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Election News This Week

“We’re done. This is the end of the 2020 election.”: Officials in Maricopa County, Arizona released a 93-page report rebutting claims made by Cyber Ninjas, the company hired by the state Senate to conduct a “forensic audit” of the 2020 presidential election. In a point-by-point response to questions raised by contractors, the report explains. that the contractors made faulty assumptions and false accusations, in part because of mistakes they made during their analysis but also because they were inexperienced and misunderstood how the county and state’s elections work. “It’s my hope this will be the last word on the November 2020 election,” Supervisor Bill Gates, chairman of the Republican-controlled board, said. While Cyber Ninjas raised questions about more than 50,000 ballots cast in the election, a wider margin than President Joe Biden won in the state, the county’s analysis of those claims found fewer than 100 instances of potential voter fraud or double-counted ballots. That’s far fewer than it would have taken to impact the outcome of any race, and within the expectations of an election with nearly 2.1 million voters. After analyzing each claim, the county is referring 37 cases of potential voter fraud to the Arizona attorney general, including 26 potential deceased voters, six voters who may have voted twice, and five voters who may have voted in more than one county. County Elections Director Scott Jarrett said the county is improving some of its processes. Some improvements he and other county staff listed during the meeting include adding another process to better identify double-counted ballots, a new system to check for deceased voters, and changing how it tracks and stores duplicate ballots.

In Other Election Review News: The Texas secretary of state’s office has released the first batch of results from its review into the 2020 general election. The first phase of the review highlighted election data from four counties — Harris, Dallas, Tarrant and Collin — that showed few discrepancies between electronic and hand counts of ballots in a sample of voting precincts. Those partial manual counts made up a significant portion of the results produced by the secretary of state, which largely focused on routine voter roll maintenance and post-election processes that were already in place before the state launched what it has labeled as a “full forensic audit.” According to the state’s review of the counties’ partial manual counts, which they are already required to conduct under state law, there were few differences between electronic and manual ballot tallies — and counties were able to justify those inconsistencies. Although the secretary of state’s office has dubbed its review a “full forensic audit” of the election, the first phase of the review includes partial manual counts of ballots and security assessments, which all counties are already required to undergo as part of the typical election process. State law requires partial manual counts to be conducted within 72 hours of polls closing after every election. The second phase, which will take place in 2022, will be an examination of election records “to ensure election administration procedures were properly followed.”

Public Opinion: Two public opinion polls released this week take the temperature of where Americans stand on democracy and election reform. A poll from NPR and Ipsos finds that 64% of Americans believe U.S. democracy is “in crisis and at risk of failing.” That sentiment is felt most acutely by Republicans: Two-thirds of GOP respondents agree with the verifiably false claim that “voter fraud helped Joe Biden win the 2020 election”. A University of Massachusetts Amherst Poll finds Americans continue to support a wide variety of election reforms, intended to make voting easier, while also maintaining a strong desire for photo ID requirements at voting booths. The poll of 1,000 respondents found majority support for reforms including automatically registering voters (52%), making Election Day a national holiday (58%) and making vote-by-mail a permanent option to all registered voters (54%), all within three points of the results of a similar UMass Poll conducted in April. Sixty percent of respondents also support restoring voting rights to convicted felons who have served their sentences, identical to the response in April’s poll.

Time to Say Goodbye: This week, New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner announced that he will retire in the coming days. Gardner is the longest-serving secretary of state in the country and has been in office since December 1976 when he was elected at age 28. “I just think that it’s time,” he told reporters at a press conference on Monday. Dave Scanlan, the current deputy secretary of state will fill Gardner’s seat on an interim basis.

 

 

Personnel News: Lynn Trabue, assistant supervisor of elections for Chatham County, Georgia is retiring. Jenny Thomas is the new Routt County, Colorado clerk. Holly Moseley has been appointed the Mesa, Arizona city clerk. Amy Brown has been sworn in as the new New Madrid County, Missouri clerk. Janice Vos Caudill is retiring as the longtime Pitkin County, Colorado clerk and recorder. Gary Thompson is the new chair of the D.C. Board of Elections. Tina Barrow is retiring as the Orange County, Texas elections administrator. James Gaston’s term on the Sumter County, Georgia board of elections has ended.

Legislative Updates

New York: Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is proposing a statewide Voting Rights Act. The governor’s would establish a state-level voting rights act that will enhance protections against voter suppression and vote dilution; establish new protections against voter intimidation and deception; improve language access for voters; and require boards of elections in jurisdictions with a history of civil rights violations to obtain pre-clearance for changes to election-related policies and practices. Hochul also called on the Legislature to amend State law to lower the voter registration deadline from 25 days to 10 days before Election Day, which does not require a Constitutional amendment. Additionally, Hochul will urge the Legislature to begin the Constitutional amendment process for no-excuse absentee voting and same-day registration. Hochul also proposed requiring polling places on college campuses. Under the governor’s proposal, whenever a contiguous property of a college or university contains 300 or more registrants, the polling place designated for such election district shall be on such contiguous property or at a location approved by the college or university.

