of the same major political party unless the election board consists of an odd number of election judges, in which case the number of election judges who are members of the same major political party may be one more than half the number of election judges in that precinct.” The MVA says the county is using its employees to serve in these positions, and it’s a conflict of interests when election judges are rejecting ballots.

The Minnesota Voter Alliance has also sued Gov. Tim Walz and other officials in an attempt to block a requirement that voters wear face masks at polling places to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. The suit argues that Walz’s mask mandate conflicts with a 1963 state law making it a misdemeanor for someone to conceal their identity with a mask. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a statement standing behind “the legality and constitutionality” of Walz’s executive order.

In other Minnesota litigation news, Ramsey County Assistant Chief Judge Sara Grewing has extended a court order allowing registered Minnesota voters to skip getting a witness signature on their mail-in ballot for the Aug. 11 to the November general election. The decision by Grewing also ordered that with an increased volume in mail-in balloting and U.S. Postal Service delays, election officials must count Minnesotans’ ballots if they are postmarked by Election Day, as long as they are received by official county canvassing dates. The ruling follows an hours-long court hearing Friday involving two lawsuits from groups concerned about preserving voting rights during the COVID-19 pandemic, including for populations most vulnerable to the effects of infection, like people of color, seniors and those with preexisting health conditions.

Nevada: The ink was not even dry on Gov. Steve Sisolak’s signature when the president’s re-election campaign filed suit against the state’s new mail voting law. he lawsuit claims “electoral process cannot function properly if it lacks integrity and results in chaos. Put simply, the American people must be able to trust that the result is the product of a free and fair election.  “Nevada’s recently enacted election laws — collectively, AB4 — fall far short of this standard,” the lawsuit states. In addition to mailing registered voters a ballot, the bill signed on Sunday requires at least 140 polling places throughout the state.

New York: Judge Analisa Torres of Federal District Court in Manhattan has ruled that at least 1,000 disputed ballots in a closely watched congressional primary should be counted. Under Torres’s decision, ballots received the day after Election Day — June 24 — will be counted “without regard to whether such ballots are postmarked by June 23.” Ballots that were received by June 25 — two days after the election deadline — would also be valid, so long as they did not have a postmark later than June 23. In sworn testimony postal officials conceded that their system of identifying and postmarking ballots was not foolproof, and that some ballots had not been postmarked. The state board of elections has announced that it will appeal the decision.  “Given the totality of the circumstances here, we understand the desire to protect the rights of voters,” said Elections Commissioner and Co-Chairman Douglas A. Kellner.  “However, this will place a tremendous burden on the local boards of elections as they are preparing for the November general election and is highly unlikely to change the results in any contest.”

North Carolina: U.S. District Court Judge William Osteen has ordered that North Carolina voters will have an opportunity to cure absentee ballots that may be deemed deficient. The ruling said people will now be ensured “due process” to fix any problems that arise with their ballots, and Osteen left open the door for the state’s political leaders to write a more specific rule or law “which provides a voter with notice and an opportunity to be heard” if there is a problem with their mail-in ballot. Osteen quoted the challengers’ argument that leaving the current rules in place “could result in voters being inadvertently disenfranchised if they make a mistake.” Osteen did not rule on several other provisions of the original lawsuit including the deadline for voter registration, use of ballot drop boxes and the witness requirement for absentee ballots.

Ohio: Two new lawsuits were filed against Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Friday: One by the Ohio Democratic Party to allow online requests for absentee ballots and another by the League of Women Voters of Ohio over the practice of signature-matching when absentee ballots are requested. Filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, the Democrats’ suit argues that current law already allows Ohioans to send in requests for absentee ballots either by email or fax. It wants a judge to agree that electronic forms of transmission are acceptable for ballot requests so that the electronic methods can begin to be accepted. The league’s suit — which also includes the A. Philip Randolph Institute of Ohio and others as co-plaintiffs, all represented by the ACLU of Ohio — also touches on the anticipated high numbers of absentee ballots that would be requested due to the pandemic. It’s filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus. The lawsuit challenges the practice of election officials matching voter signatures on the ballots and the ballot applications.

