electionline Weekly

Happy Anniversary Electionline!

electionline.org is 21!

By Doug Chapin, director emeritus
Electionline.org

On September 28, 2001, a new site made its debut on what was still called the World Wide Web. Its name was electionline.org, and it was the first public product of the Election Reform Information Project, funded by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts to the University of Richmond.

A little gathering of some of the electionline family at 21. Sean from Rome, Aly from Los Angeles and Kat, Mindy, Doug, Stan and Tanner in DC.

Those were the days when attention to election reform nationwide was at peak intensity; the 2000 Presidential election had revealed the United States’ system of election administration to be widely (wildly?) varied from state to state and locality to locality – and legislators, thought leaders and academics from coast to coast were looking at how Americans registered to vote and cast ballots, how election officials counted those votes and how the media reported the results. Pew, with its belief in the power of accurate information to inform good policy, decided to invest in an effort to track all of this activity for the benefit of the nationwide election community.

electionline.org – whose very first posted story was about a GAO report suggesting the military and overseas voting process could be improved – was intended to help the field wrap its proverbial hands around what was happening in election administration nationwide. The goal, as the site’s tagline suggested, was to be “your first stop for election reform information” – a daily newspaper dropped on your digital doorstep that let you know what was going on in the elections community. The idea was to provide a single, comprehensive and – most importantly – nonpartisan source for news and information about reform developments nationwide. By reading the site every day, you could learn both what was happening in specific communities as well as spot trends across the nation. This became even more important with passage of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and the release of hundreds of millions of federal dollars for state and local election administration. Over time, it was not uncommon to hear election officials say they read electionline.org every morning – both to see what was going on AND to make sure they weren’t in it!

The site also soon launched a weekly newsletter – cleverly entitled electionlineWeekly – which stepped back from the day-to-day and also shared summaries about research and other developments that don’t always make the news. Rumor has it that’s still going, too.

electionline.org has changed offices a few times over the years and has benefitted from not only Pew’s generosity but also that of the Democracy Fund; the staff has grown and shrunk, but the commitment to the daily drumbeat of election news and information continues. There have been dozens of people who have made the commitment to this work, but all of them pale in comparison to my friend and colleague Mindy Moretti, who has literally been electionline.org for almost a decade, waking up at oh-dark-thirty to scour the Internet for what can be HUNDREDS of links per day as a presidential Election Day approaches. [We originally started with the quaint notion that we would publish one new election reform news story every weekday – sometimes I think about that and LAUGH.] [Current Editor’s Note: One story per day, we now average 50+ per day…as my late, great friend Jamal was famous for saying, the same things that make you laugh make you cry.]

A bunch of us from electionline.org’s early days gathered, in person and virtually, last night to raise a glass; we toasted not only our work together and the funders who made it possible, but the support of readers like you who have kept us in business all these years. As you read this, I hope you will raise a glass of your own in celebration of everything we’ve accomplished together. I consider electionline.org to be the one thing, other than my family, of which I am proudest – and I couldn’t be happier to see it turn 21 with the promise of many, many more years serving the American election community.

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Election News This Week

Hurricane Ian: Category 4 Hurricane Ian pummeled Florida this week and while it will be days or weeks before it’s known the full impact it may have on the 2022 Midterm elections, it’s clear that already stressful planning for Florida’s 67 supervisors of elections just got a bit more stressful. From displaced voters to relocating polling places to poll workers to elections offices themselves, the impacts could be large. Most immediately — other than dealing with possible damage to elections offices — county elections officials are required to send vote-by-mail ballots to voters between 40 days and 33 days before an election. This year, that window falls between today and the next Thursday. An an email to the Department of State and the Division of Elections sent before the storm, Leon County Supervisor of Elections and Florida Supervisors of Elections President Mark Earley asked if the state had any plans to provide flexibility to counties impacted by Ian. Earley told Florida Politics he sent the correspondence because, as the association head representing the state’s 67 county election officials, he had not heard any update from state election officials. Early considered the possibility of delivering ballots early, so they wouldn’t all be housed in central facilities that could be damaged. He also floated extending the window to allay fears of postal service interruptions altogether. “The entire state could be impacted in some way,” Earley told Florida Politics. “This becomes a horrible test to see how effectively the election office is able to come up with a plan on the fly,” said former elections official Ion Sancho.

