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Primary Updates

2022 primary season now more than half over
Seven more states finished primary voting this week

By M. Mindy Moretti
Electionline.org

With seven states—Colorado, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah—completing their primary voting this week, the first half of the 2022 primary season is now over. Other than Maryland on July 19 (thanks to a kerfuffle over redistricting), the remaining primaries will be held in August and September.

There were no major issues during voting this week and printing problems that had plagued some of the mail balloting in previous primaries didn’t seem to be a factor this week, although there were some issues with ballot printing. Interestingly enough polling places in two states were affected by fires while voting was occurring. Fortunately no one was injured in either incident.

Here’s a look at how things went this week:

Colorado: For Colorado, which has long been a largely vote-by-mail/vote center state, there were very few issues on Tuesday. The biggest news was probably who won and lost what. In the race for secretary of state, embattled Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters lost the Republican nomination to former Adams County Clerk Pam Anderson. Anderson will face incumbent Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) in November. After an issue with mail ballots, Griswold assigned an elections supervisor of Pueblo County and according to published reports, there were no issues on primary day or night with the administration of the election however, local law enforcement and the secretary of state’s office are investigating an incident in where a voter allegedly tampered with election equipment during in-person primary election voting. Also in Pueblo County, incumbent Democrat Clerk and Recorder Gilbert “Bo” Ortiz lost his primary to challenger Candace Rivera. Ortiz has been in office for 16 years. Some vote centers in Arapahoe County lost power due to rolling blackouts but power was quickly restored.

Illinois: Probably the biggest challenge facing voters and election administrators in Illinois on Tuesday was the fact that the primary was being held during the summer for the first time ever.  “Voters are not used to having a summer election, so that could affect the number of people voting,” Lake County Clerk Robin O’Connor said the day before the election. “Some people may be confused. I hope we have a turnout of 100,000. It will be a nice day for voting.” But voters did turnout on Tuesday, although turnout was varied. In Adams County, the county clerk said that turnout was slightly higher than expected. But it was a quiet day at the polls in Will County. There were a smattering of issues on Tuesday. Voters in Chicago experienced issues due to a lack of election judges. Additionally, construction near one Chicago polling place proved distracting for many voters. Voters throughout Chicago received anonymous text messages encouraging them to vote on Tuesday that did not come of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. The messages left some voters confused and concerned. “I know I voted, so I’m not going to engage with this. It did seem a little weird that they were like, ‘This might be where you live.’ That’s public information; that’s fine. But it was weird,” Kilbourn Park Resident Alyssa Vincent told Book Club Chicago. Software issue led to problem voting nonpartisan in McHenry County, and the clerk’s office had to offer a workaround for nine voters who made requests. According to Morgan County Clerk Jill Waggener, Tuesday’s in-person voting went off without a hitch thanks to new equipment the county purchased.  Moving two polling places and voters who went to the wrong location because of redistricting created some “hiccups” in Tuesday’s primary election, but all of the ballots were counted by about 10:30 p.m. in Madison County.

Mississippi: A runoff election was held in Mississippi on Tuesday and voters encountered issues with their voter registration. Due to an incorrect calendar selection in the Statewide Election Management System (SEMS), Mississippians who registered to vote on May 31, 2022, which was the voter registration deadline for primary runoff elections, or postmarked a voter registration application on May 31, 2022, will not appear in the pollbooks during today’s runoff elections. Voters in this situation are instructed to cast an affidavit ballot at the polls today. Local officials conducting elections on Tuesday had to review the voters registration and offer them provisional ballots. Secretary of State Michael Watson issued a statement saying less than 500 voters were affected. “While those impacted were still allowed to vote, the experience was not quite the same, and for that, we sincerely apologize,” Watson said in a statement. “This is the first time this problem has occurred, and our team already has logistics in place to prevent this issue from occurring in the future. Voter confidence is of the utmost importance to me, and we will continue to work hard to remain the primary resource for trusted election information in Mississippi.

New York: Tuesday was the first of two primaries in the Empire State thanks to an issue with redistricting. A shortage of poll workers in Monroe County caused some issues. A fire at a fire station used as a polling place in the Town of Champion meant voting had to be moved outdoors for a period of time before the polling place was relocated to another building. “Very few people were inconvenienced, ultimately, and we’re happy for that. We’re pleased that everyone was patient with us as we redirected to a new site,” said Republican Jefferson County Board of Elections Commissioner Jude Seymour. Poll workers could not find the ballots at one Oneida County polling place and additional ballots had to be sent. According to the New York Post, at least three polling places in New York City did not have Republican ballots. A poll worker told the paper later in the day that they could not find the Republican ballots early on, but were eventually able to locate them. Voters faced issues at one Bronx polling place due to redistricting. Spencer Mestel, a freelance writer, told The New York Post on Tuesday afternoon that an elderly woman who uses a walker was turned away in the wee hours because poll workers did not yet have a key to a Brooklyn balloting site. “We showed up to the poll site in Brooklyn, we showed up at 5 a.m. … and there was no key,” he said. “The police officer on site didn’t have a key, the Board of Elections didn’t give [the site coordinator] a key, I watched her call the Board of Election multiple times … [but] no one helped us.”

Oklahoma: While elections officials in Oklahoma battled misinformation in the lead up to Tuesday’s primary, battling a fire was the biggest news of the day. A fire broke out at around 5 a.m. at a church in Pittsburg County which serves as a polling place for two precincts in the county. Officials with the Oklahoma Election Board declared an election emergency for the two precincts and directed those voters to cast their ballots at the Pittsburg County Election Board. Oklahoma County Sheriff’s deputies were force to remove political signs that were not in compliance with state law during the primaries. Poll workers in Rogers County shared their stories about why they’ve chosen to work the polls.

South Carolina: Voters in several counties headed back to the polls for a runoff election this week. In Horry County, Republican absentee voters were correctly mailed Democratic ballots due to an error in the ballot printing and mailing process. Some voters in Berkeley County were faced with a new polling place on Tuesday.

Utah: In the days leading up to the primary election, officials were forced to combat election lies spread by Rep. Phil Lyman that voting machines in Wasatch County and Davis County  were flipping votes. Utah’s Lieutenant Governor, Deirdre Henderson, who oversees elections in the state took to Twitter to say her office has investigated and found there wasn’t vote switching – but rather an issue with the font size. She, and state Director of Elections Ryan Cowley who spoke with KSL, said the issue was that the font size of some ballot-marking machines used by people in Wasatch County was too small. According to Cowley, some people were having a hard time clicking the boxes of their preferred candidate. “The machines [were] tested before they were put out,” said Cowley. “And what the [Wasatch County Clerk’s office] were trying to do is put all the races on one screen so that voters didn’t have to scroll through multiple screens.” Cowley said only eight people used that ballot marking machine in Wasatch County. “But all of the voters, they’re given three opportunities to verify their selection, before their vote is cast,” he said. Cowley said that the voters reported that their votes were ultimately recorded correctly. In Salt Lake County, election workers said they were pleasantly surprised by turnout. Some voters did talk to local reporters about their reason for in-person voting on Tuesday claiming that they didn’t trust the mail-ballot process.