Also in Ohio, Secretary of State Frank LaRose said that he has asked the state’s attorney general for clarity on whether or not it is allowable to install more than one ballot drop box per county. If it’s legal to add extra drop boxes, then I’m certainly open to that idea,” LaRose said. “It’s a question that I’ve asked the attorney general to clarify, because the Ohio revised code is definitely not clear as to the question of whether counties can add additional drop boxes.”

Rhode Island: The Republican National Committee and the Rhode Island Republican Party has filed a notice of appeal of a federal judge’s decision to suspend witness and notary requirements for Rhode Island mail ballots in the upcoming elections. The appeal was filed with the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals Thursday, the same day U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy entered her formal order waiving the mail ballot requirements.

South Carolina: Two South Carolina “high-risk” voters have asked the S.C. Supreme Court for an emergency hearing to declare the state’s election law unconstitutional and widen voting ahead of November, arguing the state has failed to guarantee access to the ballot for all people during the pandemic. More specifically, the petition asks the court, for example, to implement early voting, drop-box absentee returns, curbside voting polling locations and online absentee applications in addition to allowing more time for officials to count absentee ballots.

Another group of South Carolina voters has asked U.S. District Judge Michelle Childes for an injunction that would require the South Carolina Election Commission to allow all voters — not just a limited few — the right to vote absentee in the upcoming November election. This week’s injunction request seeks a far broader ruling than the pre-primary ruling and would open up absentee voting to virtually anyone who wanted to do so. Currently, only a minority of South Carolinians in narrowly defined categories — such as being in jail, or being disabled, or being away on vacation — are granted permission to vote absentee. The injunction seeks: o allow all S.C. voters the right to cast an absentee ballot in the upcoming November election; To extend the time by which mailed-in ballots must reach elections officials in order to be counted; and to eliminate the requirement that an absentee voter must have another person witness their signature. (Childs already agreed to this for the June primary.

Tennessee: Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle said a decision on whether to allow people to participate in the state’s primary election if they’ve had their voting rights restored after being convicted of a felony out of state won’t come until after the primary. According to the complaint, the plaintiffs have been barred from voting in the primary election because Tennessee has improperly imposed additional barriers that would clear them to submit a ballot. During last week’s hearing, attorneys argued for an injunction that would force the state to people who have had their voting rights restored to vote in the Aug. 6 primary and any future election.

Also in Tennessee, Janet Kleinfelter, deputy attorney general argued before the state Supreme Court, that a Davidson County Chancery Court essentially rewrote vote-by-mail laws when she issued an injunction allowing all Tennesseans to send in their ballots during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Courts don’t construe statutes based upon what the current circumstances are,” Kleinfelter told the justices. “Courts construe statutes based upon the plain language and the legislative intent.” On Wednesday, the Supreme Court overturned the option for all eligible voters to vote by mail in November due to COVID-19. It restores Tennessee’s excuse-based system for November, with COVID-19 related additions that include underlying health conditions for voters and those in their care. The justices wrote the decision doesn’t impact ballots for Thursday’s primary.

Wisconsin: Federal judge William Conley heard arguments this week in a suit brought by the state and federal Democratic party as well as several nonprofit groups over temporary changes to state election law. The legal challenge combines four unique lawsuits that contend several Wisconsin voting laws shouldn’t be allowed to stand during the COVID-19 pandemic because they make it too difficult for people to vote as the virus spreads. Two of the lawsuits were filed before the April 7 presidential primary and have been extended to apply to November’s election. Two others were filed after April’s election. The challenge is asking the federal court to extend the state’s online voter registration deadline, as well as the deadline for mail-in ballots to be received by election officials. The court did both of those things for April’s election. During arguments, Conley said he believes current deadlines for mail-in ballots make it very possible some ballots may arrive too late to be counted. “Absentee ballots requested five days before the election are simply not going to get turned around,” Conley said. “There’s compelling evidence that’s not going to happen.”