Issue One: Issue One published a new digital guide on elections, Faces of Democracy: How Our Elections Work and the Challenges Ahead” —  informed by interviews conducted with election officials and poll workers that participate in our Faces of Democracy campaign. Pulling from existing resources, the guide explains how U.S. elections work, what makes them free and fair, and the challenges that election workers face in doing their work. The guide also walks readers through the security, accountability, and transparency measures found at all levels of the voting process, takes a look at the key ways states and local jurisdictions differ in how they run elections, and offers a frank assessment of the way the process could be made even stronger — including a call for regular federal funding for state and local elections.

The view from the voting booth at Nats Park in DC in 2020.

Stadium Polling Places: A new study conducted by Rice University has found that using sports stadiums as polling places was a big hit in 2020. Voters cast their ballots at a total of 48 professional sports venues — from baseball parks to basketball arenas to soccer stadiums — as officials sought novel ways to conduct elections during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now researchers who studied stadium voting say it was so popular it should be expanded for future elections.  “Voting at sports stadiums in 2020 was an out-of-the-park home run,” said Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science at Rice. “Voters really like casting their ballots where they watch their home teams play ball. Election administrators who aren’t already opening polling places in stadiums need to seriously think about it for future elections.” After interviewing election officials and surveying voters about their experiences casting ballots at stadiums, researchers have concluded it was a strikingly popular success. In Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta, sports stadiums attracted more voters than any other polling place in their counties. “Virtually all interviewees, including election officials, conveyed overwhelming enthusiasm for the idea of stadium voting,” the researchers wrote. “They felt that the effort to convert these facilities into voting sites was overwhelmingly successful, not just in facilitating voter turnout but also in generating enthusiasm.” Researchers discovered neither political party consistently benefited from stadium voting, which was overwhelmingly popular among both Democrats and Republicans.

Sticker News: Congratulations to Matthew H., a senior at Holy Family High School in Broomfield, Colorado, who is the state’s first “I Voted” sticker contest winner. Matthew’s design features a Colorado-flag inspired sun setting over twin peaks in the western sky. Below the mountain landscape are the words “I Voted” on top of alternating red and white stripes. The mountains were loosely inspired by mountains Matthew sees from his community, and he chose a muted color palate inspired by the Colorado flag to create a warm feeling in the design. “I was really excited to find out I won the I Voted Sticker Design contest, I put a lot of effort into this design and I’m so glad people like it,” said Matthew, who hopes to pursue graphic design in college. “Art is meant to be beautiful, and I just hope that when people see the design it makes their day a little bit better.” The digital sticker will be sent to voters on BallotTrax after voting in the General Election, and it will also be featured on the Secretary of State’s website and used in digital efforts to encourage voting across the state. “Congratulations to Matthew for his amazing design!” said Secretary Griswold. “Colorado voters have always worn their ‘I Voted’ stickers with pride, and now they’ll be able to showcase them digitally after casting their ballot thanks to Matthew. My sincere gratitude to every Colorado high schooler who submitted a design for consideration.” In North Carolina, ninth grader Hannah Metz at Central Academy of Technology won the Union County Board of Elections “I Voted” sticker contest. “Congratulations to Hannah for being awarded first place,” said Board of Elections Director Kristin Jacumin. “We encourage residents to vote in the upcoming November 8 General Election and know they will be proud to wear Hannah’s design as their I Voted sticker.” The Board of Elections received entries from Union County Public Schools, private and home-school students in grades K – 12. The top 10 entries were chosen by the Board of Elections staff. The public was then asked to vote for their favorite design. Hannah’s design received 17% of the total votes cast between Sept. 15 and Sept. 25.

Congratulations: And congratulations to The Carter Center which turns 40 this week.