Election News This Week

Serving Their Country: A coalition of military veterans and families announced a new effort to bolster the ranks of election workers by recruiting within the military community Vet the Vote, a project of We the Veterans, aims to enlist 100,000 veterans and military family members to be poll workers during the 2022 election, and to help sustain future elections as well. “We see this as a new norm for veterans and military families members,” said Ellen Gustafson, co-executive director of Vet the Vote. “We don’t envision that 2022 is going to be the one time that we call 100,000 military veterans and military film members to do this job.” Veterans are “deeply committed to democracy,” said Anil Nathan, a second co-executive director. “The challenges are solvable. … Military families can lead.” According to data collected by Vet the Votes, about 130,000 election workers have quit during the past three midterm cycles and two-thirds of election officials have said they struggle to recruit enough people to staff voting locations. “Our intention as an organization, We the Veterans, was to find an opportunity for veterans and military family members to volunteer for democracy,” said another of the co-executive directors, Ellen Gustafson, who referenced the seemingly small but important tasks that come with working a polling location. While Vet the Votes wants to support elections nationwide through its nearly two dozen coalition partners, the organization recognizes that some states are more in need than others. The campaign is particularly focused on recruiting poll workers in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin. Retired Gen. George Casey, who in addition to serving as Army chief of staff also supported elections in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq, is helping launch the effort.

New Equipment: Elections officials in Louisiana got a look at the state’s potential new voting equipment earlier this week. Nine different vendors briefed Voting Commission members, clerks or court and registrars of voters on the possibilities to replace the 10,000 or so antiquated voting machines the state currently uses. Some allowed them to hand mark ballots. Others had touch-screen computers that printed out the results on special paper. Both systems fed the paper ballots into scanners that counted the votes and kept the paper ballots in a secured vault. Both systems left a paper trail to allow elections commissioners in each parish to hand count ballots cast at the precincts on election day, if requested by the candidate or by a court, something can’t be done now, said Steve Raborn, the Registrar of Voters in East Baton Rouge Parish. Following the demonstrations, the state Voting Systems Commission, which was supposed to sort through the alternatives and recommend what kind of system it wanted for Louisiana, basically forwarded nearly everything on the table Wednesday: ballots that can be marked by hand; ballots that are marked in a machine. The one thing commissioners did choose was how the votes would be tallied: Paper ballots will be scanned, counted and locked in a box. They will not be counted by hand. According to The Advocate, Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin said the lack of specificity from the commission gives him more flexibility in cobbling together the regulations and ensures more companies can participate in the bidding process.

Practice Makes Perfect: Pima County, Arizona will hold another mock election to test out the county’s new voting equipment after technical problems were encountered with the new e-poll books. The public dry run allowed voters to experience the county’s upcoming use of voting centers, which will allow residents to vote at more than 100 locations instead of a singular location determined by precinct. A few concerns overshadowed the event after some names were not found in the electronic poll books and some precinct’s ballots were not available.  “Because there were hiccups today, we need to have full confidence in the electorate that this system works and works well and is really efficient and improved with the check-in process,” Mark Evans, the county’s chief spokesman. “So since that didn’t happen for some voters today, we’re going to do it again.”

Sticker News: Voters in Madison, Wisconsin will see new “I Voted” stickers in November. This week, the clerk’s office unveiled the two new designs. The stickers were designed by 16-year-old Katina Maclin who interned in the clerk’s office from July 2021 to April 2022. “Everybody’s seen that same sticker,” Maclin said. “It’s really boring. I wanted to branch out.” The incumbent stickers, now replaced, varied in shape and color, Witzel-Behl said. Some voters were handed circles that featured standard government-issue blocks of red, white and blue, and read “I Voted Today!” Others left their polling place with an oval that read “I Voted” with an American flag. One of the designs reads “I VOTED” in all-capital black letters studded with white stars over a background of red, white and blue paint splatters. “I wanted to show that it’s America,” she said, “but kind of rebellious … not just the same old, same old.” The other, a blend of brown, black and other non-white “skin tones” reads, “Every Vote Matters.” That design stemmed from a poster and bookmark Maclin also created for the clerk’s office aimed at voter outreach. “People can see that and say, ‘I’m that skin tone. My vote still matters,’” she said.

This and That: With ballot counting for the special congressional election over, the Alaska Division of Elections shows that 7504 ballots were rejected with more than one-third being rejected over the witness requirement. About 70 people voted in the wrong precinct in Lauderdale County, Alabama during the June primary. About 27,000 ballots were dropped in ballot drop boxes in the District of Columbia on primary day, extending the vote count through the weekend and upping turnout to almost 30%. LGBTQ voters in Nassau County, Florida are concerned about the county’s decision to use a local Baptist church for a polling place because it may be unsafe for LGBTQ voters given the church’s stance. Daviess County, Kentucky will use vote centers for the 2023 election cycle. Maine’s automatic voter registration system is online and ready to go. Maryland state employees are being offered incentives to serve as local election judges for this year’s upcoming primary and general elections. A candidate who lost by about 26,000 votes in the race to be Nevada’s next governor has filed the paperwork and payment for a recount. A new poll finds that 84% of respondents in the latest Granite State Poll said they were “very” or “somewhat” confident the 2020 election was accurately counted in New Hampshire, but a partisan split exists: among self-described Republicans, 69% said they were “very” or “somewhat” confident compared to 100% of Democrats and 83% of independents.

Personnel News: Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill will leave office six months before her third term ends, telling The Associated Press she is resigning Thursday, effective at noon, to spend more time with her husband, who is facing serious health problems. New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way was approved by the Senate to serve a second term this week. At their recent convention, the South Dakota GOP selected Monae Johnson to represent the party on the November ballot for secretary of state over incumbent Steve Barnett.  Congratulations to Rose Township Clerk Debbie Miller for being named the 2022 Township Clerk of the Year by the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks. Norm Shinkle, member of the Michigan Board of State Canvassers for more than 13 years, resigned from his post last week. Washoe County, Nevada Registrar of Voters Deanna Spikul has submitted her resignation, effective July 31. Penny Baxley has been hired as the elections manager for Wichita County, Texas.

