electionline Weekly

Essential Guide to Election Security

Handbook becomes essential guide
CIS/EI-ISAC update 2018 handbook for current election security needs

With just 3 months until the 2022 midterm elections, candidates are campaigning and election officials are working hard to prepare…but so are adversaries intent on disrupting the election process. How can election officials stay ahead of the threat?

Enter the Essential Guide to Election Security. Created by the Center for Internet Security and the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), it guides officials through the process of securing elections against an overwhelming majority of attacks. The EI-ISAC recognizes that not every jurisdiction has the same level of cybersecurity experience, and is committed to assisting even the most under-resourced election offices in building programs to meet their needs.

“Implementing effective election security practices is critical for our democracy. It can also feel overwhelming for officials who may not have cybersecurity staff or training,” said Kathy Boockvar, Vice President of Election Operations & Support at the Center for Internet Security.

“This is why we created the Essential Guide to Election Security—our new, easy-to-access resource that meets election offices where they are. The Essential Guide breaks down its recommendations into 3 levels, so everyone from beginners to experts will find election security guidance and best practices that fit their jurisdictions.”

Significantly, the Essential Guide to Election Security meets election offices where they are with prioritized best practices based on data of attacks that have occurred in the real world. It breaks down recommendations, which are based on CIS Community Defense Model (CDM) v2.0, into three levels so everyone from beginners to experts can find guidance that fits their jurisdictions. This makes the Essential Guide relevant to protecting against real-world attacks including physical security threats, intimidation, and doxing.

Additionally, the Essential Guide includes three levels of maturity. Not all election offices have the same resources or technical capabilities, so we needed to find a way to give guidance that meets the officials where they are. By including different maturity levels, the Essential Guide gives election officials different paths of implementation for any given best practice.

Visit our blog for a behind-the-scenes look at what went into creating the guide, and some of the new challenges it addresses.

Cybersecurity Toolkit to Protect Elections

CISA releases toolkit of free cybersecurity resources for election community
Tools build on existing efforts to help state and local election officials protect against ransomware, phishing, and DDoS attacks

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released its “Protecting U.S. Elections: A CISA Cybersecurity Toolkit” , a one-stop catalog of free services and tools available for state and local election officials to improve the cybersecurity and resilience of their infrastructure. As the lead federal agency responsible for election security, CISA regularly works with state and local election officials to secure their systems and offers a number of services, information products, and other resources.

This toolkit was developed through CISA’s Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC), which worked with private and public sector organizations, including in the election community, and JCDC alliance members – to compile these free resources. The toolkit is organized into broad categories designed to help election officials:

1. Assess their risk using an Election Security Risk Profile Tool developed by CISA and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission;
2. Find tools related to protecting voter information, websites, email systems, and networks; and
3. Protect assets against phishing, ransomware, and distributed denial-of-services (DDoS) attacks.

“I am very proud to announce another valuable resource that can help officials further reduce their cyber risk and improve their security posture,” said CISA Director Jen Easterly. “Each day, state and local election officials confront threats to their infrastructure from foreign interference, nefarious actors, insider threats, and others. This is one more resource to help them in their ongoing efforts to ensure American elections remain secure and resilient.”

The toolkit is the latest resource that CISA and our partners have developed to support the election community. CISA’s website lists a number of resources and guidance on everything from cybersecurity to physical security for polling sites and election officials to combat mis-, dis-, and malinformation. The agency works with election officials in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the territories to regularly share timely and actionable information and intelligence, and provide cybersecurity services, technical assistance, and guidance.

For more information on CISA’s support to the election community, visit CISA.gov/election-security. To view the new Protecting U.S. Elections: A CISA Cybersecurity Toolkit webpage, click here.

Primary Updates

Six more states complete primaries
Secretary of state races are closely watched

By M. Mindy Moretti
Electionline.org

Another six states recently held primaries. On Thursday August 4 it was Tennessee. On Saturday August 6  it was the U.S. Virgin Islands and finally on Tuesday August 9 it was Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin.

A lot of eyes were on the Tuesday primaries since three of the four states held contests for secretary of state. With the retirement of Denise Merrill in Connecticut and Jim Condos in Vermont, those states are guaranteed to see a new chief elections official in the new year.

In Connecticut, Democrat Stephanie Thomas, a freshman legislator from Norwalk will face off against Republican Dominic Rapini, a marketing executive. In Minnesota incumbent Secretary of State Steve Simon (DFL) will face off against Republican Kim Crockett who is on the record as a 2020 election denier. In Vermont, Democrat Sarah Copeland Hanzas, a member of the Vermont Legislature will face off against Republican H. Brooke Paige and Progressive Robert Millar.

To clarify, and as most electionline readers know, the Wisconsin secretary of state does not have oversight of elections, although the state’s GOP is pushing a change that would eliminate the state’s election commission and put oversight under the state’s secretary of state. Given that, while we’ve not kept a super close eye on that race, it is important to know who the players will be in November and potentially beyond.

As for the rest of the news out of the past week’s primaries, they were all fairly business as usual. There were some issues with weather conditions in Connecticut and some voters in Tennessee were faced with long lines due a historically long ballot.

Here’s a look at what happened:

Connecticut: Much of the East Coast has been sweltering this week and those temperatures definitely had an impact on voting Tuesday in Connecticut. Voting at hone West Hartford polling place had to be moved to another location within the building because temperatures in the original room reached 95 degrees. “Due to the excessive heat it was a danger to the poll workers and the equipment,” Republican Registrar of Voters Beth Kyle said. While voters were in and out of the space within minutes, the workers – and the equipment – couldn’t escape the heat. A vote tabulator in Middletown overheated. A vote tabulator at the Spencer School on Westfield Street has been malfunctioning due to the heat, according to the city’s Republican Register of Voters David Bauer. The school building is not air-conditioned. Voters in New Canaan tested out new precincts and polling places on Tuesday without many known issues. In West Hartford, every voter got a pink postcard in July with information about their new polling places and Republican Registrar of Voters Beth Kyle said there hadn’t been reported complaints about people not knowing where to vote. “We will send out another mailing before the November election,” Kyle said. A recount will decide the 127th District Democratic primary  in Bridgeport after unofficial election results showed the two candidates separated by just five votes.