This and That: Chengcui Zhang, professor in the department of computer science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, was awarded the four-year grant to investigate the robustness and security of election systems that read hand-marked paper ballots, while developing technology to better scan and ensure security of manually filled-out bubble targets. Georgia‘s secretary of state announced plans to replace election equipment in Coffee County following “unauthorized access” to the equipment that happened two months after the 2020 election. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate has unveiled a fresh, updated website ahead of the November 8 general election where voters  can register to vote, download an absentee ballot request form, track the status of their request, look up their polling place, and find important dates and deadlines for the election all in one place. More than 11,000 mailed ballots in Massachusetts were rejected by local election clerks in the recent state primary because they arrived too late or contained errors, according to state election officials. The Ann Arbor City Clerk’s Office is opening two satellite locations on University of Michigan’s central and north campuses. The Montana secretary of state’s office spent about $1.3 million on legal fees, far surpassing its $100,000 budget, defending election laws being challenged in courts in the state. The New York State Board of Elections is launching a new system that will allow voters with print disabilities to fill out an accessible ballot online and return it by mail. The Brazos County Commissioners Court has decided to take no action on bringing back the on-campus early-voting location at Texas A&M University for the 2022 elections, despite admitting that they made a mistake in removing the site at last week’s meeting. Local elections official said Utah is likely to see more uniformed officers at polling places as mid-term elections approach.

Personnel News: Byron Stelly is the new St. Landry Parish, Louisiana registrar of voters. Shannon Patterson, who will become the new Allen County, Kansas Clerk when Sherrie Riebel retires. Clarion County, Pennsylvania Director of Elections Cindy Callihan is retiring after 40 years with the county. Randy McFadden has been selected to serve on the Sebastian County, Arkansas election commission. Akyn Bailey is the new Floyd County, Georgia elections supervisor.

In Memoriam: Longtime Florida official Peter Antonacci, who was most recently tapped to run the state’s new elections’ crime unit, died Friday. He was 74. “He (Antonacci) was a dedicated, tenacious, and assiduous public servant, lawyer, and respected professional – a friend to all in the State of Florida,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in the statement. Antonacci became the head of Florida’s newly created Office of Election Crimes and Security in July. The office was created as part of a voting law package approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature earlier this year. The unit reviews fraud allegations and conducts preliminary investigations, with the law requiring the governor to appoint a group of special officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to pursue alleged violations. Besides his most recent position, Antonacci had a decades-long resume in state government serving under Democrats and Republicans. He was appointed to various positions by Govs. Bob Graham, Jeb Bush, Charlie Crist, Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis and served as deputy attorney general under Democratic Attorney General Bob Butterworth from 1991-1997. His positions included statewide prosecutor, CEO of Enterprise Florida, a member of the Ethics Commission and executive director of the South Florida Water Management District. Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for governor again this fall as a Democrat, praised Antonacci’s ability to work with both parties for the good of the state. “Peter Antonacci was a dedicated and respected public servant with a long history of working with members from both sides of the aisle to better Florida,” Crist said in a statement.

Legislative Updates

Federal Legislation: U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration with oversight over federal elections, and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, introduced comprehensive legislation to address the rise in threats targeting election workers. The Election Worker Protection Act would provide states with the resources to recruit and train election workers and ensure these workers’ safety, while also instituting federal safeguards to shield election workers from intimidation and threats. The bill includes provisions that were developed with input from election officials, as well as provisions from the Freedom to Vote Act, voting rights legislation led by Senator Klobuchar and supported by all Democratic Senators. The Election Worker Protection Act has received the support of a bipartisan group of current and former election officials, including former Republican Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, who testified before the Rules Committee last year about the threats he and his family received. A group of 15 Secretaries of State, led by Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, joined a letter supporting the Election Worker Protection Act and calling on Congress to take action to protect election workers. The Election Worker Protection Act would:

• Establish grants to states and certain local government for poll worker recruitment, training, and retention, as well as grants for election worker safety;
• Direct the Department of Justice to provide training resources regarding the identification and investigation of threats to election workers;
• Provide grants to states to support programs protecting election workers’ personally identifiable information;
• Establish threatening, intimidating, or coercing election workers as a federal crime;
• Expand the prohibition on voter intimidation in current law to apply to the counting of ballots, canvassing, and certification of elections;
• Extend the federal prohibition on doxxing to include election workers; and
• Protect the authority of election officials to remove poll observers who are interfering with or attempting to disrupt the administration of an election.