Legislative Updates

Federal Legislation: U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Alabama) has announced the introduction of a bill that would allow states to require proof of citizenship during the voter registration process. The congressman’s “Citizen Ballot Protection Act” would authorize states to ensure a voter applicant holds United States citizenship by amending the National Voter Registration Act. Following the introduction of his bill, Palmer issued a statement asserting that it was “common sense” to enable states to require individuals to be a citizen prior to registering them to vote. “Restoring faith in the ability to conduct free and fair elections in this country begins with cleaning up voter rolls and requiring proof of citizenship to prevent illegally cast ballots from swaying elections,” outlined Palmer. “Americans deserve to know their elections are secure. It is common sense that states should be able to require proof of citizenship to ensure only citizens are voting in their elections.” Palmer cited the need for his legislation given a 2013 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the case of Arizona’s Proposition 200, which determined that states could not require documentation beyond what federal law mandated. “Unfortunately, a 2013 Supreme Court ruling prevents states from requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections,” added the congressman. “This bill will fix the problem by amending the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to give states the ability to verify the citizenship status of their voters when they register.”

Arizona: Two small election-related measures made it into a budget proposal lawmakers approved late last week on a bipartisan vote. With that hurdle cleared, the Legislature could approve more election bills in the coming days. The two line items total just $1.5 million of a state budget proposal of nearly $18 billion. Both are pilot programs that direct election security grants to counties: $1 million for the testing of ballot paper that incorporates additional security features and $500,000 for ballot drop boxes featuring new surveillance and security elements. Voters will not see the new ballot boxes or special ballot paper from the pilots in this year’s elections. The line item on ballot boxes designates $500,000 to purchase and put in place ballot drop boxes that have 24/7 photo and video surveillance. The boxes would need other features ensuring they accept only one ballot at a time, create a receipt of each ballot, and reject ballots if the camera isn’t working. The bill specifies that these boxes, 16 in total, will be piloted in Cochise, Yuma, and Pinal counties. The state’s Election Procedures Manual already calls for ballot boxes to be placed in secure locations, subject to approval by each county’s board of supervisors.

Oakland, California: Oakland Council members Dan Kalb and Treva Reid proposed the measure, which gives noncitizen parents, legal guardians and legally recognized caregivers of enrolled in Oakland Unified School District students the ability to vote in the district’s school board elections. Kalb says the measure will help make sure these parents are heard and their children’s needs are met. There are about 230-thousand Oaklanders of voting age, and about 13-thousand of them are non-citizens, according to the 2020 census. Many have kids in Oakland public schools. They pay taxes, contribute to the local economy and are invested in the school district. Kalb said, “All parents of school-age children should be able to help decide who runs the school system.”

Fort Collins, Colorado: The Fort Collins city council gave initial approval to a ballot measure that would allow residents to decide whether or not the city should adopt ranked choice voting. Dozens of people attended the City Council meeting on Tuesday to speak for — and against — implementing the voting method. One commenter in favor of RCV expressed that while this wouldn’t be a “magic wand” that would fix everything about voting, it “would be an easy, simple change for the city to adopt.” “I think that ranked choice voting makes voting more exciting, more engaging,” he said. “It won’t be perfect, but when was the last time an election in this country went perfectly?” Others speaking against RCV expressed concerns that the practice was too complicated to use, compared it to voter suppression and said it wouldn’t be understood by the community. Some critics said the method was an experiment that hadn’t yet proved successful and would lead to more voter disenfranchisement and exhaustion. They said they didn’t want to test an unproven method on Fort Collins’ voting and elections. The measure will go before a second vote of the city council in July.

Delaware: House lawmakers passed a bill making voting by mail a permanent feature of state elections starting on July 1st, despite fervent opposition from both House and Senate Republicans. The bill’s July 1st effective date spurred an amendment from State Rep. Bryan Shupe (R-Milford) to push it back to January 2023. Shupe argues the majority party should not be able to open a new avenue for voting immediately before an election.  House Republicans also argued the bill makes no meaningful distinction between voting by mail and filing an absentee ballot. The bill would require voters to provide multiple forms of identification when requesting a mail-in ballot.  The House passed the bill on a near-party line vote. The one Republican who voted in support of the bill, State Rep. Michael Smith (R-Pike Creek), asked his Democratic colleagues to promise that they will work with House Republicans to shore up election security protections in future legislative sessions.

Michigan: House approved two measures that aim to improve election security in Michigan. “House Bill 6071 would expand the options to include a privately owned building such as a banquet center or a recreation clubhouse, as long as the building is not owned by a candidate for office or someone who runs a political action committee,” said Representative Ann M. Bollin in a statement.  Under current Michigan law, only public buildings such as schools, fire stations and police stations can be used as polling stations. Previously, churches often served as polling locations, but they have “lost interest” in recent years, Bollin said. Officials say the other bill also addresses poll challengers, something that was highly debated during the 2020 election.  “House Bill 6124 would establish a consistent training program for people throughout the state to become credentialed poll challengers. State law does not currently have any requirements for challengers to receive training,” she continued. “Challengers, like inspectors, play a very important role in our elections process,” Bollin said. “Just like clerks and election inspectors, it’s important for poll watchers and challengers to have proper training. This training will ensure everyone involved in our elections knows what can be challenged, whom to challenge, and how a challenge should be handled.”

Missouri: Gov. Mike Parson has signed voting legislation into that includes the requirement to show a photo ID in order to vote. The new law, sponsored by Rep. John Simmons (R-Washington) prohibits touchscreen voting machines after 2024 and allows the Missouri secretary of state to audit voter rolls. It also gets rid of presidential primaries in Missouri — replacing them with a series of caucuses — and gives voters a two-week period to cast absentee ballots without an excuse. “In 2020 and years prior, Missouri has conducted free, fair, and secure elections, but with changing technologies and new emerging threats, we want to ensure they remain that way,” Parson said. Democrats and voting rights advocates have decried the legislation as an attempt to stifle voting rights. They argued the voter ID requirements would hurt minorities and seniors who don’t have forms of photo identification.

New Jersey: Nine election bills advanced through the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee last week. The bills would do everything from enact a variety of changes concerning mail-in balloting, poll workers, overseas voters, ballot privacy, early voting locations, campaign finance, and police at polling locations. Six of the nine bills had previously gone through the Assembly:

S2865 was advanced in a 3-2 party-line vote. The bill includes a number of provisions, with the most controversial allowing county boards of elections to begin opening absentee ballots five days before Election Day. Also included in the bill are provisions to shorten the schedule for when absentee ballots are sent to voters and require county boards of elections to post the numbers of ballots received and outstanding on their websites.

S2864 requires that at least 50% of early voting sites and ballot drop boxes be placed in areas with low voter turnout, and at least 50% be placed in areas accessible by public transit. While the organizations shared the bill’s goal of increasing voter turnout, they feared changing voting locations would be confusing to voters.

S2863 also includes a number of provisions, including mandating privacy sleeves at polling places, allowing voters to apply for absentee ballots and change their voter registration online, and, most controversially, requiring the counting of early and absentee votes by electoral district rather than municipality. Voting rights groups and Republicans both expressed concerns over privacy regarding vote reporting, and the bill advanced 4-1 with Polistina voting no. The bill originally included a section shortening the deadline to cure a ballot, but this was ultimately removed after objections from voting rights groups.