Minnesota: Final counts from Minnesota’s primary election on Tuesday are yet to be certified, but Secretary of State Steve Simon said voter turnout appeared to be “relatively strong” compared to other years. Voters in North Mankato seemed to have few problems finding their new, post-redistricting polling places. Election judges were pretty happy about them too. ”This place is inviting, it’s new, it’s bigger, there are plenty of places to park and plenty of room for us to set up all of the equipment,” election judge Mary Clare Wyrowski said. “So we have gone from maybe one of the saddest polling places to one of the happiest polling places.” Voters in Blue Earth County also faced new polling places with little issue. Sisters Kao Yong Yang and Yong Cheng Yang served as first-time election judges in Brooklyn Park and talked about how they enjoyed the process, despite the 15-hour-day. “There’s also a lot of Hmong voters so, if I can come and in case someone needs to speak Hmong or interpreting, then I could step up,” Yong Cheng Yang said. “And yeah, it’s actually really fun. I enjoy it.” The sisters, immigrants from Thailand, especially enjoyed being able to help out the Hmong voters who needed a hand. “There was actually a Hmong couple that came in and they didn’t know English,” Yong Cheng Yang said. “So I was able to speak Hmong to them and direct them to where they needed to be.” A special election that was coupled with Tuesday’s primary in Steele County had election judges giving out special instructions to voters. “It’s definitely an interesting ballot,” Deloris Slack, head judge for Owatonna Ward 5 Precinct 1 said. “The judges giving out the ballots have had to give more instructions this time around.” A race decided by three votes for St. Cloud City Council will require a recount. Controversy erupted in the town of Byron where Rochester Mayor Kim Norton was serving as an elections judge. State statute does not prohibit someone serving as an election official in a precinct where they do not appear on the ballot. “Byron is always in search of people willing and able to serve as an election judge and have completed the required training,” Janna Monosmith, Byron’s interim city administrator said. “Kim was treated the same as any other person working an election and is working where she is needed.”

Tennessee: The big news out the primary in Tennessee is the long-wait times faced by some voters in a number of counties due to the length of the primary ballot. In Davidson County. But it wasn’t turnout that slowed the process—the county was prepared for 100,000 voters and only about 70,000 voted—it was the length of the ballot that slowed things down. “The length of the ballot really hampered the flow,” said Elections Administrator Jeff Roberts. The ballot was so long that in some cases, voters spent 45 minutes in the booth trying to make their selections, according to Roberts. “Some of the places where they had lines that were an hour long, they only voted 200 people all day,” he said. While his office has about 20 extra voting machines they can send to the busiest areas, that can only help so much.  “We’re never going to have an unlimited number of machines we can deploy, because we only have a finite number,” said Roberts. Voters in Rutherford County also faced long lines, but not due to any technical issue. In this county, it was also the length of the ballot that was slowing down many voters.  In Shelby County, results weren’t posted till about 1 a.m. after some voting equipment was brought to the operations center at Shelby Farms without running and posting a tape of the results at the precinct because of paper jams in the election equipment. The only issues in Washington County were concerns low turnout will have on the county long-term. Poll workers in Union County were forced to turn to paper ledgers after ID readers at polling places stopped working.  There were no lines and no problems reported as hundreds of Montgomery County residents flocked to the polls to cast their ballots in the state primary and local county elections. Beverly Guinn, a precinct officer told the Leaf Chronicle the biggest issue her polling place faced was an issue every American faces these days, finding enough outlets and extension cords to  plug in equipment. The Tennessee Lookout had a story about poll workers and how despite the threats, the enthusiasm for serving hadn’t been dampened in the appropriately nicknamed Volunteer State. The state rolled out a new text system for voters to send concerns and tips about voting fraud. Secretary of State Tre Hargett told a local television station that by around 1pm on primary day they had yet to receive a text.

U.S. Virgin Islands: It was as quiet day at the polls on the three islands that make up the U.S. Virgin Islands with many voters casting their ballots during early voting. Elections Board member Alicia Wells praised Elections Supervisor Caroline Fawkes and her deputies, Terrell Alexandre on St. Croix and Kevermay Douglas on St. Thomas. They and the other Elections System workers who organized the primary “did a wonderful job,” Wells said. Polling Judge Karen Blyden has been manning elections for more than 20 years, told the The Virgin Islands Daily News that the process went smoothly, other than some voters’ confusion about the primary ballot — which included only Democrats running for the same offices, not candidates from the independent, ICM, and Republican parties, who the primary winners will face in the general election on Nov. 8. Voters on St. Thomas and St. John expressed interest and support for the Voter Express voting system that allowed them to cast their ballots electronically. At UVI, almost all of the partitioned tables remained unused, while Voter Express machines that ringed the area saw voters tapping away. While voting went smoothly, there was a delay with the new system in posting results. Chairman of the Board of Elections Raymond J. Williams thanks Virgin Islanders for voting and their patience waiting for results and vowed that they would continue to streamline the process to get results posted more quickly.

Vermont: Despite the dog days of August and the increasing use of mail-in voting, a number of Vermonters hit the polls to cast their votes in Tuesday’s primary election. Although official numbers are still pending, turnout in The Green Mountain State was up from the 2018 midterm primary with about 26.5% of Vermonters casting ballots this week. Redistricting forced some long-time Rutland voters to relearn their election day routines. More than a third of city voters were assigned new polling places. City Clerk Henry Heck actively sought publicity ahead of the election and stationed a worker at each polling place with a map and chart showing people where to go. Ward Clerk Beth Kiernan had put out a candy dish to help ease tensions with misplaced voters. “We’ve had some frustrated people,” she said. “Most people have been polite. Most people have been confused why. I guess they just didn’t hear about it.” South Burlington tested out new tabulators. In Winooski, City Clerk Jenny Willingham said residents seemed to be enthusiastic about voting. The city had received almost 500 early or absentee ballots, and within the first two hours of opening the polls, more than 50 people had voted in person. “There’s always someone in here,” said Willingham, referring to the steady influx of voters.