California: Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed SB1131 into law. The new law allows election workers the option of keeping their home addresses confidential. According to the office of Senator Josh Newman, “SB 1131 will allow election workers to enroll in either of the state’s existing address protection programs — the Secretary of State’s Safe at Home program or the state’s address confidentiality program for public officials. ” Newman’s team says the Safe at Home program is designed to protect survivors of domestic violence and people who work at reproductive healthcare facilities. The program redirects the mail of those enrolled to a different mailing address. In addition, Newsom signed a bill into law that will increase vote-by-mail ballot drop box locations at UC and CSU campuses, and increase multilingual resources and access to polling place.

District of Columbia: The Council Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety—which has oversight of the city’s elections—unanimously approve a bill to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections. The legislation was amended to clarify that this would include undocumented residents in addition to those with legal permanent residency, along with two other potentially significant bills. The “Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022” would put D.C. alongside a small number of jurisdictions — including a number of towns in Maryland like Hyattsville, Takoma Park, and Riverdale Park — that allow non-citizen legal permanent residents, also known as Green Card-holders, to vote in local elections. Advocates say that those residents pay taxes and are impacted by local policies and thus should have a say in them. D.C. has a large immigrant community, making this bill potentially impactful. One in seven residents is an immigrant, according to the American Immigration Council. A separate survey found 28% of the immigrant population — 4 percent of total population in 2016 — are undocumented. In the same session, the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety approved a measure to make voting by mail a permanent feature of D.C. elections.

Michigan: On the final day of the legislative session before the midterm elections, lawmakers struck a deal to let clerks start processing absentee ballots two days early to control an expected deluge of mailed ballots. Starting this fall, clerks in municipalities of at least 10,000 people will be able to open absentee envelopes and mark voter registration numbers in the two days before an August or November election. Ballots still can’t be tabulated – meaning votes can’t be counted – until polls open. Considering some municipalities see tens or hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots, this will speed up a “very time-consuming” process, said state Sen. Ruth Johnson, R-Holly, chair of the Senate Elections Committee and a former Secretary of State. While this means results may come in sooner on election night, Johnson stressed that preprocessing is optional for every municipality and that election results are only final after a post-election canvass. “The deal includes tightened rules for officials collecting ballots from drop boxes, and it allows election challengers and inspectors to be present for preprocessing. In the deal are House Bill 4491 requiring clerks delete dead voters from their rolls every month and more often closer to an election; Senate Bill 311 and Senate Bill 8, which allow active-duty military to cast ballots electronically; and a House Bill 6071 allowing certain privately owned locations to be polling places.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin: County supervisors have voted down a proposal to provide free public transit on Election Day. “I really find it difficult to see why anyone would be opposing this resolution,” said Milwaukee County Supervisor Steven Shea. “This is pure bribery, it’s illegal and like I said perception is reality and this is a body that is just doing political stunts to help, you know, a couple candidates on the ballot,” said Milwaukee County Supervisor Steve Taylor. “It is egregious to assume that people are bartering or bribing for votes,” said Milwaukee County Supervisor Felesia Martin. The proposal would have cost the county about $63,000. “I am concerned about the fiscal hit that this will take for the one day for the few people that actually would be using it for the purpose of the polls,” said Milwaukee County Supervisor Kathleen Vincent. “County has frequently given free rides on St. Patrick’s Day. Now, if we can give free rides to go to a bar, and I say this as someone of Irish descent who may very well be seen at in an Irish bar on St. Patrick’s Day, we can certainly give them a ride to the polls,” Shea said. Milwaukee County’s vote for free rides on election day failed because it needed two-thirds to pass.