S2912, which was introduced just today, allowing police officers in public schools and senior residential centers even if they are being used as polling places. As of earlier this year, state law requires officers to remain 100 feet away from all polling places with exceptions when officers lived next to polling sites or were themselves casting a ballot.

S2866 or the so-called “Elections Transparency Act,” would require independent expenditure committees to report campaign contributions of over $1,000 and would double contribution limits. The bill, sponsored by Senate President Nick Scutari (D-Linden) and Senate Minority Leader Steven Oroho (R-Franklin), would also require businesses with legislative, county, or municipal contracts to report any contributions.

S138 would allow 16 and 17 year olds to work as poll workers from 5:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Election Day itself; current law allows minors to serve as poll workers but restricts their hours.

S2899 would allow all New Jersey residents living abroad to vote in state elections. The bill advanced by a vote of 4-1 with Holzapfel voting no and Polistina voting yes, but expressing skepticism over the bill.

S2527 would require the state to pay for local special elections that were held because of errors by the state.

S488 would allow college students to earn school credit by working as poll workers. While the bill received wide support, Patel proposed that the residency requirement be removed to allow students to work polls in their college’s county rather than the county they are registered in.

North Carolina: Senate Bill 916, called the Safeguard Fair Elections Act, was filed by state Sen. Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake), the Senate Democratic whip, and Sen. Natalie S. Murdock (D-Durham) on Monday, but it has been in the works since the false claims of fraud by the former president and his acolytes brought new fears about the election process. “The recent revelations from the January 6th hearings have given context to the issue, but this legislation has been in the works for almost a year and a half,” Chaudhuri wrote in response to questions from WGHP. “We did not plan the filing of this bill to coincide with Tuesday’s hearings, but what we heard on the threats our nation’s local, nonpartisan election workers continue to face emphasizes the urgency of this legislation.” Senate Bill 916 would address some of those issues, but it also would serve to protect against external audits by certifying how audits of election results should occur, thus protecting the democratic process of voting and counting the results. “First, the bill adds protections for voters from threats and intimidation, including criminal penalties,” Chaudhuri said.  “Second, the bill protects election officials from threats and intimidation, including criminal penalties. Specifically, this provision protects election officials’ private information from public records to prevent ‘doxing’ [which is publishing a person’s private information without permission]. “Finally, the bill prohibits third-party forensic audits and ensures all post-election audits comply with best practices to ensure transparency while preserving the integrity of our election infrastructure.”

A bill to make sure uniformed officers and first responders are not turned away from polling places while attempting to vote cleared the N.C. House of Representatives on June 22 by a vote of 106 to 2.  House Bill 807, the Uniformed Heroes Voting Act, would ensure that any law enforcement officer, military member, first responder or correctional officer cannot be refused entry to a voting location due to appearing in uniform. “After reports of uniformed law enforcement officers being turned away from the polls in recent elections, I want to make certain our uniformed heroes will never encounter this issue again,” Rep. Destin Hall (R- Caldwell), a primary sponsor of the bill, wrote in an email to North State Journal.

Pennsylvania: The House of Representatives passed the Senate’s controversial bill that would alter the restrictions on poll watchers statewide. Now it is up to the governor to sign it into legislation. Elizabeth Rementer, a spokesperson for Gov. Wolf, referenced Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, and the sponsor of the bill, while saying that there’s no chance it will be signed. “The administration strongly opposes this bill. It does nothing to increase access to voting and is just one more attempt by the lawmaker – who has repeatedly sought to undermine the integrity of our election process – to encourage voter intimidation,” Rementer said. “Republicans should focus their efforts on election reform measures that ensure that voters can freely and safely exercise their right to vote.” Josh Herman, legislative director for Mastriano’s office, said in an email they are hopeful that Wolf will change his mind after looking more closely at the bill. “SB 573 ensures that poll watchers for all political parties and candidates can adequately observe the election process,” he said. “Poll watchers add another layer of observation to ensure that election laws are properly and legally administered.” The bill would lift the requirement that poll watchers must be registered voters within the county that the polling place they will be watching over is located. This alteration would allow poll watchers to travel anywhere in the state. Each precinct would have their limit of the number of poll watchers raised from two to three per candidate, under the bill. Also, poll watchers would be allowed to observe how ballots are collected, precanvassed and counted within 6 feet of the process, in any facility, on top of imposing harsher penalties on any election officials who intimidate or impede a poll watcher while working.

Legal Updates

Arizona: U.S. District Court Judge Dominic Lanza ruled that voting rights groups can contest a 2021 state law that eliminates the state’s permanent early voting list. In a 60-page ruling Lanza said challengers had presented enough information to show the measure violates the federal Voting Rights Act. That ranges from the fact that minorities are more likely to be affected by the law to historical patterns of discrimination and even a statement by a Fountain Hills Republican lawmaker that the judge said could be seen as proof the Legislature approved the change for a racially discriminatory purpose. None of this means that Mi Familia Vota and others will succeed in overturning the statute. But it does guarantee they will get their day in court. SB 1485, the 2021 law Lanza is allowing to be challenged, spells out that if someone does not return an early ballot in at least one of four prior elections — meaning a primary and a general election in two successive years — that person is dropped from what would no longer be called the permanent early voting list.

Colorado: The Citizens project, Colorado Latinos Vote, League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak region, and Black/Latino Leadership Coalition are suing the City of Colorado Springs, office of the city clerk of Colorado Springs, and Sarah Ball Johnson, in her official capacity as city clerk for holding city elections in April. They believe when an election is held—just as where or how an election is held—may result in unlawful racial discrimination. The organizations argue the timing of Colorado Springs’ elections for City Council and Mayor greatly disadvantages Hispanic and Black residents. Only about 16% of the City’s non-white registered voters participate in these April off-year elections. The groups argue he turnout rate for white registered voters is around 32%. In the lawsuit obtained by KRDO Newschannel13, they state “this racial disparity dwarfs those often seen in Voting Rights Act cases.”

Louisiana: The U.S. Supreme Court allowed a congressional map in Louisiana to remain in place for the next election, freezing a lower court ruling that said the map likely violates the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of Black voters. In a brief order, the court said that it would wait to act on the merits of the case until it has decided a similar dispute out of Alabama that is set to be argued next term. The three liberal justices, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, dissented. On June 6, Judge Shelly Dick of the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana ordered the Louisiana state legislature to add a second majority-Black district — citing the state’s “repugnant history” of discrimination. “The evidence of Louisiana’s long and ongoing history of voting-related discrimination weighs heavily in favor of” arguments put forward by the Louisiana State conference of the NAACP and other challengers in the case, Dick said. A federal appeals court declined to put that ruling on hold and scheduled expedited hearings that are set to begin on July 8.  But Louisiana asked the high court to step in now even before those hearings could take place.