Tennessee: Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) has submitted HB1662 that would have the state revert to paper ballots for elections. Under the bill, voting machines and ballot marking devices would be banned starting with the 2022 elections. County election commissions would instead be required to use only hand-marked paper ballots to be counted using an optical ballot scanner which uses software open to public inspection. In order to make it affordable, the state would absorb at least 50% of each county’s cost in acquiring the machines. The bill would also allow poll watchers to take video of polling places and create security features used on the paper ballots such as watermarks, fluorescence, digital holograms, or other technology.

Milton, Vermont: The Milton selectboard has unanimously approved a motion that will require residents wishing to vote by mail in the upcoming Town Meeting day to request a ballot by phone, online or in-person.  At the last Town Meeting Day, postcards were sent to all voters in Milton, wherein they could request a mail-in ballot. According to the Milton Independent, The discussion at the selectboard meeting on the issue mostly revolved around giving Milton residents the most amount of opportunity to vote, while taking into consideration the time and money needed for mail-in ballots to occur. In the summer of 2021, Gov. Phil Scott signed legislation making mail-in voting a fixture of Vermont general elections. The law, however, does not apply to primaries or local elections. The new law allows towns to determine this for themselves.

Wisconsin: Legislators are expected to take up a bill that seeks to dissolve the Wisconsin Elections Commission and instead put the secretary of state in charge of elections. The Joint Rules Committee will also take up a GOP proposal that forces the Wisconsin Elections Commission to adopt formal rules on absentee ballots and drop boxes.

Legal Updates

Arkansas: Arkansas has submitted a brief to the Arkansas Supreme Court in response to a lawsuit challenging a slate of recently passed election laws. The Arkansas League of Women Voters, immigrant advocacy group Arkansas United and five Arkansas voters sued the state after the General Assembly passed a group of laws that the plaintiffs say make it harder for poor and minority-group citizens to vote. Assistant Attorney General Michael A. Mosley argued in a brief that the four election laws pass constitutional muster and that the lawsuit is not valid because the state has “sovereign immunity.” The four laws — Act 249, Act 728, Act 736 and Act 973 — were passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature during the legislative session in 2021. Act 249 removes the ability of a voter to obtain a provisional ballot without identification by signing a sworn statement. Act 728 limits people standing within 100 feet of the main entrance of a polling site. The law exempts people who are at a voting site for “lawful purposes” such as entering or leaving a building to vote. Act 736 changes how absentee ballots are verified, and Act 973 requires absentee ballots to be dropped off in person to the local county clerk by the close of business on the Friday before election day. In the brief, Mosley representing Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston and the Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners, said the four laws help address the “principle of integrity in the electoral process. “Rather, at most, the laws at issue involve election mechanics, not the franchise itself,” Mosley wrote. “The United States Supreme Court has clearly made a distinction between laws like the acts challenged here and laws that actually implicate the right to vote.” Attorneys for the state also argued that they can’t be sued because of “sovereign immunity,” something a Pulaski County judge said was “without merit” in an earlier ruling.

Maine: U.S. District Court Judge Lance Walker has ordered Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows to put Libertarians back into their party after they were unconstitutionally removed and allow the party to nominate candidates for the 2022 elections. The Maine Libertarian Party has been in protracted lawsuits against the state in an attempt to reform its party membership enrollment laws, which members say disenfranchises their small party. U.S. District Court Judge Lance Walker called the process of un-enrolling members when the party’s numbers fall beneath a certain threshold unconstitutional last fall. The ruling ensures that those members will have a chance to vote under the party’s banner in the upcoming elections. The ruling came just as nominating petitions became available for Maine’s June primaries. The secretary of state’s office must put former Libertarians back in their old party unless they have already chosen another party or request to not be re-added. The office is required to tell members their un-enrollment was unlawful within the next month and give them 45 days to indicate whether they wish to rejoin the party. People can also join the party at their municipal office.

Missouri: Secretary of State John Ashcroft (R) recently filed an amicus brief with the federal court in Texas, defending the Texas Election Integrity Protection Act (Senate Bill1). “The Texas law made appropriate much-needed changes to improve Texas’ election integrity without infringing on the ability of eligible Texans to vote,” Ashcroft said. “In a partisan move, the legislation was challenged by the Department of Justice, claiming the measure will ‘disenfranchise’ voters. The justice department’s claims are unfounded and baseless.” Ashcroft supports the Texas legislation because it could be a model for other states, including Missouri, on election reform measures.

 

New Jersey: Superior Court Judge Thomas Daniel McCloskey voided a November 2021 election for the Old Bridge Township Council  after finding the number of voters who received the wrong ballot exceeded DeCaro’s 11-vote victory over Republican incumbent Mark Razzoli. McCloskey ordered a do-over election to be held on a still-undetermined date in 2022. An attorney for Democrat Jill DeCaro has asked McCloskey to stay his ruling pending appeal.  That would allow DeCaro to be sworn in to the council seat within the next week. McCloskey found that the Statewide Voter Registration System didn’t properly follow boundaries set in the 2011 ward redistricting map put voters from the odd numbered homes on one side of Cymbeline Drive in Ward 2, and the even numbered homes on the opposite side of Cymbeline Drive residing in the Ward 4. Discovery found that 27 voters were assigned the wrong ward and that 17 of those voters cast ballots in last month’s election. “The Court must also consider the public interest at stake,” Antonelli wrote in his brief. “It would be contrary to the public interest for the candidates to spend time and money campaigning for a new election, and to force Middlesex County and its taxpayers to expend its resources, which are already strained because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in preparing and executing an election that may not be necessary depending on the results of the appeal.”