Tech Thursday

Florida: The shine is off the apple for Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley. Corley, who used to be one of the election world’s most prolific social media users has abandoned ship. Corley told the Tampa Bay Times, he came to the realization over time that social media was not helping the security and integrity of the election process. In the summer of 2016, he said he had no idea about “all things cyber-security” but that isn’t true anymore. After working with his state and federal partners including the Department of Homeland Security, he said he feels he is prepared for any physical or cyberthreats. Corley said he is not comfortable with the way that Facebook and Twitter have dealt with the accuracy concerns. Directing everyone to the supervisor’s web site, he said, eliminates that. “What we gain from this is that I want to be able to control the message,” Corley told the paper.

South Carolina: The State Election Commission’s voter education website has a new web address. Voters will be able to access the election commission’s website at scvotes.gov. “Voters will know when they see ‘scVOTES.gov,’ they have arrived at the official website of the S.C. State Election Commission,” a press release on the change said. The commission has operated scVOTES.org for years. “Having the .gov extension will help voters easily recognize the site as a trusted source of information,” the release said. The .org domain extension will continue to exist indefinitely and will redirect visitors to the new address, the release said.

Virginia: Virginia has joined a growing list of states that allow voters to track their absentee ballots. Some local election boards in Virginia were already doing that for voters, but the new rule makes it a requirement statewide. “We’re mandating that localities create unique identifiers to track each individual ballot,” James Heo, a policy adviser for Virginia’s Department of Elections said. “The voter can track through a dashboard site that we’re providing to the public, while the registrar can track internally.”

Opinions This Week

National Opinion: Election security | General election, II, III, IV, V, VI | Vote by mail, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII | Poll workers | U.S. Postal Service, II, III | Voting rights, II, III | Felon disenfranchisement | Media coverage | Litigation | Voter suppression | Youth vote | Election paranoia | Suffrage | U.S. Senate | In-person voting | Lines | Time off to vote

Alaska: Ranked choice voting, II

California: Santa Cruz County

Colorado: Election security | Vote by mail

Florida: Ex-felon voting rights, II

Georgia: Secretary of state

Indiana: Vote by mail | Voter fraud

Iowa: Voting system

Louisiana: Voting laws

Maine: U.S. Postal Service | Ranked choice voting

Maryland: General election | Carroll County

Massachusetts: Ranked choice voting

Minnesota: Disinformation

Mississippi: In-person voting

Missouri: In-person voting

Nevada: Voting rights | Voting legislation

New Jersey: Early voting | Vote by mail

New York: Postmarks | Felony disenfranchisement

North Carolina: Voting rights | U.S. Postal Service

Ohio: Lucas County

Oregon: Vote by mail

Pennsylvania: False narratives | Election reform

Texas: Early voting | General election

Utah: General election

Wisconsin: Support for clerks

Upcoming Events

Election Security: Security for Whom?: Good elections are secure elections—but what does that mean? Does it mean that election processes help eligible people vote, while thwarting anyone else? Does it mean accurate vote tabulation—and being able to prove that the counting was done right? Does it mean keeping voters safe at the polls? Does it mean giving the voting public a sense of security in a time of disinformation and misinformation? Yes, yes, yes and yes. Learn from national elections experts about cybersecurity, election validation and audits, healthy polling places and communicating about security. Where: Online: When: August 13, 12pm Central

D3P National Training Tour: The Defending Digital Democracy Project (D3P) is launching a national training tour effort for local election officials as they prepare for the 2020 election. Given the many changes of the past months, this tour will be conducted digitally and is designed to give officials the best of D3P live training sessions in a new format. In addition to supporting local election officials through customized training, the tour may also host some special sessions for state election officials. Local jurisdictions can sign up for a block of virtual training sessions from June to August 2020, with the timing, content, and outputs customizable based on election officials’ schedules and priority needs. D3P’s work is committed to supporting officials in protecting the elections process. Just as you continue your work to serve the American people, we continue our work to serve you. This is a free, virtual resource that will involve discussion groups, live table top simulations, and state-specific content. Key training topics include operations management, crisis communications, disinformation, and Covid-19 support. When: Now through August 28. Where: Online.