The Louisiana Supreme Court has agreed to hear a lawsuit that Attorney General Jeff Landry filed against a nonprofit organization that tried to donate money to election officials across the state to pay for tents, water, signs and other basic supplies they needed to hold the 2020 presidential election.  In a 4-3 decision , the state justices voted against a motion to dismiss the case filed by the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a nonpartisan organization that donated hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to governments across the country to assist them with elections during the COVID-19 pandemic. A 3rd Circuit appellate panel found that the lower court erred when it defined parish registrars of voters and clerks of court as parish officials with the constitutional authority of political subdivisions to “acquire property for any public purpose by purchase, donation, expropriation, exchange, or otherwise” as detailed in the Louisiana Constitution.

Massachusetts: A day after Gov. Charlie Baker signed a voting reforms package into law, the Massachusetts Republican filed a lawsuit to overturn it. The VOTES Act permanently expands early voting timelines and allows no-excuse voting by mail, a measure that MassGOP Chairman Jim Lyons called unconstitutional on Thursday afternoon as his party filed his lawsuit to block the new legislation from taking effect. “There’s a reason why we have three branches of government, and we’re confident that the Supreme Judicial Court will strike down and expose the Democrats’ unconstitutional permanent expansion of mail-in voting,” Lyons said in a statement. The bill, which also contains jail-based voting reforms, marked the culminations of months of negotiating between Senate and House members, who ultimately could not reach a consensus on same-day or Election Day voter registration. But activists on Wednesday swiftly celebrated Baker’s signature, as they heralded the law as a fundamental safeguard for voting rights as other states seek to curtail access to the ballot box. Secretary of State William Galvin said the lawsuit, filed in the midst of the Jan. 6 federal hearings, signifies a “tone-deaf” and “blatant political effort to suppress voting in Massachusetts.”

Nevada: The Nevada Supreme Court ruled on three major election cases that reshape the November ballot, allowing an initiative proposing open primaries and ranked-choice voting to proceed while voiding another measure proposing a voucher-style education program. The rulings arrived just before a statutory June 29 deadline for groups to submit the necessary signatures to qualify an initiative for the November general election ballot. If approved by a majority of voters in 2022 and 2024, the voting initiative would overhaul elections in the state, opening primaries to all voters regardless of party registration and providing voters with an opportunity to rank multiple candidates by preference during general elections. That 4-3 ruling backs up a lower court ruling from January, in which Carson City District Court Judge James Wilson rejected three claims raised against the initiative. Wilson concluded that changes to both primary and general elections did not violate a rule that ballot initiatives must focus on a single subject. In the majority opinion written by Justice Douglas Herndon, the court determined the initiative did not violate the single-subject rule as long as its provisions were “functionally related and germane to each other.” He said claims of logrolling — including a less popular, unrelated provision unlikely to pass by itself with a more popular idea or provision — fell short in persuading the justices, as plaintiffs were unable to point to which of the two provisions “is the primary, and thus, the more popular, change proposed.” “[T]he changes are necessarily connected and pertaining to each other and to the subject of how specified officeholders are presented to voters and elected,” the opinion states.

New York: State Supreme Court Justice Ralph J. Porzio on Staten Island ruled this week that New York City’s new law allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections violates the state constitution. Porzio ruled that the new law conflicted with constitutional guidelines and state law stating that only eligible citizens can vote. To give noncitizens a right to vote would require a referendum, the judge wrote. The law only applied to municipal elections and was not set to go into effect until January of next year. The ruling will have no effect on Tuesday’s primary election in New York. “The New York State Constitution expressly states that citizens meeting the age and residency requirements are entitled to register and vote in elections,” the judge wrote in his ruling. “There is no statutory ability for the City of New York to issue inconsistent laws permitting noncitizens to vote and exceed the authority granted to it by the New York State Constitution.” State and federal Republican Party leaders, as well as a handful of local Republican officials, challenged the law in court, saying that it diminished the voting power of citizens and might prevent noncitizens from seeking to gain citizenship. “The State Constitution is a floor, not the ceiling, of who can be enfranchised,” said Murad Awawdeh, the executive director of the New York Immigrant Coalition. “We’re going to keep fighting so that nearly one million New Yorkers who are building their lives here and investing in our communities can have a say in their local democracy.”

Luz Pena, a 59-year-old a poll worker who was accused of pre-stamping ballots for Byron Brown during November’s Buffalo mayoral race pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and was ordered to pay a $100 fine. Pena was unconditionally discharged after her plea. She had been a felony charge that could have carried up to four years in prison.

North Carolina: The Supreme Court ruled that Republican legislative leaders in North Carolina can act in court to defend a state voter identification law that the Democratic governor and attorney general opposed. The 8-1 decision did not address the merits or constitutionality of the voter ID law, but the ruling will make it easier for legislators to step in when other state officials decline to back election-related state statutes in court or are perceived as offering only lackluster support. “Casting aspersions on no one, this litigation illustrates how divided state governments sometimes warrant participation by multiple state officials in federal court,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote. The sole dissenter, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, warned that liberally allowing state officials to enter federal civil litigation will overcomplicate such cases for judges. “It is difficult to overstate the burden the Court’s holding will foist on district courts,” wrote Sotomayor, an appointee of President Barack Obama. “Even when state agents’ positions align, this multitude of parties will clog federal courts and delay the administration of justice….We should not interpret state law to hijack federal courts’ ability to manage litigation involving States.”

The State Supreme Court issued an order this week indicating that it will not speed up the timetable for a lawsuit challenging state restrictions on felon voting. Justices issued that order without comment in the case titled Community Success Initiative v. Moore. Still up for debate is a separate request from state legislative leaders to extend the case’s current briefing deadlines. At issue is a trial court ruling that could add allow 56,000 felons to vote in N.C. elections as soon as November. A split three-judge panel threw out a 1973 state law that dictates rules for felons to have their voting rights restored. The ruling would apply to felons who have completed active prison time but continue to face parole, probation, or post-release supervision. Both the State Board of Elections and Republican legislative leaders had rejected plaintiffs’ request to shorten the case’s deadlines. Plaintiffs had asked for a briefing schedule that would have allowed for oral arguments as early as August.

Texas: A lawsuit alleging the City of Austin did not extend voting rights to tens of thousands of residents has been rejected by the Texas Supreme Court — and the battle likely ends here. In March, attorney Bill Aleshire sued Austin’s City Council members on behalf of a dozen city residents. In the lawsuit, filed in Travis County district court, Aleshire argued roughly 24,000 people who had been moved into new council districts as part of the city’s redistricting efforts had been denied their right to elect a local representative. “They were moved from a council district that had been on their ballot to one that has never been and won’t be for two more years,” Aleshire told KUT in March. But two courts have rejected Aleshire’s argument. In May, a Travis County judge sided with the city, and on Friday the Texas Supreme Court said it would not take up the case. “We are pleased that the Texas Supreme Court has decided not to review our Charter requirement for staggered terms for Council Members, which was originally passed by Austin voters,” a City of Austin spokesperson wrote in an email Monday.