Legal Updates

Arizona: U.S. District Court Judge G. Murray Snow has blocked parts of a voter registration law from taking effect this cycle, but state Attorney General Mark Brnovich is fighting to keep it on the books as Arizona moves closer to the deadline to register for the November general election. Snow granted an injunction on two parts of a voter registration bill that lawmakers passed in May: One section of Senate Bill 1260 would make it a felony for anyone to knowingly provide a “mechanism for voting” to someone who is registered to vote in another state. That would extend to forwarding an early ballot to that voter.  The other blocked section would require county elections officials to cancel a voter’s registration if they confirm that the voter is registered in another county. There is no requirement to notify the voter that they were dropped from the voting rolls. Snow argued that the first section was vague about what is a “mechanism for voting.” He rejected Brnovich’s contention that he would only consider a ballot or a ballot affidavit envelope as such a mechanism, but Snow noted that Brnovich can’t speak for future attorneys general, adding that Brnovich only has a few months left before his term expires. Snow blocked the portion of the law that would cancel voter registrations because, he said, it conflicts with the National Voter Registration Act. Importantly, the new law does not require any confirmation from voters themselves that they wish to drop their registration. Brnovich responded a day later, arguing the injunction will create confusion on how to carry out the ongoing general election and chastising the liberal-leaning groups that brought the lawsuit for waiting until the “11th hour” to try and stop the new law.

Arkansas: A divided Arkansas Supreme ruled an election challenge by Jody Harris should rightly have been filed in Crawford County and the judge hearing the case in Franklin County had the authority to transfer it there. Republican state House candidate Jody Harris asked the court to throw out primary election results in her seven-vote loss to Chad Puryear. The race in House District 25 took place in three counties: Crawford, Franklin and Washington. The lawsuit disputes the count by the Crawford County Election Commission, but was filed in Franklin County, citing Arkansas law that says an election contest of a district office may be brought in any county in the district. Certified results in all three counties together show Puryear winning 2,211 votes to Harris’ 2,204 in the May 24 primary. Harris’ suit disputes the counting of absentee ballots in Crawford County. By law, the suit contends, absentee ballots should have been counted first, but weren’t counted until other results were in and until a pro-Harris poll watcher demanded it. Then, they were mishandled while being counted, according to the suit. Those absentee ballots made the difference in the race, the suit contends. The suit asks the court to void the House 25 race results, but doesn’t seek specific relief beyond that. The judge hearing the case in Franklin County ruled that the case should have been filed in Crawford County but then dismissed the case rather than transferring it there. A majority of justices on the Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday said the judge was correct about where the case should be heard, but that he erroneously concluded he lacked the authority to transfer the matter. “We reverse and remand for the circuit court to utilize its discretion in determining whether to grant Harris’ motion to transfer,” the court said.

The Pulaski County Election Commission voted to accept a settlement offer in a federal civil rights lawsuit by Barry Haas over former Commission Chair Kristi Stahr’s refusal to let him work in an election because of his political beliefs. The settlement offer had several provisions. For one, Haas would dismiss the case in exchange for an opportunity to speak before the commission at a scheduled meeting and Stahr would be given notice of that meeting. The settlement details that Stahr objected to his being certified as a poll worker by saying on the record that Haas wouldn’t uphold the law. The settlement says no evidence of that was ever provided and he’d worked in elections since then.   It says that David Scott, current commission chair, would meet with Haas one-on-one about the Sept. 21 meeting at which he joined Stahr in approving a list of election workers that did not include Haas.* It provides that in the future commissioners receive training on the First and 14th Amendments and the federal law that provides an individual the right to sue state government employees for civil rights violations. The settlement will have a financial cost. It provides that the commission will pay court costs as provided by federal court rules. The commission was told by attorney Brett Taylor that the Association of Arkansas Counties s Risk Management fund would pay the cost. The county pays fees to the association. No estimate of the cost was given.