Wisconsin: Polling places throughout the state reported steady turnout throughout the day and no real issues. Whether or not the steady turnout was the result of voters no longer being able to use ballot drop boxes remains to be seen.  A larger than expected turnout in some localities in Waupaca County had town clerks reaching out the clerk’s office to request more ballots. No one actually ran out of ballots but Clerk Kristy Opperman either sent more printed ballots or a PDF for officials to print to at least seven communities. Clerks in Waukesha and neighboring Washington County called voter turnout Tuesday “steady.” Fewer absentee ballots were returned in Waukesha County compared to other recent elections, according to County Clerk Meg Wartman. She said absentee numbers seemed to be on par with pre-pandemic levels and she expected that drop to be balanced out by an increase in in-person voting. Election observation was way up in the City of Green Bay. NBC26 reports that there were consistently fix to six observers in the city’s central count location. am Munger, an observer from Madison who watched Central County, said that’s about twice the amount he’s seen at previous primary elections. “There are observers at almost every polling site I’ve been to, and for an August primary – at least in my experience – that’s not typical,” Munger said. “There’s often polling places where there’s no one observing the elections.” Most observers NBC 26 spoke with said they felt things went smoothly at Central Count, despite a couple of challenges that resolved quickly. Local television station WKOW talked to voters enrolled in the “Safe at Home” program that allowed them to safely cast a ballot. “It’s a draining feeling having to constantly have your head on bobble,” said a sex trafficking survivor who wanted to be identified as “Ryan”. Ryan said they had been in hiding for decades and thought voting was out of the question. “All one needs to do to find me if I go vote is search my name and my date of birth,” Ryan said. Ryan was thrilled to have the opportunity to vote this year because of the program.

Election News This Week

Voting Safety: A new poll from Edge Research commissioned by the nonprofit Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE), found that overall only 41% of Americans feel safe at polling places. 47% of white people feel safe at polling places, while 28% of Black people and 37% of Hispanic people report the same sense of security.  Overall, 63% of survey participants said they are “very worried” about at least one of the following — fraud, violence, harassment, or intimidation — happening at the polls and their polling place. 28% percent are “very worried” about organized groups like the Proud Boys showing up as poll watchers. 25% and 21%, respectively, worried about intimidation from either right-wing or left-wing extremists. The potential of voter intimidation and harassment is a grave concern to 39% of Black people and 38% of Hispanic people compared to 19% of white people. Meanwhile, 24% of white people, 44% of Black people and 45% of Hispanic people expressed concern about a violent attack or shooting on Election Day. GPAHE’s survey did not include data on Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders or Indigenous people. This poll surveyed a demographically representative sample of 1,003 U.S. adults 18 years of age and older. The online omnibus study was conducted three times a week from July 22 to 24.

Monitor Appointed: An election monitor will be appointed to oversee the September primary elections in Bedford, following a review by the Attorney General’s Office that found “significant deficiencies” had occurred in the town’s handling of the 2020 general election. An election official accidentally moved a tray of 188 absentee ballots before they had been processed, which meant they were never cast or counted, according to the review. The mistake was determined to be unintentional, and while it didn’t change the outcome of the election, the Attorney General’s Office considers it a serious error.  “It was a demanding election,” said Myles Matteson, who is deputy general counsel in the Attorney General’s Election Law Unit. “Election officials were working hard under difficult circumstances to administer a fair, transparent, and efficient election given all of the voters that were participating, many for the first time and difficult circumstances related to COVID.” The Secretary of State’s Office will appoint the election monitor after consulting with the attorney general. “Nothing in the actual occurrence of the ballots not being counted or in our interaction with the election officials indicated that anyone had any intent to not count these ballots,” Matteson said.

Voter Education Part I: After more than 25,000 ballots were rejected statewide during the March primary due to new voting laws, elections officials in several Texas counties have found what they hope will be a simple solution. According to the Houston Chronical, some officials believe a a brightly colored insert that arrives with mail ballots, explaining the new requirements and showing the easily forgotten space under the flap of the return envelope where the voter’s ID number needs to be printed is just the fix needed. Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen  said the insert is small enough and positioned in such a way that it will likely fall to the floor when voters open the mail ballot packet, so they can’t miss it. She said her office used the inserts in May primary runoff elections and saw immediate results. “We had under a 1 percent reject rate,” Callanen said. “We were back to where we belonged, which was a dance of joy.” Sam Taylor, a spokesman for the secretary of state, said the inserts “appeared to make a difference.” Taylor said elections officials across the state learned about the inserts and other best practices during an election law seminar the agency held at the beginning of this month. Harris County election officials said this week they are including a new insert about voter ID requirements with their mail ballot applications, and adding voter ID information to an existing insert with mail ballots, for November’s general election.

Voter Education Part II: The Washington County, Tennessee elections administrator is teaming up with the Johnson City Public Library to provide voter education classes. JCPL Adult Services Manager Lisa Krekelberg said the library is hosting this event because people often ask library staff for voting and election information. “People ask us all the time where they can find details about upcoming elections. It can be difficult to find this information, especially for local elections,” Krekelberg said. Elections Administrator Dana Jones will show people how to find the information they need before going to the voting booth, including who is running, who has picked up petitions for offices and which offices are elected. “It’s fascinating to learn how our elections work,” Krekelberg said. “Several years ago, I volunteered at a polling location, and that experience helped me understand how much work goes into an election. I’m excited to hear from Dana Jones about our election process.”