Wisconsin: Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn lifted a contempt-of-court finding against Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos after Vos’ election investigator explained to the court when and how he destroyed records from his 2020 election review. Bailey-Rihn said questions remain about why Michael Gableman’s Office of Special Counsel failed to follow state open records laws. Former Supreme Court Justice Gableman testified that after he was hired by Vos to lead the Assembly’s investigation into the 2020 election in June, he had to get up to speed on how “the ballot process works” and conducted internet research on a computer at the New Berlin Public Library. During the hearing, attorney Christa Westerberg, who is representing liberal watchdog group American Oversight in lawsuits against Gableman’s Office of Special Counsel and Vos, asked Gableman if he produced any written notes during the symposium or had received any materials at the event, which took place after American Oversight had filed a request for records.  Anything that didn’t fit into his pre-ordained view of what occurred here was, frankly, disposed of,” said Bailey-Rihn. “And then there was a lot of contradicting testimony that he was sick with COVID but yet he’s at the New Berlin Library, typing up a seven-page report or something.” She said based on Gableman’s testimony, whatever work he conducted during July and August was “minimal” despite taxpayers “paying $11,000 a month to do so.”

A lawsuit filed in Brown County, appealing a decision of the Wisconsin Elections Commission regarding how Green Bay handled the 2020 election, was dismissed. The state noted it won a similar lawsuit in another county, and the plaintiffs say instead they will focus their efforts on a different lawsuit, challenging how Green Bay used drop boxes. In April 2021, five Green Bay residents filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Elections Commission against the commission’s administrator, Meagan Wolfe, Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich, former chief of staff for Genrich and current city clerk, Celestine Jeffreys, and former city clerk Kris Teske. The complaint alleged state and federal laws were violated when the city accepted a $1.6 million grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life and the conditions that came with the money. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife supplied the money for the grants. An order dismissing the case was signed Friday by Judge Tammy Jo Hock, but it does not state the reason for the plaintiffs to drop the suit.

Opinions This Week

National Opinions: Election workers, II, III, IV | In-person voting | 2020 election | January 6| Voting rights, II

Alabama: Primaries

California: Imperial County | Contra Costa County

Colorado: Party switching | Election workers | Election deniers | Ranked choice voting

Florida: Secretary of state | Ranked choice voting

Indiana: Secretary of state;

Kansas: Election workers | Election lies

Missouri: Election lies

Maryland: Poll workers

Nevada: Conspiracy theories

New York: Election workers | Voting rights

North Carolina: Fair elections | Voter ID

Ohio: Secretary of state | Poll workers

Oregon: Barcodes

Pennsylvania: Primary date

South Carolina: Early voting | Election integrity | Ranked choice voting | Election lies

Tennessee: Voting rights

Utah: Election workers | Big Lie

Virginia: Poll workers

Washington: Misinformation | Secretary of state race

Wyoming: Voting system | Secretary of state

Upcoming Events

NASS Summer Conference: Join the National Association of Secretaries of State for their Annual Conference this summer. Check back here for more details and how to register. When: July 7-10. Where: Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

NASED Summer Conference: Twice a year, NASED members gather to discuss the latest developments in election administration.  Members of the public are welcome to attend at the non-member registration rate. When: July 18-21. Where: Madison, Wisconsin.

ESRA 2022: We are delighted to welcome you to the 6th Annual Election Science, Research, and Administration Conference. The conference will commence on Wednesday, July 27 and will run through Friday 29 at the UNC Charlotte Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. Where: Charlotte, NC. When: July 27-29

Election Center Annual Conference: Join the National Association of Election Officials (The Election Center) for their 37th Annual Conference this summer.  When: August 20-24. Where: Denver.

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.