Georgia: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and voting rights activist groups VoteAmerica, et al., have announced a settlement over SB-202, the bill advertised as tightening election security in Georgia. Plaintiff VoteAmerica agreed to withdraw its claims in court. Signed into law in 2021, SB-202 has caused controversy. Voting rights groups allege that it limits the ability of nonprofits to distribute absentee ballot applications to Georgia voters, in violation of the First Amendment. The State of Georgia has also agreed to resolve the claims of the plaintiff, affirming that the restrictions on absentee ballot application distribution do not apply to organizations like VoteAmerica. “The team at VoteAmerica is celebrating this win for voters,” says Daniel McCarthy, VP of Finance and Operations for VoteAmerica. “VoteAmerica stands firmly in its position that Georgia’s interference in our association with and assistance to Georgia voters who request it is anti-democratic and unconstitutional.” The office of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is also claiming a victory.

Indiana: U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson has ruled that use of a traveling board is permissive, not mandatory for the November election and therefore Hoosiers with print disabilities who vote absentee from home will once again  be able to select the person of their choice to assist in marking their paper ballot. More importantly, according to Rosa Lee Bichell, staff attorney with Disability Rights Advocates, “The court has now officially determined that Indiana’s current absentee voting system discriminates against voters with print disabilities.” That ruling is specific to absentee voting from home involving voters with print disabilities. The ruling stems from a case filed in late 2020 alleging Indiana’s voting system violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and deprives blind and low vision Hoosiers of their right to vote independently and privately. In their lawsuit against the Indiana Election Commission and the Indiana Secretary of state, they contend Indiana discriminates against voters who are blind or have low vision by not offering necessary accommodations. The order grants the plaintiff’s motion seeking a declaratory judgment that Indiana’s current procedures for absentee voting from home discriminate against voters with print disabilities in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. While the judge’s recent ruling still only temporarily makes the traveling board permissive rather than mandatory for the upcoming November election, “This order indicates that Indiana will need to determine a more permanent accessible solution going forward,” Bichell stated.

Maryland: Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge James A. Bonifant has ruled that the counting of mail-in ballots for the November election may begin Oct. 1 statewide. The ruling sides with the Maryland State Board of Elections, which filed a petition asking for emergency authorization to begin counting earlier than state law allows in hopes of avoiding delays in results like Maryland saw after the July primary. Bonifant’s opinion dismissed an argument from Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox, who argued during a hearing earlier this week that such a move would violate the separation of powers established in the state constitution. Cox’s attorney also argued the situation did not constitute an emergency. Cox has not yet said whether he plans to appeal the decision.  Cox’s legal team argued that it’s up to the legislature to manage elections, a task the General Assembly took up and failed to complete. Hartman, one of Cox’s attorneys, argued Tuesday that emergencies are unforeseen circumstances. The fact the legislature months earlier contemplated issues caused by a glut of ballots shows it wasn’t an emergency, he said. Bonifant said Friday there’s “no doubt that the increased amount of mail-in ballots will have an enormous effect on the process in this election.” It’s also clear, Bonifant said, that “a situation as drastic as a declared state of emergency is not necessary for the court to act.” The judge said he believed his decision to be constitutional. “The court is satisfied the undisputed facts of this case amount to emergency circumstances envisioned by the law,” he said. Cox has filed an appeal.

Ohio: A nonprofit group known as Open Government Advocates in care of Brian Ames of Mogadore filed a lawsuit this week against the Columbiana County Board of Elections and its four board members alleging violations of the Open Meetings Act. The complaint filed in Common Pleas Court becomes the latest attempt by Ames to accuse a governmental agency of wrongdoing regarding the Open Meetings Act. He currently has multiple appeals filed with the Supreme Court of Ohio for pending cases involving entities in Trumbull and Portage counties and other parts of the state. The latest lawsuit claimed the Columbiana County Board of Elections failed to establish a rule for notification of its meetings during its organizational meeting in March 2021 or other meeting and did not provide notice of the meetings that properly reached the general public. The lawsuit claimed that each meeting conducted without proper notice constituted a separate violation of the Open Meetings Act and any actions taken during those meetings would be invalid. The board of elections is responsible for certifying results of the elections held in the county. Additionally, the lawsuit said the minutes of the meetings failed to record the rationale behind decisions and only recorded the general topics of conversations and the roll calls, which was improper under the law. The lawsuit claimed each alleged failure to keep proper minutes for each meeting resulted in a separate violation. The court was asked to award injunctive relief and invalidation under the Open Meetings Act, meaning a $500 civil forfeiture for each violation and an order invalidating actions taken during the meetings.