This and That: People in Selma, Alabama recently gathered to celebrate the 57th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act. In Colorado, the League of Women Voters and a cannabis dispensary are teaming up to get residents registered to vote. Fueled by doubts, hundreds of Hawaii Republicans have signed up as election observers. Beginning this week, every registered voter in Illinois will be asked if they want to join a permanent mail voting list. Frederick County, Maryland decertified and recounted ballots from the 2022 primary. The North Carolina State Board of Elections is contemplating a change to the rules for partisan poll watchers after more than a dozen violations by mostly GOP-appointed precinct observers during the May primaries. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is expanding the 2020 “Raise a Glass” voter registration campaign to include distilleries, wineries and breweries. The Clackamas County, Oregon clerk’s office sent the wrong voter guides to about 3,800 voters in Oregon City ahead of a special election this month where voters will choose a new mayor. Two state lawmakers are calling on the Berks County, Pennsylvania commissioners and election leaders to take part in public meetings after several elections were marred by errors, mistakes and mishaps in recent years. Schools in San Antonio, Texas (Bexar County) will be closed on Election Day so they can safely serve as polling places. The Laurens County, South Carolina Voter Registration and Election Office has a new home in an old grocery store turned into a state-of-the-art office space. A power outage in Albany County, Wyoming did not stop early voting this week, thanks to a back-up generator and batter back-up systems.

Personnel News: Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams has announced his plans to run for re-election. David Frisk is no longer the elections director in Pinal County, Arizona. Jody Davis is the new White County, Arizona election supervisor. Clackamas County, Oregon Clerk Sherry Hall has announced her plans to run for re-election. Charlene Maynard is retiring from the Macon-Bibb County, Georgia board of elections. Olivia Hale has been appointed registrar of voters in San Joaquin County, California. The race for secretary of state in Washington is finally set. Incumbent Secretary of State Steve Hobbs (D) will face Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson. Brenda Pree has been hired as the new Palm Springs, California city clerk. Congratulations to St. Tammany Parish Clerk of Court Melissa Henry for being designated as a Certified Elections/Registration Administrator (CERA).

Legislative Updates

Pinal County, Arizona: The five-member board of supervisors voted unanimously to waive more than $100,000 in costs it planned to bill the cities and towns for running the local elections. Seven cities and towns had local races left off early ballots that required the county to mail about 63,000 supplemental ballots. And County Attorney Kent Volkmer told the board that four other municipalities were affected by Election Day missteps that led to ballot shortages at about 20 of the county’s 95 polling places. “As the county manager clearly indicated, we fell below the expectations of our customers,” Volkmer told the board. “So I believe if this board is so inclined, I think there is good cause to waive for all of the various entities that we serve the municipal and town elections for.” “I think that’s a good idea due to the issues at hand,” Board Chair Jeffrey McClure. Last week, McClure had called the election issues “a major screwup” and Elections Director David Frisk was fired the next day. He had just been hired in March. Volkmer also said he was close to hiring an outside election expert to conduct a review. He said there was so far no sign of any criminal violations but that bringing in someone from outside would ensure that an unbiased assessment would be swiftly completed.

Bloomington, Minnesota: The petition aiming to end ranked-choice voting in Bloomington has been deemed sufficient for consideration by the Bloomington City Council and is now under review, with its fate to be determined by the council in August. The council received the petition during its July 18 meeting, unanimously approving the certificate of sufficiency issued by the city clerk’s office, meaning the signatures submitted in conjunction with the petition met the city’s requirement for a possible ballot initiative aimed at repealing the use of ranked-choice voting for city council elections. The next hurdle for the ballot proposal is a determination if the language submitted for the ballot initiative is acceptable. The amendments necessitated by the petition include restoring primary races to city council elections, which are eliminated under ranked-choice voting, cleaning up language related to candidate filing and election procedures and setting the approval of any future votes to institute ranked-choice voting at two-thirds of ballots cast.

Racine, Wisconsin: The City of Racine is joining a growing list of Wisconsin localities considering making it a crime to harass/threaten election workers. The city is considering a new ordinance that will make disorderly conduct toward/harassment of election workers an offense with possible fines of $300-$1,000. The Finance & Personnel Committee voted on Monday to recommend the City Council adopt the ordinance at the next meeting of the council on August 16. City Clerk Tara McMenamin (formerly Coolidge) said the ordinance would protect everyone working during an election, which includes those working on mobile election units. McMenamin said there has been an increase in disorderly conduct during elections. “There is a lot of misinformation out there, so tensions are high on both sides,” she said and added that election officials and workers are worried. McMenamin said she did not want those working during an election to think they had to subject themselves to yelling or other misconduct. The new ordinance reads in part: “Conduct toward election official. (a) No person shall, in a public or private place, engage in violent, abusive, indecent, profane, boisterous, unreasonably loud, or otherwise disorderly conduct directed at or toward an individual working in their capacity as an election official or based on their position as an election official, under circumstances in which such conduct tends to cause or provoke a disturbance. (b) No person shall knowingly interfere with or obstruct any individual working in their capacity as an election official in the performance of such individual’s duties related to the conduct of an election. (c) No person shall send an individual working in their capacity as an election official or based on their position as an election official a telecommunication message, with the reasonable expectation that such individual will receive the message, using any harassing, violent, abusive, threatening, indecent, or profane language or image, or any other message in which such telecommunication message tends to cause or provoke a disturbance.