Communications Specialist, The U.S. Election Assistance Commission— The employee and supervisor collaborate to develop the approach, timelines and general framework for projects and, within these parameters, the employee independently plans and carries out the work involved in developing, maintaining, and managing media communication, coordinating with others as appropriate, interpreting and applying policy, determining the content and format for media communication, and consulting with the supervisor on questionable content or issues. The Director of Communications assigns special projects and assignments, defining the nature of the assignment, objectives to be achieved, and resources available. The employee independently resolves most problems that arise, keeping the Director informed on unusual, sensitive or controversial matters. Completed work is reviewed for achievement of objectives and consistency with governing laws, regulations, policies, and the EAC strategic plan. Salary: $74,950 – $95,824. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Director of Elections, Yavapai County, Arizona— Provide professional level project planning in all functions related to the conduct of voting and election activities for the County. Sound judgment is required in this position to ensure the County’s compliance with all applicable laws that govern Elections. Ability to perform administrative work of considerable difficulty, planning, directing, and coordinating project activities. Deadline: July 5. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Director of Elections, Cumberland County, North Carolina— The Elections Director works under the administrative direction of the County Board of Elections and Executive Director of the State Board of Election. The Elections Director performs professional, managerial, and administrative work for the Board of Elections and carries out all duties or responsibilities as assigned by Chapter 163 of the General Statutes of the State of North Carolina and as delegated by members of the County Board in accordance with the laws of the State of North Carolina, GS 163-35 (d) and 163-33.  Reports to the Chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Elections. Salary: $78,784.40 – $132,425.23. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Election Hardware Manager, Dallas County, Texas— Manages the lifecycle of election hardware by developing and maintaining processes, policies, systems and measurements. Manages the election hardware inventory; ensures quality control by assigning and deploying equipment; recommends, implements, and utilizes automation and tools to monitor and report on inventory; records and manages licenses, service agreements, and warranties for election hardware and related software/firmware; reviews, analyzes, and evaluates election hardware operations. Establishes and maintains an inventory of election related assets to include but not limited to ballot marking devices, ballot counters, electronic poll books, mobile networking equipment, computers/laptops, mobile devices, tablets, and related software and peripherals. Plans, monitors, and enforces the usage, tracking, and health of election hardware and software. Plans, monitors, and enforces configuration of election hardware to include installed software, security configuration, and election specific programming/configurations. Provides regular reports and analysis on asset usage and related costs. Documents and provides guidance and training on the usage, tracking, and maintenance of election hardware and related peripherals and software in coordination with vendors and election staff. Manages, trains and guides the work of staff in preparing, deploying, and supporting election hardware. Performs other duties as assigned. Salary: $5094.59- $6355.07. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Election Security Intelligence Analyst, Illinois State Board of Elections— Under administrative direction, serves as a team member identifying computer system vulnerabilities in partnership with the Illinois State Board of Elections and Department of Innovation and Technology for local election authorities and other state election partners. Identifies vulnerabilities and provides technical analysis and remediation recommendations for those affected computer systems, including forensic analysis for investigations, monitoring and reporting. Provides technical support to the Cyber Security Information Sharing Program Manager and Cyber Navigator Program Manager of the Illinois State Board of Elections Cyber Navigator Program in coordination with the Department of Innovation and Technology Security Operations Center.  Develops and recommends measures to safeguard systems before and after they are compromised.  Conducts monthly Tech Talks on election security and relevant cyber threats for local election authorities and their IT and security staff.  Develop annual cyber security training for local election authorities. Develops publications, guides, and other election security related resources for statewide distribution. Participates in the development of incident response plans, continuity of operation plans, and tabletop exercise training.  Serves on-call for emergency situations and Election Day.  Travel to attend training sessions, conferences, meetings, etc. is required. Serves as a team member identifying computer system vulnerabilities; reviews existing computer systems of local election authorities monitored by DoIT for security violations.  Document incidents as appropriate.  Perform analysis of systems for any weaknesses, technical flaws or vulnerabilities.  Identifies vulnerabilities and provides remediation recommendations for those affected computer systems, including forensic analysis for investigations, monitoring and reporting. Coordinates with regionally assigned cyber navigators to assist local election authorities information technology staff/vendor mitigate incidents or provide technical support. Monitors network traffic by utilizing intrusion detection devices and other technologies. Monitors activities such as automated notification of security breaches and automated or manual examination of logs, controls, procedures, and data.  Salary: $5,667 – $6,000 Monthly. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Business Intelligence Specialist, Tennessee Secretary of State— Summary: Assist in planning and coordinating the computer functions and responsibilities for the Elections Division which includes, but is not limited to: data processing, integrating the statewide voter registration system with county voter registration systems, improve election reporting capabilities; analyzing and resolving technical software issues (25%) for the Division of Elections and 95 county election commission offices, which includes, but is not limited to cybersecurity practices; reviewing and researching regulations, legislation, government codes, and directives relevant to the technical elections operation; including serving as the liaison to the Office of the Comptroller of the Treasury, Local Government; and performing other duties as assigned. This position is responsible for the accuracy and timely compliance and security of voter registration data, ballot review and approval, producing and analyzing election-related state and federal reports, maintaining and assist in updating elections mobile app. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Manager, Cochise County, Arizona— Under limited supervision by the Director of Elections, performs professional and administrative work of a high level in the management of election administration work in planning, organizing and directing strategic and daily goals and objectives, operations and activities of the Elections Department. Performs other related work as assigned. Assists the Director of Elections in the administration and supervision of all County, special, primary and general elections with state and local jurisdictions; Manages program requirements through appropriate delegation and work supervision, organization and assignment of task duties including warehouse organization and inventory, delivery and return of election supplies to polling places, poll workers, election boards, training and pay, website, and submitting meeting agenda items; Assists with ballot creation process including proofreading all ballot styles, sending ballot proofs to candidates and jurisdictions, and creating and reviewing ballot orders; Assures accuracy of election materials and maintains chain of custody of ballots, forms, equipment, and materials; Programs, tests, and maintains all voting equipment, following Federal, State, and local requirements; Recruits, coordinates, trains, manages, supervises, and terminates seasonal or temporary staff in consultation with the Director; Develops and presents poll worker education and curriculum for online and in-person training; Assists with ballot tabulation duties including coordinating, hiring, and training the Early Boards to receive, count and prepare early ballots for tabulation, assists with oversight of receiving Boards on Election night to receive and tabulate the polling place ballots, assists with Hand Count Boards as part of the election audition process and completes necessary reports related to canvass of election and post-election audits; Assists with election night reporting, including preparing the necessary data uploads into the State’s reporting system; Assists with oversite of the departmental budget and administers office financial tasks including but not limited to, inputting requisitions, tracking expenditures and budget reconciliation, lease agreements, paying invoices, overseeing and maintains inventory for equipment and supplies and assists with annual budget preparation; Delivers effective, accurate, secure, cost-effective customer service relative to areas of responsibility. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Services Manager, Contra Costa County, California— Our office is vital to our democracy and our community, and we love to help our residents. Our leadership values employee development and engagement, promotes open and transparent communication, prepares us to be a high-performing organization, and recognizes the contributions of others. We connect with the community, listen to them, and provide a critical service that people rely on. The incumbent will report directly to the Assistant Registrar, work in collaboration with the Clerk-Recorder-Registrar and executive management team, and interact with leaders in other county departments, state officials, and vendors to carry out essential functions. self-starter. You need to see the overall picture and be able to plan, organize, and prioritize tasks using tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment. A team player. You will be expected to bring balance to the team, foster trust, and instill confidence in your direct reports and the department as a whole. Customer Focused. You should provide a high level of customer service and strive to improve the voter’s experience and services to County residents. Accountable. You should take responsibility for your own work and the work of your division, assuring projects are completed within established timelines. Flexible. You will need to work well under pressure and be adaptable to changing priorities while balancing multiple projects. At times, this can be a high-stress job and the successful candidate must be able to cope and respond appropriately. A collaborative leader. You will collaborate with multiple units that have interconnected work products to help achieve division goals and should be willing to step in and help other units when needed. Knowledgeable. You should be experienced in election law, the election process, procedures, timelines, and administration. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Supervisor, Dallas County, Texas— Assists with managing the administration and operation of an election program area, to include program planning, supervising the work of others, establishing goals and objectives, developing schedules, priorities and standards for achieving goals, and coordinating and evaluating program activities. 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. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Technician or Elections Specialist DOQ, Larimer county, Colorado— The Larimer County Clerk & Recorder Elections division offers an outstanding opportunity for an exciting career in the always engaging field of Election Administration – where the foundation of government begins for our citizens! We are seeking skilled Elections Technicians/Elections Specialists to join our highly respected team. We serve a population of more than 300,000 citizens, of which more than 250,000 are registered voters. We embrace innovative processes and have a shown reputation for integrity. If you are a self-motivated, positive teammate who thrives in a fast-paced professional environment – we want to hear from you! The successful candidate will be dedicated, assertive, and possess outstanding interpersonal and problem-solving skills. The Elections Technician/Elections Specialist position provides support to and/or oversight for certain processes. Deadline: June 26. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