North Carolina: A recent order by the state’s highest court on recusals means that the case against the state’s voter ID law should be moving forward soon according to The Associated Press. The state Supreme Court has declared there are two paths that an individual justice can take when weighing a request to be removed from hearing a case due to an alleged conflict of interest. It allows a justice to either decide on their own or ask the rest of the court to act on a recusal or disqualification motion. Whichever option is used, the ensuing ruling is final, the order said. According to the AP, resetting of recusal procedures resulted from one of several pending legal challenges to North Carolina’s photo voter identification law. The order should allow that case, delayed in the summer and while the Supreme Court grappled with whether to alter its recusal standards, to resume soon. Two of the seven justices are the subjects of a motion from lawyers seeking to block voter ID by having them disqualified from the case.

Oregon: The Oregon Supreme Court has upheld a 2016 decision by the secretary of state that only active voters. excluding people who remain on county registration rolls but are considered inactive, are eligible to sign petitions for ballot initiatives and referendums.  The court upheld the secretary of state, who declined to place an initiative on the 2016 statewide ballot because it relied on signatures from inactive voters to qualify it. Judge J. Channing Bennett upheld the state’s action in mid-2020 in Marion County Circuit Court. But a three-judge panel of the Oregon Court of Appeals overturned it in a 2-1 decision released on Dec. 30, 2020.  Exactly one year later, on the final business day of 2021, the Supreme Court upheld the original 2016 decision by then-Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins to exclude signatures from inactive voters.  Justice Thomas Balmer, who wrote for the court, said that voter registration for elections has been required by state law since 1920 and by the Oregon Constitution since 1927. He wrote:  “Defining and regulating voter registration and verification of registrations has been within the purview of the legislative branch. And this court has issued several decisions squarely holding that voters may sign initiative petitions only if they could legally vote in an election at the time of signing.  “We conclude that voters with inactive registration, who statutorily may not vote, may not have their signatures counted on initiative petitions either.”

Pennsylvania: The Commonwealth Court—a Pennsylvania appeals court—has ruled that Lehigh County may not count 257 undated mail-in ballots from the November 2021 election. If upheld, the court’s decision would settle the race for a local court where two candidates are separated by 74 votes. Voters casting ballots by mail are instructed to date the return envelope. Following the ruling, an attorney Democrat Zachary Cohen said it would be appealed to the state’s Supreme Court. Monday’s ruling only dealt with undated mail-in ballots. Four more had dates in the wrong place but were considered moot since the court figured they will not affect the outcome.

Dominion Voting Systems has asked a court to restrict any inspection of its voting machines as part of what Republican lawmakers call a “forensic investigation” of Pennsylvania’s 2020 election to a laboratory that has specific credentials. The voting-system manufacturer filed paperwork in court this week as Republican lawmakers move to inspect Dominion’s machines and software in southern Pennsylvania’s sparsely populated Fulton County using an unaccredited contractor that has no election experience. In its court papers, Dominion requested an order requiring that any inspection be conducted by a federally accredited voting system test lab or a national laboratory used by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. A Commonwealth Court judge has separately given state and county officials until Jan. 10 to work out an agreed-upon set of rules for an inspection.

Texas: Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed an appeal to a December court decision that prohibits his office from prosecuting election cases.  “The Texas Attorney General has had the authority to prosecute certain election law violations for 70 years,” the motion said.  “The Court’s decision misinterprets constitutional text, breaks with Supreme Court precedent, is inconsistent with its own precedent, and creates a complicated structure in which the type of case and court determine whether representing the State is an executive- or judicial-branch duty,” it added. “Last year’s election cycle shows us that officials in our most problematic counties will simply let election fraud run rampant. I will continue to oppose this decision that diminishes our democracy and misconstrues the Texas Constitution,” Paxton said in a statement. “The Court’s decision to suddenly remove our authority to prosecute election fraud can only empower dishonest campaigns to silence voters across the state,” he continued.

 

Tech Thursday

Vendors: Clear Ballot announced this week that the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) has federally certified ClearVote 2.2.  The new release includes the certification of ClearCast Go, Clear Ballot’s next generation precinct tabulator as well as a series of modifications to existing products and improved security. Many of the enhancements include requests from Clear Ballot customers, including streamlined results aggregation and adjudication enhancements. Clear Ballot currently operates in 12 states and supports over 34.5 million voters. As Clear Ballot expands to more states, they continue to show their commitment to customers by making them an integral part of the innovation process. “We are committed to using modern operating systems and technology to make elections more secure, safe, and streamlined for our customers,” said Clear Ballot CEO, Bob Hoyt. “We are proud to work with customers who are on the forefront of election administration as we create, design, and test the latest features in our ClearVote 2.2 product release.”  He also added that “Our fourth major federal certification in just four years highlights the continuous innovation we provide to new and existing customers. With election officials facing unprecedented challenges, their feedback is invaluable, and through our product roadmap sessions with customers and our regional user groups, we engineered Clear Vote 2.2 to address what election officials and voters want the most – security and transparency.”