Legal Updates

Florida: Voting-rights organizations urged a federal appeals court to reject part of a controversial Florida elections law that prevents groups from providing food and water to people waiting in line at polling places. Attorneys for the League of Women Voters of Florida, the Black Voters Matter Fund, the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans and other plaintiffs filed a 67-page brief asking the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a district judge’s ruling that said increased “solicitation” restrictions near polling places violate speech rights. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in March found parts of the 2021 elections law (SB 90) unconstitutional after voting-rights groups and other plaintiffs filed a series of legal challenges. Walker concluded that the law passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature was intended to discriminate against Black Floridians. The state, the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee appealed Walker’s ruling to the Atlanta-based appeals court, which in May issued a stay that will allow the law to be in effect during this year’s elections. But the underlying legal battle continued, with the appeals court scheduled to hear arguments Sept. 15 in Miami. The series of challenges have been consolidated, with the brief filed Wednesday by the League of Women Voters and other plaintiffs in its portion of the case dealing with only two issues. That included arguments by the groups that the additional solicitation restrictions violated the First Amendment because they are overbroad and vague. Florida has long had a law aimed at curbing solicitation, such as seeking votes and distributing campaign literature, near polling places. But the brief Wednesday pointed to an additional phrase added in the 2021 law that would prohibit “engaging in any activity with the intent to influence or effect of influencing a voter.” It contended that the wording is “astonishingly broad” and unconstitutional.

Nevada: District Court Judge James Wilson has blocked Reno attorney and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Joey Gilbert’s effort to re-do the 2022 primary election, finding that “no competent evidence” was presented that would warrant the extraordinary changes Gilbert sought. Wilson issued the ruling for summary judgment in favor of Clark County sheriff and Republican gubernatorial nominee Joe Lombardo from the bench on Wednesday, blocking the election contest from proceeding further.  Gilbert’s election contest, filed after a statewide recount on July 15, heavily relied on testimony from Edward Solomon, identified by the suit as an “expert mathematician,” who has alleged since the 2020 election that “algorithms” have been responsible for switching votes in multiple states. Wilson called the Solomon report “hearsay, first of all,” and said there was no showing that the information provided by “the admitted non-expert Mr. Solomon … is the product of a reliable methodology.” Wilson said the mathematical claims included in Gilbert’s suit had not met the standards laid out in state election law that would allow a judge to make a ruling reversing the results of an election or ordering a new one. He said the law specifically required the candidate making the election contest challenge to show that the alleged defects or number of challenged votes would be enough to make a difference in the final election results.

Texas:  Austin-based U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel ruled that the state is violating U.S. law by refusing to release its list of more than 11,000 registered voters that it identified as potential noncitizens, and ordered the release of the data within 14 days. A coalition of civil rights groups sued the Secretary of State’s Office in February for withholding the data concerning a voter purge program targeting immigrants that was mandated by a new Republican-backed election law. Yeakel agreed with the plaintiffs that the Secretary of State’s refusal to disclose the data violated the National Voter Registration Act, a 1993 law that requires public disclosure of records pertaining to the maintenance of voter rolls.

Five people sued Lubbock County Commissioners to stop the use of electronic voting systems. They also demanded “proper investigations and reconciliation” of elections in the last two years. The lawsuit demands, among other things, that Lubbock County “implement a precinct level hand-marked paper ballot and hand counting system.”  The county already approved machines that keep a paper backup system in addition to the electronic records.  The preliminary statement in the lawsuit, filed by Ashley Johnson, Beverly D. Burnett, Royce C. Lewis, Laura Lynne Phillips and Sheryl Ann Sherman – all representing themselves to be Lubbock County registered voters – said, “This action is not an election contest case.” The basic claim was that Lubbock County uses Hart InterCivic voting machines. The lawsuit also claimed these voting machines do not meet state standards and they are vulnerable to so-called “black box” antics by nations such as China.

Utah: Candidate Willie Billings has dropped his lawsuit demanding a recount in the incredibly close House District 72 Republican primary race. Billings lost by 10 votes to Joseph Elison in the GOP primary. He sued the county clerk after a recount was canvassed demanding a hand recount of ballots. Court records show that on Wednesday, his attorneys filed to dismiss the lawsuit.  In a Facebook post, Billings said that cost of litigation was the factor for it. “…the cost of proving this in court is huge and the statute saying the Judge shall assign the county’s expenses beyond their legal fees to me, and that cannot be paid out of donations to my campaign means I would owe 10s of thousands of dollars over and above my own legal fees if I were to lose. This is also beyond the risk that I, or most any citizen can afford to take. I have great moral support but very little in the way of donations to fight this battle. The government has a bottomless pit of taxpayer dollars to use against me – and anyone else who is willing to stand up and ask obvious questions,” Billings wrote in a public post. Billings had questioned a statistical sample in an audit performed in the recount.

Opinions This Week

National Opinion: Election security | Election deniers, II, III | Accessibility | Power of voting | Social media | Election workers | Democracy

Alaska: Ranked choice voting, II | Election preparation

Arizona: Pinal County

Colorado: Election dates

Florida: Voting plan

Guam: Early voting

Hawaii: Voting barriers

Kansas: Johnson County

Maryland: Frederick County

Michigan: Election security

Minnesota: Election security

Missouri: Voter ID

Nevada: Election security

New York: Second primary | Youth vote

North Carolina: Myth of election fraud

Ohio: Voting rights | 2nd primary, II

Oklahoma: Audit

Oregon: Ranked choice voting | Clackamas County, II

Pennsylvania: Vote by mail, II, III

Texas: Voter suppression

Virginia: Poll workers

Washington: Election officials

Wisconsin: Election reform

Wyoming: Election security

Upcoming Events

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.