Timing is Everything: Absentee Ballot Processing: The National Conference of State Legislatures will address the technical aspects of the process, and what states that expect to see an increase in absentee voting this year can do now to efficiently manage the flow of ballots in November (and maybe—just maybe—avoid delaying the release of election results). When: Aug. 26, 1pm Eastern. Where: Online

Lessons Learned From the 2020 Primaries: Now, before we’re in the thick of November’s election fever, is an excellent time to pause and reflect on this year’s primary season. What did we learn from the states, starting from Iowa’s caucuses in February all the way through September’s state primaries? We’ll discuss the timing for primaries, whether state and presidential primaries are best run jointly or as two separate events, how ranked-choice voting performed this year, independent voters’ role in political party decision-making and more. Expect to take away ideas for 2022 or 2024. Speakers include: Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, Rob Richie, president and CEO of FairVote and Scott Saiki, Hawaii Speaker of the House and NSCL president-elect. When: Sept. 9, 2pm Eastern. Where: Online.

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.

Business Enablement Project Manager, Hart InterCivic— The Business Enablement Project Manager manages projects that further the advancement of business for the organization. These projects include the development of RFP responses, management of strategic regulatory activities, execution of market research activities, and internal projects to support the improvement of business processes to support the Proposals and Certification Teams.  The Business Enablement Project Manager must be able to function effectively on all levels of corporate structure in order to identify opportunities, analyze business needs, and identify and solve problems that present barriers to market entry. The Business Enablement Project Manager must be able to exercise sound judgment, interact with internal and external stakeholders, and complete projects professionally in high-pressure situations. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Communications Associate, Center for Tech and Civic Life — When you think about elections, you might think about popular candidates, “I voted” stickers, and all sorts of paperwork and deadlines. But behind the scenes are thousands of election administrators in state and local governments who are working hard to make sure ballots are counted and voices are heard. To serve every community and make democracy work, election administrators need 21st-century tools and training. You can help them get it! As the CTCL Government Services Communications Associate, you will grow and engage our network of election administrators (what we call ELECTricity) and connect them with resources like CTCL training courses and ElectionTools.org. You’ll work with the Government Services team and report to the Impact and Learning Manager. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Specialist I-III, Douglas County, Colorado — This position is focused on routine customer service and general office/clerical support including data entry, communications, and processing mail. This is a support role capable of performing a variety of tasks, with problem solving abilities, managing multiple competing responsibilities and prioritizing to maintain a continuous flow of election office operations. This is a visible and crucial position requiring exceptional computer, customer service, and communication skills. This position may require technical work in a lead role capable of performing a variety of complex tasks, with solving problem abilities, managing multiple competing tasks and prioritizing to maintain a continuous flow of operations and temporary support. This position may be classified as an Elections Specialist I, II, or III dependent upon the skills of the candidate and the department’s business needs. Salary: $34,614 – 54,050. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Supervisor, Dallas County, Texas— Assists management by planning, organizing, delegating and overseeing the daily operations of one or more areas of responsibility associated with the election process. Oversees the election program area to ensure staffing coverage is adequate, and productivity standards are met and are effective develops and implements goals and objectives, performance measures and techniques to evaluate programmatic activities reviews correspondence and reports from local, state and or federal agencies analyzes statistical data and prepares and maintains related reports. Researches and maintains comprehensive knowledge and understanding of applicable laws, policies and procedures to effectively communicate with staff, and acts as liaison and departmental representative to elected officials, political representatives, candidates, judges, contracting customers, vendors, general public, and or other county, state and federal representatives to resolve problems, answer questions, provide assistance and modify policies procedures. Hires and trains supervisory and support staff, evaluates performance and initiates disciplinary actions coordinates and monitors scheduling, productivity and workloads. Assists in budget preparation and maintains related data and reports. Performs other duties as assigned. Salary Range: $49,765.92 – $62,100.24. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