Social Media: An investigation by The Washington Post and ProPublica has found that Facebook groups swelled with at least 650,000 posts attacking the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election between Election Day and the Jan. 6 insurrection. According to the investigation, the barrage — averaging at least 10,000 posts a day, a scale not reported previously — turned the groups into incubators for the baseless claims supporters of President Donald Trump voiced as they stormed the Capitol, demanding he get a second term. Many posts portrayed Biden’s election as the result of widespread fraud that required extraordinary action — including the use of force — to prevent the nation from falling into the hands of traitors. Although Facebook has yet to turn documentation over to the congressional committee investigating January 6, the ProPublica-Post investigation, which analyzed millions of posts between Election Day and Jan. 6 and drew on internal company documents and interviews with former employees, provides the clearest evidence yet, according to The Post,  that Facebook played a critical role in the spread of false narratives that fomented the violence of Jan. 6.

Podcasts: Researchers at the Brookings Institute have found that podcasts played a critical role in advancing the false belief that the 2020 presidential election was illegitimate. Researcher reviews transcripts of nearly 1,500 episodes from 20 of the most popular political podcasts. Among episodes released between the election and the Jan. 6 riot, about half contained election misinformation, according to the analysis. In some weeks, 60 percent of episodes mentioned the election fraud conspiracy theories tracked by Brookings. Those included false claims that software glitches interfered with the count, that fake ballots were used, and that voting machines run by Dominion Voting Systems were rigged to help Democrats. Those kinds of theories gained currency in Republican circles and would later be leveraged to justify additional election audits across the country.

 

Opinions This Week

National Opinions: Voting rights, II, III, IV; V; VI, VII | Democracy, II, III, IV, V, VI | College voters | Ranked choice voting | Election funding | Election fraud claims, II; Election fraud | 2020 election reviews | The Big Lie | Federal election legislation

Arizona: 2020 election review

California: Voter fraud

Florida: Federal election legislation | Democracy

Georgia: Democracy

Hawaii: Federal election legislation

Iowa: Democracy

Kentucky: Mitch McConnell

Mississippi: Secretary of state

Missouri: Access to voting

New Hampshire: Secretary of state

New York: Democracy

Pennsylvania: Voting rights

Tennessee: 2020 election review

Texas: Voter fraud | The Big Lie, II | Citizenship review

Wisconsin: Election integrity | Democracy

Upcoming Events

EAC Local Leadership Council Meeting: The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) Local Leadership Council will be discussing National Poll Worker Recruitment Day and soliciting feedback to make this effort as effective as possible. The Members will also be discussing the organization structure of the Local Leadership Council, EAC resources, and the Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS). When: Jan. 11 1pm Eastern. Where: Online.

IGO Mid-Winter Conference: The International Association of Government Officials will hold its 2022 Mid-Winter Conference in-person in Indian Wells, California. Registration is currently available. Check back for more information on the agenda. When: January 20-25, 2022. Where: Indian Wells, California.

NASED Winter Conference: The NASED Board voted unanimously to cancel its in-person conference scheduled for the end of January and hold the conference virtually at a date to be determined. In the coming days, NASED will announce the dates for the virtual winter conference, but they will not overlap with the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) conference so that anyone who wants to attend both is able to do so. This is not a decision that we made lightly and it was not an easy one to make, but ultimately, we think it is the best one for our members and other conference attendees.  We hope to see you in person in July in Madison, Wisconsin and, of course, virtually at our rescheduled event.

NASS Winter Conference: Watch this space for more information. When: January 27-30, 2022. Where: Washington, DC.

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.