Can Proposed New Congressional Legislation on Counting Electoral College Votes Lessen the Risk of Election Subversion?: The Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA promotes research, collaboration, and advocacy under the leadership of UCLA Law Professor Richard L. Hasen; one of the nation’s leading election scholars. The Safeguarding Democracy Project is built upon the premise that tackling issues of the U.S. election integrity must be collaborative: across ideologies, across scholarly disciplines, and as a bridge between theory and practice. Moderated by Richard L. Hasen guests for this webinar include: Retired Ambassador Norman Eisen, Edward Foley, Rebecca Green, J. Michael Luttig and Janai Nelson. When: August 24, 12pm Pacific. Where: Online

Moore v. Harper, the Independent State Legislature Theory, and Potential Threats to American Democracy: The Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA promotes research, collaboration, and advocacy under the leadership of UCLA Law Professor Richard L. Hasen; one of the nation’s leading election scholars. The Safeguarding Democracy Project is built upon the premise that tackling issues of the U.S. election integrity must be collaborative: across ideologies, across scholarly disciplines, and as a bridge between theory and practice. Moderated by Richard L. Hasen, featured speakers include: Vikram D. Amar, Derek T. Miller, Richard H. Pildes, Carolyn Shapiro and Franit Tolson. When: August 25, 3pm Pacific. Where: Online.

Engaging Students for an Informed Democracy: The Role of K-12 Schools: Young people want to learn about elections in school and, when they do, they’re more likely to vote, engage in their communities, and become engaged and informed members of our self-governing society. Despite the extraordinary efforts of many educators, civic education too often is insufficient and inequitable. We can change that. Join us for a research presentation and panel, co-hosted by CIRCLE and iCivics, on how K-12 schools can play a role in preparing young people for participation in our nation’s constitutional democracy. The civic education experts at CIRCLE will share major findings and recommendations from the CIRCLE Growing Voters report about teens’ civic learning experiences — or lack thereof — and the role of schools in a paradigm-shifting framework for supporting young people’s civic development. In conversation with educators, students, teacher trainers, and other education leaders, we’ll discuss what these findings mean for multiple stakeholders in the K-12 schools ecosystem and the practical steps they can take to ensure each and every student, especially those from disadvantaged or marginalized communities, receives a high-quality civic education during this school year and into the future. When: August 31, 3pm Eastern. Where: Online.

Special From the Frontlines:  The United States Supreme Court and American Democracy: View of Three Journalists:The Safeguarding Democracy Project promotes research, collaboration, and advocacy under the leadership of UCLA Law Professor Richard L. Hasen; one of the nation’s leading election scholars. The Safeguarding Democracy Project is built upon the premise that tackling issues of the U.S. election integrity must be collaborative: across ideologies, across scholarly disciplines, and as a bridge between theory and practice. Moderated by Richard L. Hasen and featuring Joan Biskupic, Adam Liptak and Dahlia Lithwick. When: September 20, 12pm Pacific. Where: Online.

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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.

Arizona Deputy Coordinator, U.S. Elections, The Carter Center— The Democracy Program at The Carter Center works globally to support and strengthen participatory democracy, consistent with human rights. Beginning in 2020, The Carter Center began efforts to support elections in the United States. There are multiple key aspects to this project: establishing nonpartisan observation efforts, tracking disinformation and dangerous speech, contributing to electoral reform, and promoting candidate codes of conduct. The Carter Center is advancing nonpartisan observation efforts in two key states: Arizona and Michigan. These states were selected following assessments completed on multiple states. Nonpartisan observation efforts implemented and/or supported by The Carter Center will differ from existing partisan poll watchers and election-protection groups. The goal of nonpartisan observation is to provide credible and transparent information on the conduct of elections in each state through public reports. The Deputy Coordinator will execute the citizen observation plan and develop partnerships with community-based organizations. They will report directly to the US Elections Coordinator in [Michigan/Arizona] and to the US Elections team in Atlanta. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Certification and Training Manager, Washington Secretary of State’s Office— The Program Manager for Certification & Training manages the provision of professional certification and training to state election administrators and canvassing board members in 39 Washington counties. The Certification and Training Program Manager reports to the Elections Director and is a member of the Elections Management Team that advises the Elections Director on direction and policy. The Program Manager is responsible for the administration of the Certification and Training Program of the Elections Division by providing strategic analysis, planning, and management of a program that includes four major functions. There functions are: 1) professional certification and training of local and state election administrators and county canvassing board members; 2) review of county election operations and procedures; 3) the election clearinghouse; and 4) testing of all vote tabulation equipment used in each county during state primary and general elections. The Program Manager makes collaborative strategic judgments and decisions balancing competing program demands or priorities for resources; develops, modifies, and implements division policy; formulates long-range strategic plans and projects, and makes division-wide strategic decisions with the Elections Management Team. Integrates division and office policies and continuously reviews the program for compliance with division and office policies and strategic objectives. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

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.

Deputy Elections Director, Davie County, North Carolina— Performs administrative work with the registration, voting and election activities for the County. Must be willing to perform job duties during pandemics, natural disasters and unexpected  events during planned elections and election schedules. This position is required to work extended hours and weekends during planned elections and election schedules. Regular, predictable, full attendance is an essential function of the job. Essential job functions: Performs administrative duties for the Director and Board Members and serves as a resource person to staff and the public, as needed; Assists with the supervision of Elections part-time staff and one stop workers in the performance of their daily responsibilities; Assist the Director with annual budgets and grants received; Assists the Elections Director in the interview and selection process of new employees, one stop and precinct workers and training new employees on office procedures and applications; Assists with ensuring proper and efficient conduct of primary and general elections held in Davie County; Maintenance of geo codes/street index, to include all annexations and changes, to insure accuracy for each address; Performs related duties as required. Salary: Minimum hiring range: $33,587. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Deputy County Clerk, Boone County, Missouri— The Boone County (MO) Clerk’s Office seeks a deputy county clerk in its elections division. With general supervision, this clerk processes new and revised voter registrations, provides information to the public on candidates, ballot issues and other election information, determines ballot styles for walk-in absentee voters, verifies petitions, and performs related election duties. Salary: $15.45-$16.41/hr. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Director of Registration and Elections, Fulton County, Georgia— The County is seeking a Director of Registration and Elections (DRE). This position serves as the chief executive responsible for developing goals, objectives, policies, and procedures relating to voter registration and elections in Fulton County. The DRE also prepares, presents, and manages the department’s approved annual budget.  The DRE leads programs and services that ensure safe, free, and accessible voter registration and elections in the County. The DRE ensures accurate collection and maintenance of voter registration data and administers the county elections and associated services, which includes but is not limited to absentee balloting, voter registration, voter education and outreach. The Director collects information and validates candidates for elective office, ensures the availability of training for poll workers, and directs efforts to educate voters on elections in the county. The DRE performs other duties, including preservation, storage, preparation, testing and maintenance of departmental election equipment. Furthermore, the director oversees election district boundaries, and administers the selection of polling places in the county. Salary: $175K-$195K. 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.