In-Person Voting Program Analyst, North Carolina State Board of Elections— The In-Person Voting Program Analyst has extensive knowledge of election administration and performs detailed analysis, planning and preparation for conducting in-person voting in all 100 North Carolina counties in compliance with NC General Statute 163 and the North Carolina Administrative Code. In-person voting includes one-stop early voting and Election Day processes for all primaries, second primaries, recounts, runoffs, special elections and general elections. In-person voting programs include but are not limited to assessment and adoption of county early voting implementation plans, accessibility to and voting inside the polling place, curbside voting, provisional voting, precinct officials, observers, and electioneering. This position will work closely with agency legal counsel, the project management section, the document and curriculum section, and other SBE and CBE stakeholders to review election law and make necessary recommendations in one-stop early voting plans, precinct and voting location changes, election processes, procedures, and any information systems pertaining to in-person voting. This position serves as the subject matter expert for the software modules used to support in-person voting and will work with software support to review software functionality for use in the county offices and software development on enhancements and new module development. Additional information systems directly related to this position include electronic pollbooks and VBT scanner systems used during in-person voting. This position provides in-person voting administration, which includes statute and process clarification and materials creation and review. The work involves keeping informed of all laws, rules and regulations in North Carolina that apply to in-person voting, communicating these to the county boards of elections and providing the necessary materials, training and supervision needed to conduct successful elections in North Carolina. Responsibilities also include working with other program specialists, a program assistant, and occasionally seasonal temporary employees in an effort to carry out program standards and objectives. The employee will work with all federal, state and local agencies to assure that all compliance standards are met and in-person voting reports and surveys are completed. The employee will work as the ADA Coordinator for the agency in order to assure compliance with accessibility standards in all North Carolina voting locations. Salary: $50,357 – $70,000. Deadline: July 5. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Information Services Specialist, Illinois State Board of Elections— Under the general supervision of the Chief Information Officer and Deputy Chief Information Officer and the day-to-day supervision of the Information Services Team Leads, independently and as a project team member, develops, maintains, and enhances the State Board of Elections’ Information Systems. Establishes application development task schedules, testing plans and implementation schedules; Performs technical analysis, design, and programming according to SBE standards; Coordinates development, testing and implementation with end-users, technical consultants and IT Staff according to SBE standards. Consults with end-users to determine application goals, requirements, cost, architecture, and impact to existing systems; Provides Level 1 technical support for Agency end-users as well as end-users of other agency-developed systems. Through continuing self-study and/or formal coursework, acquires knowledge of advanced information systems concepts and techniques, productivity tools, election law, and Board policy as they affect Board Information Systems. Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Information Technology Security Analyst, Illinois State Board of Elections— The IT Security Analyst reports directly to the Manager of Cyber Operations and Infrastructure. Supports the administration, implementation, review, and improvement of endpoint, network, hardware, application, and data security practices. Implements, supports and monitors the agency’s information security applications, including email security, web security, endpoint security software, firewalls, intrusion prevention applications, data loss prevention, etc. Monitors system dashboards and logs for threat indicators. Analyzes data and performs necessary incident response procedures. Conducts network, system and application vulnerability assessments. Analyzes agency threat surface and makes recommendations to management to harden agency systems. Evaluates agency processes and implements and/or makes recommendations to enhance security. Reviews information received concerning threat events from end users, supervisory personnel, other federal, state, county and local agencies and governmental entities involved in the exchange of data with the State Board of Elections (SBE), external entities such as the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), trusted cybersecurity vendors, law enforcement agencies, and public information sources. Consults with SBE staff on security issues. Provides a high level of customer service to agency staff, state, county, and local election officials. Ensures service desk queues and incidents are handled in an appropriate and timely manner. Salary: $6,264 – $8,917 Monthly. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Senior Programmer Analyst, Clark County, Nevada— This position provides project and program leadership to professional and technical staff; performs applications systems design, modification and programming of a routine to complex nature in support of County administrative and business services for multiple computer platform applications. Provides lead direction, training and work review to a programming project team; organized and assigns work, sets priorities, and follows-up and controls project status to ensure coordination and completion of assigned work. Provides input into selection, evaluation, disciplinary and other personnel matters. Gathers and analyzes information regarding customer systems and requirements and develops or modifies automated systems to fulfill these needs. Conducts feasibility studies and develops system, time, equipment and cost requirements. Using computer generated techniques, simulates hardware and software problems, tests and evaluates alternative solutions, and recommends and implements appropriate applications design. Develops program logic and processing steps; codes programs in varied languages. Plans and develops test data to validate new or modified programs; designs input and output forms and documents. Troubleshoots hardware and software problems, as needed, for customers, other agencies and information systems personnel. Writes program documentation and customer procedures and instructions and assists user departments and staff in implementing new or modified programs and applications; tracks and evaluates project and systems progress. Writes utility programs to support and validate adopted systems and programs. Confers with customer department staff regarding assigned functional program areas. Maintains records and prepares periodic and special reports of work performed. Maintains current knowledge of technology and new computer customer applications. Contributes to the efficiency and effectiveness of the unit’s service to its customers by offering suggestions and directing or participating as an active member of a work team. Uses standard office equipment in the course of the work; may drive a personal or County motor vehicle or be able to arrange for appropriate transportation in order to travel between various job sites depending upon departments and/or projects assigned. This is an open and continuous recruitment, scheduling dates will vary depending on when the application was received and reviewed by Human Resources. This examination will establish an Open Competitive Eligibility list to fill current and/or future vacancies that may occur within the next six (6) months or may be extended as needed by Human Resources. Human Resources reserves the right to call only the most qualified applicants to the selection process. Salary: $32.07 – $49.74 Hourly. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Voter Education & Outreach Specialist, Washington Secretary of State’s Office— This position reports to the Voting Information Services Manager of the Elections Division and works collaboratively to provide outreach and educational services. This position leads onsite customer service to candidates during annual peaks, voters’ pamphlet training for internal staff, organization of printed materials for proofing, fulfillment of outreach materials to stakeholders, and coordinates the printing and distribution of the state Voters’ Pamphlet. The passage of new legislation (ESHB 2421) increases the business needs to be met by the Secretary of State’s Office. Each May and June, the office must preview and process candidate’s statements to be printed in local county primary pamphlets as well as the processing necessary July through October for the state general election pamphlet. The Voting Information Services (VIS) team promotes accessible, fair, and accurate elections. Through educational programs and service excellence, we help eligible Washington residents register to vote, file for office, and cast an informed ballot. VIS exercises visionary leadership to publish the state Voters’ Pamphlet. The team provides voters and candidates with essential tools and training, digestible data and auditing reports, outreach programs and publications. VIS also advises County Auditors in interpretations of federal and state election law to uphold the integrity of election administration throughout the state. These objectives are accomplished through official communications, collaboration with stakeholders, and educational publications including the state Voters’ Pamphlet. The VIS program also acts as liaison for the Office of the Secretary of State. Salary: $55,524 – $74,604. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Web Developer, Ballotpedia— Ballotpedia is seeking a full-time, senior full-stack Web Developer to join our organization. This is a remote position. Ballotpedia’s Tech team supports the rest of the staff in making high-quality political data and unbiased encyclopedic content available to the American public by improving many aspects of Ballotpedia’s web presence and the behind-the-scenes tools used by staff. This is a full-stack role that may include various aspects of engineering, development, design, programming, architecture, testing, and tooling. We are looking for someone with at least two years of career experience in full-stack web development who can demonstrate abilities across the stack. Salary: $65,000-$85,000. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Marketplace

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