Account Management Specialist, EI-ISAC— The EI-ISAC is looking for an ambitious teammate who is passionate about making a difference in the realm of cybersecurity for (SLTT) election offices. The ideal candidate will be comfortable building relationships with the election community to support and advance the mission of “confidence in a connected world.” What You’ll Do: Support the development and execution of the EI-ISAC strategy and mission; Assist election officials to determine security needs and how they integrate with election technology; Facilitate communications between election officials and IT professionals; Provide exceptional service to all members and be able to explain the concepts and services that can protect their technology via email, phone calls, and WebEx meetings/conferences; Ensure ongoing customer satisfaction and retention; Assist with the scheduling and running of member meetings and webinars; Responsible for the onboarding process of new members; Research, record, track, and report on member prospects and qualified leads to the team and management; Assist with data cleanup, reporting, and any ongoing projects; Update metrics for EI-ISAC reports and presentations; Represent the EI-ISAC in a professional and courteous manner; and Other tasks and responsibilities as assigned. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Assistant Registrar of Voters, San Diego County, California— The Assistant Registrar of Voters is an executive management position reporting to the Registrar of Voters (Director). The Assistant Registrar assists the Registrar in managing the overall responsibilities and activities of the Department to include providing eligible citizens of San Diego County with widespread and ongoing opportunities to register and vote in fair and accurate elections for all federal, state and local offices and measures; and provide access to the information needed to utilize the initiative, referendum, and recall petition processes. The ideal candidate for this position will have sound decision-making skills in election administration, as well as organizational and political acumen in order to advise and provide direction for ROV programs and services. Candidates familiar with election administration principles, campaign finance, election technologies, voting procedures, and federal and California election laws are preferred. Salary: $150,000- $160,000. Deadline: Jan. 7, 2022. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Consultant: Network Coordinator, U.S. Elections, The Carter Center— The Carter Center is seeking two consultant Network Coordinators to work as part of an established team on efforts aimed at the adoption and implementation of an electoral code of conduct at the state or national level. Working with Carter Center staff and consultants, the Network Coordinators will work to build diverse coalitions at the state and national level to gain signatories to and support for a code of conduct for promoting good elections. In order to uphold our nonpartisan approach, The Carter Center is considering both politically right-leaning and left-leaning consultants to support this effort. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Director, Filing, Disclosure and Compliance Division, Michigan Secretary of State’s Office— This position serves as the Director of the Bureau of Elections’ Filings, Disclosure and Compliance Division. The Division is responsible for administering the Campaign Finance Act, Lobbyist Registration Act, Casino Registration Act, portions of the Michigan Election Law, and Notary Public Act. This position is responsible for managing and overseeing multiple complex work units and other professional staff; core programs related to campaign finance and lobby registration reporting, disclosure and compliance; Office of the Great Seal, including intake of enrolled bills and assignment of Public Act numbers, filing of Executive Orders and Executive Directives, document authentication and certification; state-level candidate filings for office and statewide initiative, referendum and constitutional amendment petition filings; and Bureau responsibilities related to the Board of State Canvassers. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Election Administrator, Hood County, Texas— Provides customer assistance necessary in structuring, organizing and implementing the voter registration process and the county election process. Examples of Important Responsibilities and Duties—Important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following: Perform voter registration duties and the duties of organizing and conducting elections for the county; Hire, supervise and train department employees and election workers; Custodian of election equipment and all election records; Effectively manage public relations for the Election Administrator office by providing election information, issuing press releases, conducting interviews and participating in interviews with the media; Prepare and present annual department budget for approval of the County Elections Commission; Make reports to and work closely with the County Election Commission as well as the County Commissioners Court; Provide the clerical assistance needed by the Commissioners Court in canvassing precinct election returns; Responsible for filing of petitions, determining their validity and any other matters preceding the ordering of the election; Be willing to work and possibly contract with other political subdivisions in the county for their election needs; Attend annual Texas Secretary of State Election Law Seminar and any other functions deemed necessary; Represent the county in an honest and professional manner; and Perform any and all other duties of an Election Administrator as set forth in the Texas Election Code. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Election Director, Weber County, Utah— Under the general supervision of the Clerk/Auditor, manages the voter registration and service, voting systems, candidate services, and elections processes in Weber County. Assigns, supervises, and monitors the work of elections staff; ensures staff are properly trained. Interviews and hires elections personnel. Conducts annual performance evaluations in compliance with County policies, procedures, and practices. Coordinates Election Day activities and work flow with election staff and poll workers. Oversees recruitment of poll workers and ensures poll workers are properly trained on voting procedures and on operating voting equipment.  Prepares and submits the Elections Department’s budget; monitors and approves expenditures. Prepares and submits grants for state and federal funds. Manages Weber County Primary, General and other required elections; coordinates municipal election process with Weber County cities and Special Districts, and provides assistance in carrying out election responsibilities. Ensures compliance with all state and federal elections laws. Interprets, clarifies, and explains County policies and procedures and related state and federal laws and regulations. Writes, updates, and implements policies and procedures for the Weber County elections process. Ensures office policies and procedures relating to voter registration and election processes are in compliance with federal and state code. Reviews and approves ballot text and format. Reviews population growth and makes recommendations for precinct boundary lines and polling locations. Arranges for vote centers; physically inspects each location to ensure adequacy for equipment set-up and for voter accessibility.  