Early Voting Coordinator, Wake County, North Carolina— re you looking to be more involved in your community? Are you ready to be a part of democracy in the making? If so, get ready to roll up your sleeves and become a part of history! Wake County Board of Elections is currently seeking an Early Voting Coordinator to join our dynamic and talented Early Voting Team. The Early Voting Coordinator plays a critical role in the management and logistical planning of Early Voting. This includes communicating, scheduling election service vendors and managing voting site support operations to include the physically demanding work of setting up Early Voting sites. What will you do as an Early Voting Coordinator? Plan and organize all Early Voting operations; Assist with development of Early Voting expansion budget items and analyze budget impacts of new election laws and state directives and incorporate the changes into Early Voting site procedures; Work with Town Clerks, Municipal Administrators, Facility Directors, Special Event Coordinators and Superintendents to secure use of facilities for Early Voting; Manage Early Voting facilities, including scheduling, communication, support, logistics, database management and site setups; Develop Early Voting ballot order and determine the distribution of ballots each Early Voting facility will receive; Update and maintain the Early Voting blog and Early Voting page of the Wake County Board of Elections website; Manage the Early Voting support Help Line; Post-election reconciliation duties to include provisional management, presentations to the Board and assisting with record retention. Salary: Hiring Range: $20.81 – $28.10. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Election Information Environment Specialist, The Carter Center— The Democracy Program at The Carter Center works globally to support democratic elections and strengthen participatory democracy, consistent with human rights. Beginning in 2020, The Carter Center began efforts to support good elections in the U.S. There are multiple key aspects to this project, contributing to electoral reform, promoting candidate codes of conduct and establishing nonpartisan observation efforts. The Carter Center is seeking a highly qualified Electoral Information Environment Specialist to work on the Center’s US election advisory team under the guidance of the Democracy Program staff. The Electoral Information Environment Specialist will assess and analyze key issues affecting women, the disabled, and disenfranchised groups in the United States. The Electoral Information Environment Specialist will contribute to public and private statements concerning the electoral information environment. 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 Processing Supervisor, San Diego California— Election Processing Supervisors organize, direct, and supervise the activities of sections within the Registrar of Voters’ – Voters Services Divisions. Position responsibilities include but are not limited to: planning, scheduling and coordinating activities related to vote-by-mail ballots, sample ballots, election mail pick-up, voter records and registration, training, election equipment and warehouse; providing lead work in special projects and assignments; providing interpretations and ensuring proper implementation of Federal, State and local laws regulating elections. 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 Coordinator, Recruiting, Buncombe County, North Carolina— Buncombe County Elections is looking for an energetic and resourceful individual who enjoys a fast paced, dynamic environment working with people from varied backgrounds. This person will work with a staffing agency to recruit up to 1000 poll workers (early voting and election day) and 45 seasonal employees each election, and monitor staffing agency invoicing. They will work in conjunction with the Elections Coordinator – Training to obtain feedback from poll workers, seasonal staff, and voters to improve customer service. The primary purpose of this position is to plan, coordinate, and administer assigned elections program or service area to support the strategic direction of the department and organization by connecting community participants to election services. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Elections Coordinator, Training, Buncombe County, North Carolina— Buncombe County Elections is looking for an energetic and resourceful individual who enjoys a fast paced, dynamic environment working with people from varied backgrounds. The primary purpose of this position is to plan, coordinate, and administer assigned elections program or service area to support the strategic direction of the department and organization by connecting community participants to election services. 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 Technical Specialist, Buncombe County, North Carolina— Buncombe County is a caring community in harmony with its environment where citizens succeed, thrive, and realize their potential. Our mission is to promote a healthy, safe, well-educated, and thriving community with a sustainable quality of life; to provide effective and efficient government our citizens can trust; and to deliver needed service through a responsive work force committed to excellence, integrity, and teamwork. The primary purpose of this position is to provide specialized technical work supporting election-specific systems related to voting equipment, elections software, audits, and precinct compliance. Salary: $23.32-$27.22. Deadline: August 15.  Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Government Affairs Director, National Vote at Home Institute— The National Vote at Home Institute (NVAHI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit nonpartisan organization dedicated to expanding the use of mailed-out ballots in local, state, and federal elections across the U.S. Through our education, research, and advocacy efforts with state and local election officials, policymakers, and partners, NVAHI works to expand this secure, convenient, and voter-supported method of voting and works to ensure state and local election officials have the tools, training and support they need to conduct successful, transparent, accurate and secure mail ballot elections.  The Government Affairs Director serves as an integral leader for the organization, working with the Executive Director, Board, and staff shaping and executing the strategic priorities for NVAHI. This position routinely interacts with key stakeholder groups, national leaders, state and local elections officials, research professionals/institutions, funders, and partners. This position reports to the NVAHI Executive Director and is responsible for all election official engagement efforts on behalf of NVAHI. 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.