HAVA Administrator, Nevada Secretary of State— The Nevada secretary of state’s office is seeking a HAVA Administrator. The incumbent in this position will manage the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) grant and in this capacity will work with members of the State Elections Division, county registrar of voters, and other elections related positions in the federal, state, and county governments to manage the application of the HAVA grant and support the conduct of state and federal elections. This position will be a key member of the State elections team and will be primarily responsible for the analysis and interpretation of federal and state elections law. This position will supervise up to six other elections-related employees. State employee Benefits – Medical, dental, vision care, life and disability insurance programs are available; eleven paid holidays per year; three weeks of annual leave; three weeks of sick leave; state defined benefit retirement plan; tax-sheltered deferred compensation plan available. State employees do not contribute to Social Security; however, a small Medicare deduction is required. Salary: $66,628.08 – $100,161.36. The Secretary of State’s Office is located in downtown Carson City, near beautiful Lake Tahoe in Northern Nevada, which offers a destination location to live, work and play. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Policy Associate, National Vote at Home Institute— Under the general direction of the National Policy Director, the ​Policy Associate is​ responsible for supporting the policy goals of the National Vote at Home Institute (NVAHI), including the design and implementation of mail ballot policies and procedures nationwide. The Policy Associate is responsible for internal data capture and interpretation in a shifting policy landscape and will also contribute heavily to data analysis and strategy decisions that the data informs. As an entrepreneurial and growing nonprofit, NVAHI seeks an energetic, flexible, and creative team member to help us grow our impact. The compensation range for this position is$45,000-$60,000/year depending on experience. This position is remote and requires a personal computer, phone, and access to the internet. Applications: For those interested in applying, please send a resume, cover letter, and references to National Policy Director Audrey Kline at ​audrey@voteathome.org​ with subject line “Policy Associate”

Project Associate, Center for Tech and Civic Life — When you think about elections, you might think about popular candidates, “I voted” stickers, and all sorts of paperwork and deadlines. But behind the scenes are thousands of election administrators in state and local governments who are working hard to make sure ballots are counted and voices are heard. To serve every community and make democracy work, election administrators need practical, research-based approaches that can improve their operations. These include things like voter registration, resource allocation, and language access. As the CTCL Projects Associate, you will learn about the complex challenges that voters face and help election administrators address those challenges. You’ll work with the Government Services team and report to the Senior Project Manager. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Project Coordinator, Center for Election Innovation and Research— CEIR seeks a qualified, full-time Project Coordinator to join our team. The Project Coordinator will report to the Program Director and will be responsible for monitoring project progress, promoting communication, and ensuring key milestones are met. The Project Coordinator will partner with CEIR’s Research manager and other project staff to create project action plans and coordinate resources. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced and highly motivated individual who wants to join a quickly growing nonprofit that seeks to make a substantial, positive, nonpartisan impact on elections and American democracy. CEIR’s office is in Washington, DC, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all CEIR staff are working remotely for the foreseeable future. Therefore, while we prefer applicants who live in the Washington, DC Metro Area, we will also consider qualified applicants who live elsewhere. 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.

QA Analyst I, Dominion Voting Systems, Denver, Colorado— Responsible for quality assurance of DVS products. Ensure that products and services comply with all regulations and required functionality; verifies that all products and services either meet or exceed the requirements specified by the customers and guaranteed by the company. Job Responsibilities: Set up, install and configure test equipment and testbeds; Assist with System Test plan and coverage based on release content; Design, write, maintain, and execute automated and manual test cases, test scenarios, and test scripts including regression tests, functional tests, and data tests; Design and perform load and performance testing through a combination of automated and manual tests; Create test processes for new and existing software products; Define and evaluate test automation strategies; Encourage adoption of automation best practices throughout the Scrum agile-based, software development life-cycle; Work with the development team to resolve software bugs/defects; and Generate and report on test metrics. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Senior Data Fellow, Voting Information Project— The Voting Information Project (VIP) coordinates with state election offices to publish nationally standardized information about where and how to vote—data that powers everything from Google’s polling place search, to our text and email reminders to TurboVote users. VIP’s dataset has served millions (and hundreds of millions) of voters since 2008. You will: Work with Democracy Works technical staff to write, run, and debug Python scripts to parse data; Assist with standardizing & sanitizing datasets; Perform quality assurance checks on the information to ensure accuracy and completeness of the data; Research and respond to user-reported errors; and Write and update technical documentation so that other members of the team can recreate processes. Application: For the complete listing and to apply, click here.