Prepares correspondence to poll workers, candidates, State Elections office, political parties, polling locations, voters, etc. Develops poll worker training curriculum. Provides election education training materials; coordinates and conducts training for Registration Agents and Elections Judges in compliance with Utah Code. Oversees and maintains voting systems in Weber County; evaluates systems on a regular basis to identify problems and makes recommendations for improvements. Develops and updates procedures for storing, testing, and transporting voting equipment. Maintains inventory of voting equipment; ensures proper storage (humidity, temperature, etc.). Ensures pre-and post-election testing of voting machines to ensure machines function properly. Coordinates programming needs with the Information Technology and GIS department(s). Monitors the elections supplies inventory. Compiles data and prepares reports identifying elections supplies needed. Responsible for ordering and receiving elections supplies. Works closely with designated vendors when ordering election related supplies and inventory ensuring accuracy, compliance with Utah Code, county purchasing policies, and cost-effective strategies that consider both cost and quality.  Responsible for organizing and storing elections supplies and equipment (voting machines, ballot marking devices, scanning equipment, tabulation equipment, ballots, ballot boxes, etc.). Responsible for the distribution and retrieval of voting supplies and equipment to/from appropriate locations. Represents the Clerk/Auditor at various meetings on matters pertaining to elections services. Prepares and publishes public election notices. Responds to public concerns and issues regarding elections. Oversees the processing of voter registration forms, voter data requests, Certificate of Election, and other materials and ensures accuracy and completeness; makes additions and resolves discrepancies. Operates computer hardware and applicable software, and/or modern office equipment, including envelope processing equipment, ballot scanners, epollbooks, tabulation equipment, multi‑line telephones, calculators, computers, copiers, and printers. Operates a motor vehicle in a safe manner and in compliance with all Utah laws and regulations. Performs other related duties as assigned. Salary: $75,000 – $85,000. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Analyst-Candidate Filings, Arizona Secretary of State’s Office— The Election Services Division of the Office of the Arizona Secretary of State is seeking a dedicated employee to serve as an Elections Analyst. This position will assist in administering elections, provide customer service to voters and the regulated community, communicate with Arizona counties, and maintain compliance with state and federal election laws. The main focus of the Election Analyst will be managing the candidate desk. Job Duties: Lead the planning and administering of the candidate petition review process, to include working with vendors and third parties to prepare and execute review process for candidate petitions. Develop training materials and handbooks. Present information to stakeholders and interested parties regarding the candidate filing process. Follow court challenges at the close of the candidate filing process. Maintain the candidate information on the webpage. Act as the primary contact for candidates and campaigns about the candidate filing process; Assist ballot measure desk lead in administering petition review process for initiatives, referendum, and recalls. Assist in developing training materials and handbooks for ballot measures. Assist in processing of circulator registrations related to petition circulation and creation of training materials and handbooks for circulator registrations; Act as subject matter expert in financial disclosure laws and regulations. Draft training materials and handbooks to assist filers in achieving compliance with disclosure requirements. Communicate with officeholders and proxies, judicial officers, and court administrators to provide accurate and concise filing information and instructions. Work with court administrators to track and inform new appointees of filing obligations. Track financial disclosure filings and initiate enforcement proceedings as necessary; Provide customer service to voters, election officials, and the general public regarding elections and voter registration. Provide support and guidance to the regulated community and the general public in areas of Elections Division oversight, including ballot measures, petition circulators, lobbyists, campaign finance, financial disclosures, etc.; As required, serve in a general capacity to accomplish Elections Division goals and meet deadlines. Provide support to upline managers by occasionally coordinating employee teams or working with specialized staff to complete projects. Assist fellow staff during periods of heavy volume; Help maintain all election-related information presented on the Secretary of State website, while ensuring content quality and functionality. Provide timely and accurate updates to election-related pages; and other duties as assigned as related to the position. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Analyst-Public Records, Arizona Secretary of State’s Office— The Elections Division of the Office of the Arizona Secretary of State is seeking a dedicated employee to serve as an Election Analyst. Their main focus will be to fulfill public records requests submitted to the Elections Division. They will report to the Senior Elections Policy Manager. Job Duties: Responsible for receiving, reviewing, and fulfilling public records requests and litigation discovery requests. This process includes the following tasks: tracking requests; communicating with the requester on topics such as fulfillment guidelines, costs, and updates on progress; coordinate collection and organization of responsive records by working with IT, elections, and other staff members; and reviewing and preparing documents for delivery; Responsible for records retention and document storage. Ensure Elections Division stores minimum hard copy documents consistent with the retention schedule; ensures that electronic records are properly maintained. Maintains records retention schedule, Iron Mountain storage, and schedules proper records destruction; Conducts ballot measure Town Halls. Organizing these events includes: scheduling venues; scheduling interpreters as needed (sign language, Spanish); conducting publicity and outreach; ensuring pro and con groups are represented; preparing and delivering presentation; Produces statewide Publicity Pamphlet by working with the vendor on layout, printing and proofing; coordinate the development of the household mailing list; ensuring pamphlets printed for English, Spanish, large print, and ADA; and ensure electronic version of pamphlet is appropriately distributed; Assist with voter registration quarterly reports, list maintenance, and other projects as assigned; Assist with customer service via phones and emails to voters, election officials, and the general public regarding elections and voter registration; and Other duties as assigned as related to the position. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Director, Pima County, Arizona— The Director of Elections leads a department comprised of multiple complex and technical units responsible for the successful conduct of elections in Pima County with over 650,000 registered voters.  The role is primarily strategic, operations, and leadership-focused, requiring experience and expertise in the field of conducting elections, elections policy, leading and managing employees to success.  Under administrative direction of the County Administrator or designee, this position plans, organizes, supervises and manages the activities of the Pima County Elections Division in compliance with applicable laws, ordinances, rules and regulations. This classification is in the unclassified service and is exempt from the Pima County Merit System Rules. Salary: $125,000. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Office Technician, Yavapai County, Arizona— The Elections Office Technician is a full-time position within the Yavapai County Elections Department. Major responsibilities include: Recruiting, interviewing, training, and overseeing poll workers; Processing candidate, special district and committee forms and paperwork, including campaign finance reports; Maintaining various databases for the Elections Department; Communicating with various stakeholders and the public; and Performing general office duties including ordering supplies, processing invoices, and filing. 2 years of professional experience in administration of elections, project planning, or adult learning required. Preference to applicants with experience in Microsoft Access. Salary $18.30 – $22.33 / hr, DOE.  Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections and Recording Manager, Marion County, Oregon— The Marion County Clerk’s Office is seeking a dynamic, experienced, trusted leader as our next Elections and Recording Manager in Salem, Oregon, our capitol city. Salem is Oregon’s central hub to cultural venues and events, valley vineyards and wineries, the coast and the mountains. Competitive applicants will be highly motivated, detail-orientated, have well developed management and supervisory skills, and have a strong commitment to outstanding customer service. A demonstrated ability to maintain an environment of high integrity and dependability is critical in this role. The County Clerk’s Office is responsible for conducting elections, issuing marriage licenses, recording specified documents, maintaining official records and coordinating the Board of Property Tax Appeal as required by law. The Elections and Recording Manager is responsible for managing the technical and administrative activities of licensing and recording, elections, maintenance of official records, and coordinating the Board of Property Tax Appeals. This individual also serves as the County’s Records Officer’s designee and ensures that recording activities comply with federal, state and local statutes, regulations and rules. Specific functions include records storage, microfilming and digital imaging operations, retention and disposition scheduling, archival storage and information management. This individual works closely and cooperatively with the County Clerk to ensure the County Clerk remains informed of all critical issues. This individual may also represent the County Clerk in public meetings and presentations. Salary: $6,184.53 – $8,290.53 Monthly. Deadline: Jan. 19. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Training and Communications Coordinator, Coconino County, Arizona–Coconino County is seeking to hire an energetic, proactive, and effective leader to lead the Elections Training and Outreach unit. The Elections Training and Outreach Coordinator will be responsible for developing and implementing a training curriculum for Election Board Workers following the State and County Elections codes and guidelines. The candidate will work collaboratively in the recruitment, onboarding, and process improvement of different election boards. Under general supervision performs work of moderate difficulty managing the delivery of information and training to elections workers, the media, the public, candidates and political parties; performs related duties as assigned. Salary: $47,116 – $51,828. Deadline: Jan. 21. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Fellowship, Arizona Secretary of State’s Office— The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office Elections Fellowship Program offers recent graduates who are interested in public service the opportunity to spend up to 12 months working with the Elections Division in the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office. The Elections Division advances the Secretary of State’s mission of ensuring a fair and secure election process across Arizona. The 2021-2022 fellows will have the exciting opportunity to work with our office during a midterm election cycle. The main fellowship duties will include work that advances the Secretary of State’s responsibilities regarding voter registration and data tracking. This position will be a good fit for someone who is detail-oriented and interested in learning more about elections administration. Throughout their fellowship, fellows will participate in monthly check-in meetings with an Elections team lead to receive guidance and feedback. Job Duties: Assisting with proofing voter registration statistics, researching voter cancelations, assisting uniformed and overseas citizens with voter registration and casting a ballot, election night reporting, proofing the official canvas, and other administrative duties; Maintaining and organizing records to track statutory voter registration list maintenance and election reporting requirements; Conducting document review to support the Office’s public records responses; Researching and responding to public inquiries; and Other duties and responsibilities as related to the position. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Government Services Strategy Impact and Learning Associate, CTCL— Election officials want to administer elections where every eligible voter can easily and securely cast their vote. But moving from intention to real-world impact can be challenging, especially without evidence of what works and what doesn’t work. As the Strategy, Impact, & Learning Associate on CTCL’s Government Services team, you will help measure and maximize the impact of CTCL’s work supporting election officials. You will identify metrics, design evaluations, coordinate with partners, and collect and analyze data. You will contribute to a culture of learning at the heart of CTCL’s Gov Services team, which will expand outward to our partners that work directly with election offices, and expand further outward to every election office in the country. You will be filling a new position and will report to the Senior Strategy, Impact, and Learning Manager. If you care about democracy, if you believe in the importance of public service, and if you love to exceed expectations, this is the job for you. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