Language Access and Outreach  Coordinator (Russian and Somali), King County, Washington— The Department of Elections is searching for energetic and resourceful professionals who like to “get stuff done”. The Language Services & Community Engagement Specialist position in the Elections Department combines an exciting, fast paced environment with the opportunity to cultivate talents and apply a variety of skills. The ideal candidate will thrive in an innovative, fast-paced environment and will not hesitate to roll up both sleeves, work hard, have fun, and get the job done. The Language Services and Community Engagement Program is recruiting Language Access and Outreach Coordinators who will support the program for the Russian and Somali languages. These individuals must be able to read, write, understand and speak Russian or Somali at the language proficiency testing level used by the Department. This position provides bilingual assistance, translation, and community outreach support. It also conducts glossary and vocabulary research and provides administrative support to other election work groups as needed. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Michigan Deputy Coordinator, U.S. Elections, The Carter Center— The Democracy Program at The Carter Center works globally to support and strengthen participatory democracy, consistent with human rights. Beginning in 2020, The Carter Center began efforts to support elections in the United States. There are multiple key aspects to this project: establishing nonpartisan observation efforts, tracking disinformation and dangerous speech, contributing to electoral reform, and promoting candidate codes of conduct. The Carter Center is advancing nonpartisan observation efforts in two key states: Arizona and Michigan. These states were selected following assessments completed on multiple states. Nonpartisan observation efforts implemented and/or supported by The Carter Center will differ from existing partisan pollwatchers and election-protection groups. The goal of nonpartisan observation is to provide credible and transparent information on the conduct of elections in each state through public reports. The Deputy Coordinator will execute the citizen observation plan and develop partnerships with community-based organizations. They will report directly to the US Elections Coordinator in [Michigan/Arizona] and to the US Elections team in Atlanta. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Publications and Clearinghouse Program Specialist – Certification and Training Program, Washington Secretary of State’s Office. — The certification and training program oversees, directs, and advises County Auditors in interpretations of federal and state election law and the correct administration of voter registration and elections throughout the state. The certification and training program reviews county practices for adherence to election law and best practices, provides essential tools for election administrators through official communications and training, and acts as liaisons for the Office of the Secretary of State. This position reports to the certification and training program manager and is responsible for overseeing, reviewing and advising county auditors on the federal and state elections laws and the administration of voter registration. Serves as the lead program specialist in the Elections Publications and Clearinghouse Program. Salary: $57,324-$77028. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Research Manager, Data Analysis, CEIR— Under the direction of the Research Director, the Research Manager will be responsible for CEIR’s data-driven research initiatives and supervise one or more research team members. These initiatives include matters pertaining to voter registration, voter access, election integrity and security, and election administration. As an integral member of the highly collaborative research team, the Research Manager will develop and conduct surveys and studies, analyze data, and contribute to research reports and other written materials for CEIR’s diverse audience of election officials, policymakers, the media, and key stakeholders. Salary: $75K-$95K. Deadline: August 31.  Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Senior Clerk Recorder Technician, Nevada County, California— Nevada County seeks a Senior Clerk-Recorder Technician to manage the databases and processes that register voters, conduct elections and preserve the County’s Official Records. The incumbent works in collaboration with the Registrar of Voters and executive management team, leaders in other county departments, state officials, and vendors to carry out essential functions. The Senior Clerk-Recorder Technician also manages up to 8 temporary election workers that assist in maintaining voter registration data. This position requires candidates to maintain professional working relationships with county staff, outside stakeholders, and the public. 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.

Senior Research Associate, Data Analysis, CEIR— The Senior Research Associate will work under the direction of the Research Director and in collaboration with other colleagues to support CEIR’s research initiatives. These initiatives include matters pertaining to voter registration, voter access, election integrity and security, and election administration policy. As an integral member of the research team, the Senior Research Associate will support CEIR’s mission by developing and conducting surveys and studies, analyzing data, and contributing to research reports and other written materials for CEIR’s diverse audience of election officials, policymakers, the media, and key stakeholders. Salary: $65K-$80K. Deadline: August 31. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Senior Research Associate, Policy, CEIR— The Senior Research Associate will work under the direction of the Research Director and in collaboration with other colleagues to support CEIR’s research initiatives. These initiatives include matters pertaining to voter registration, voter access, election integrity and security, and election administration policy. As an integral member of the research team, the Senior Research Associate will support CEIR’s mission primarily by conducting policy research related to our initiatives and drafting reports and other written materials for CEIR’s diverse audience of election officials, policymakers, the media, and key stakeholders. The Senior Research Associate will also help the research team develop surveys and studies and assist with data analysis. Salary: $65K-$80K. Deadline: August 31. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Systems Administrator, Sarasota County, Florida— The Systems Administrator is an Information Technology professional responsible for the coordination, implementation, planning, investigating and serving as the liaison for all facets of data processing, to include any election related tasks. Key Responsibilities: Provides expertise on hardware and software, considering costs and capabilities. Installs new software and hardware, including network operating system, as assigned. Adds new systems to network and ensure all required documentation. Ensures account setup, maintenance, and removal; provides user support. Assists to administer/maintain networked servers. Ensures timely systems backups and maintains logs. Protects data and performs and tests backup processes. Maintain password, trustee and viral security. Maintain network policy and maintenance controls, including network security. Troubleshooting, including maintenance and repair of computer equipment. Assists with ballot preparation, processing and tabulation. Performs equipment tests to include election and computer equipment as needed or assigned. Responsible for network design. Participates in the review and revision of security and emergency procedures and the maintenance of the information system disaster recovery plan. Maintains system software licenses and supervise all software installations. Salary: $40,996-$87,630. 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.

Voting Rights Expert, The Carter Center— The Carter Center is seeking a highly qualified voting rights analyst to work on the Center’s US election advisory team under the guidance of the Democracy Program staff. The voting rights expert will assess and analyze key issues affecting women, the disabled, and disenfranchised groups in the United States. The voting rights expert will contribute to public and private statements concerning the electoral process and provide an impartial assessment of elections as well as detailed recommendations for ways to improve the program’s inclusiveness, credibility, and transparency as it relates to voting access of historically disenfranchised peoples. A minimum of seven (7) years of experience in democracy and/or elections is required, in addition to a degree in political science or another relevant field. 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.

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