Senior Deputy Board Clerk/Elections Assistant, Mono County, California— Under general supervision, to coordinate and perform a variety of complex, specialized support work for the County Board of Supervisors and the maintenance of official Board records; to serve as back-up, recording meetings and developing minutes for the County Board of Supervisors and the Assessment Appeals Board; to perform a variety of administrative and staff support work for County elections; to provide assistance and information to the public regarding the functions of County Boards and Commissions and County Elections; to assist other County staff with the understanding of assigned program and department/work unit procedures and requirements; to perform a variety of advanced technical and office support work such as web maintenance; process assessment; oversee management of process; research old records and laws; and to do related work as required. Salary: $60,626 annually. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

State Audit Expansion Specialist, Verified Voting— A critical component of election security is the ability to determine whether the computers that counted the votes counted them correctly. To do that, jurisdictions must have a system that incorporates paper ballots that are retained for recounts and audits. After the election, the paper ballots must be checked against the computer-reported results via a rigorous statistically sound audit, called a risk-limiting audit. Verified Voting is working with election officials to implement risk-limiting audits in as many jurisdictions as possible for the 2020 elections. The State Audit Expansion Specialist will report directly to the Director of Science and Technology Policy and will be primarily responsible for the education and outreach required to build trust with election officials in order to implement statewide RLAs of swing states. The State Audit Expansion Specialist will also support the design, development, implementation and reporting of audit pilots in a variety of jurisdictions, and will be able to contribute to the formulation of state and local audit policy. Salary Range $65,000-$75,000. Application: Please submit a resume and a short cover letter regarding your interest in the position and salary requirements to: jobs@verifiedvoting.org. commensurate with experience.

Systems Specialist, Denver, Colorado—  The Operations, Integrated Solutions team assist our Tier 1 Operations teams in technical support while taking on operational projects that are extremely technical in nature, or scoped beyond the geographical boundaries of any one Tier 1 Operations team. The Operations, Integrated Solutions consists of 6 teams with specific focuses including Documentation & Training, Printer & Dealer Support, Advanced Field Support, Data Integration, Software Integration and Hardware Integration. This role will be responsible for implementing and ongoing support of multiple web applications reporting within Operations ISG. Dominion Voting has a family of web applications including imagecast remote (ICR), internet voting, ballot auditing & review, and election night reporting sites and in this position, you will manage the implementation and ongoing support of these applications, interfacing with both internal resources and customers. This position will require extensive customer facing training and support and process recommendations in addition to the web technology elements. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Technology Associate, Center for Tech and Civic Life— When you think about elections, you might think about popular candidates, “I voted” stickers, and all sorts of paperwork and deadlines. But behind the scenes are thousands of election administrators in state and local governments who are working hard to make sure ballots are counted and voices are heard. To serve every community and make democracy work, election administrators need 21st-century tools and training. You can help them get it! As the CTCL Government Services Technology Associate, you will implement streamlined, digital learning experiences that advance the tech and communication skills of America’s election administrators. You’ll work with the Government Services team and report to the Program Manager. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Vice President of Election Operations, Center for Internet Security— Reporting to the Executive Vice President for Operations and Security Services (OSS), the Vice President of Election Operations will oversee all elections-related efforts within CIS, most importantly the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC) and related elections community support sponsored by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). This position will also manage election-related projects and activities that are funded by third parties or self-funded by CIS. The Vice President of Election Operations will lead an organization comprised of the CIS staff working on election-related efforts and will be responsible for outreach to U.S. state, local, tribal, and territorial election offices as well as private sector companies, researchers, and nonprofit organizations involved in supporting elections. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Marketplace

electionline provides no guarantees as to the quality of the items being sold and the accuracy of the information provided about the sale items in the Marketplace. Ads are provided directly by sellers and are not verified by electionline. If you have an ad for Marketplace, please email it to: mmoretti@electionline.org