In-Person Absentee Coordinator, Charleston County, South Carolina— This is a managerial position that provides supervision in the daily operation and management of the front of the office, in-person absentee voting, and candidate filing.  Supervises both permanent and temporary employees during in-person absentee voting for elections. Responsible for management of each satellite absentee location, as well as hiring/training absentee poll workers. Provides operational supervision of voting processes from the deployment of voting equipment to receipt and security in absentee voting. Salary: $48,722 – $66,276. Deadline: Jan. 31. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Mail Ballot Administrator, City and County of Denver, Colorado— The City and County of Denver’s Election Division is seeking an accomplished elections professional to serve as the Mail Ballot Administrator and provide administrative and strategic direction for the functional area of Mail Ballot Administration. The Mail Ballot Administrator oversees and acts as the technical expert in all aspects of the mail ballot processing rooms including ballot receiving, ballot verification, and mail ballot extraction in accordance with statutory and Secretary of State rule requirements. Refines and coordinates all operating policies and procedures relating to mail ballot processing. The Mail Ballot Administrator is responsible for training and supervising (50 to 70+) election judges and leads for all mail ballot processing rooms. Creates and oversees the development of all mail ballot materials; acts as the primary point of contact with the ballot production vendor and coordinates production, mailing and receiving of mail ballots; coordinates the post-election process including Canvass preparation, provisional ballots, and poll book processing; cooperates with local, state, and national partners to continually develop best practices; acts as a liaison for the Denver Elections Division to the United States Postal Service and acts as a subject matter expert for postal policy as it relates to non-profit and election mail; oversees quality assurance measures to ensure processes and procedures are tested to evaluate for potential improvement and accuracy; manages continuous improvement initiatives. Salary: $61,263-$101,084. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Michigan Regional Services Manager, Hart InterCivic— Hart InterCivic is looking for a Michigan-based Regional Services Manager. A Hart Michigan Service Manager is a highly motivated “self-starter” who responds to all customer requests ranging from training requests, to phone support requests, to onsite repair of voting equipment requests, to delivery and acceptance of new devices. This individual is the customer’s first line of support. The position requires residency in the State of Michigan. The Service Manager handles all Return Material Authorization (RMA) requests for internal and external customers for all Hart InterCivic Verity products within his/her region and provides on-site customer support and troubleshooting as needed. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Policy and Compliance Administrator, Denver, Colorado— The Elections Division provides comprehensive, nationally-recognized, election services for the City and County of Denver. These services include voter records management, voter services, petition management, election administration, elections operations, and strategic communications and outreach. The Elections program goal is to conduct fair, accurate, accessible, secure, transparent, efficient and reliable elections. Do you have a passion for serving others? If so, we want to hear from you! The City and County of Denver has an exciting opportunity for a Policy and Compliance Administrator to serve in the Office of the Clerk & Recorder Paul D. López.In this position, you will work with both divisions to ensure the office’s compliance with federal and state law. As a home rule municipality, Denver is uniquely situated to be involved with both state law and its own charter and ordinances. Additionally, as the Policy and Compliance Administrator, you can expect to: Interpret Denver and Colorado law to advise the Denver Clerk and Recorder on compliance issues related to his duties and the functions of the office; Draft legislation and administrative rules at the direction of the Clerk and Recorder; Serve as the Clerk’s legislative liaison to the Colorado General Assembly; Conduct research for policy determinations as directed by the Clerk and Recorder; Meet with stakeholders and members of the community to achieve the Clerk’s policy goals; Conduct comparative research and keep track of court cases; Represent the Clerk on inter-agency and inter-governmental commissions, etc.; Build strategic relationships for the Clerk and Recorder’s Office with other governmental entities, including the Colorado County Clerks’ Association; Coordinate with the City Attorney’s office to determine the Clerk’s legal strategy for litigation; Perform other duties as assigned or requested; and Assignments for this position are diverse in nature and require determining practical solutions in a fast-paced environment. Salary: $83,348 – $137,524. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Program Manager Sr. II (Assistant Deputy  for Election Policy), Maryland State Board of Elections—The Assistant Deputy for Election Policy provides senior leadership on all matters related to the implementation and execution of election laws and policy and supervises the Voter Registration and Petition Division, the Candidacy and Campaign Finance Division, and the Election Reform and Management Division. This position coordinates policy development and implementation, provides oversight for all election-related functions and services, and ensures a uniform and coordinated agency approach by managing work and issues impacting one or more of these divisions. The position supports the agency’s core mission by ensuring Maryland elections are conducted accurately, fairly, and in a manner fully consistent with State and federal laws and regulations. Salary: $80,074.00 – $128,568.00/year. Deadline: Jan. 17, 2022. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Program Manager 3, Nevada Secretary of State’s Office— This position is a supervisory position in the Elections Division of the Office of the Secretary of State located in the Capitol building in Carson City. The incumbent will directly support the preparation and conduct of Nevada’s Primary, General, and Special elections through oversight of the following: Legislative/ Regulation /Election Complaints; Campaign Finance; Publications, Training, Research and Website; Election Night Reporting (ENR)/Candidate Filing; Recall Petitions/ Initiatives. Program Officers administer a program or major component of a program by planning, coordinating and managing services and activities in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements and established program performance standards and objectives. Incumbents are responsible for administering a large and complex program which affects a significant number of people on a continuing basis; develop, revise, recommend, and implement changes to work plans, program performance standards and objectives for providing services, and eligibility requirements as permitted by program regulations and guidelines; ensure compliance with State, federal and/or other granting agencies rules and regulations; and draft laws, rules and/or regulatory changes. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Registrar of Voters, Orange County, California— Located on the Southern California coast with a culturally diverse population of 3 million, the County of Orange (Orange County) offers a high quality of life and a nearly perfect climate year-round. Orange County features excellence in education, low crime rate, a wide variety of businesses, and unlimited recreational opportunities.  The County is seeking a dynamic leader with a strong elections experience, who is a visionary and a proven leader in communities, and involved at the highest levels of government at the federal, state, and local level in proven leadership positions. The ideal candidate will have high levels of integrity and be highly politically astute while maintaining absolute objectivity. A combination of education and experience that demonstrates the competency and ability to perform the duties of the position is qualifying. Typically, 10 years of progressively responsible experience in the election-related field and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Political Science, Business Administration, or a related field would be qualifying. A Master’s degree is highly desirable. Certification as a Certified Elections/Registration Administrator (CERA) is highly preferred. Salary: $125,153.60 – $237,348.80. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

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