South Carolina: The Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections was one of a number of counties named in a recent lawsuit for allegedly violating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The action comes after requests submitted by members of South Carolina Safe Elections (SCSE) for voting data related to the 2020 election were denied by state and county election agencies. It seeks a temporary restraining order to prevent the destruction of 2020 voting data until the matter can be heard in court. In a SCSE press release, the organization said, “They are challenging their election commission’s decision to deny any access to the cast vote records (CVRs) for the 2020 election as they want to do a full analysis to ensure that there was no malfeasance.” The suit was filed in Richland County by Bluffton-based attorney Lauren Martel. It names Michael Funderburk and SCSE as the plaintiffs in the case. Martel names the South Carolina State Election Commission (SEC) and the board of elections in Aiken, Charleston, Dorchester, Greenville, Lexington, Spartanburg and York counties as defendants in the case, in addition to Beaufort County. At issue is the state’s position on whether voting records are a matter of public record. An opinion issued by the South Carolina Office of the Attorney General (AG) in September 2020 asserted that a court would likely not require the state to produce voted ballots, scanned images of voted ballots and vote cast records as the result of a FOIA request. The opinion added that the constitutional right to a secret ballot supported the conclusion that voted ballots are not open to the public.

Texas: The Court of Criminal Appeals instead upheld its previous ruling that says that the attorney general must get permission from local county prosecutors to pursue cases on issues like voter fraud. Paxton had been fighting to overturn that ruling as the issue of prosecuting election fraud has become fraught in recent years. Paxton sought to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and has aggressively pursued individual cases of fraud, outraging some voting rights advocates who see the punishments as too harsh for people who made honest mistakes. Last December, eight of the nine members on the all-GOP court struck down a law that previously allowed Paxton’s office to take on those cases without local consent. The court said the law violated the separation-of-powers clause in the Texas Constitution. The court’s decision Wednesday came with no explanation, though one judge wrote a concurring opinion. “I still agree with our original decision handed down in December, when we recognized that the specific powers given to the Attorney General by the Texas Constitution do not include the ability to initiate criminal proceedings—even in cases involving alleged violations of the Election Code,” Judge Scott Walker wrote. Two judges dissented in the case.

Virginia: Nottoway County’s former election registrar and one of her assistants have filed separate federal lawsuits claiming they were wrongfully fired from the elections office last year and should be reinstated to their old jobs. The pair of suits, which both name several county boards and local officials as defendants, were filed last week by Angela Stewart, who served as the county’s registrar for nearly three decades until she was terminated almost exactly one year ago, and Sharon Caldwell, a longtime Nottoway officer of election who served as an assistant registrar for two years. The lawsuits — which include claims of due process violations, wrongful termination, free-speech violations and defamation — are the latest development in a long-running fight over the rural county’s elections office. With two factions lodging broad accusations of skullduggery and illegality against each other, the litigation could shed more light on who has the law on their side. The county has not yet filed a formal response, but an attorney said Nottoway expects the claims to be dismissed.

Wisconsin: A new Republican Party of Wisconsin lawsuit against Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and the city’s top election official accuses the city of withholding open records about an effort to encourage voters to cast their ballots. The mayor’s office suggested the lawsuit, filed just two weeks after records were requested, is more about political posturing than how the city handles open records. The plaintiffs argue that comments by Johnson earlier this month about a “Milwaukee Votes 2022” campaign raised concerns about the city’s “partnership with a partisan organization to conduct get out the vote efforts or other election administration functions” ahead of the Nov. 8 election, when heated contests for governor and U.S. Senate will be on the ballot. The lawsuit, filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, states that Johnson’s office referred further questions about the canvassing to Melissa Baldauff, a principal at GPS Impact, a communications firm. Its website touts its success in helping Democrats win elections in red states.

A student-run group that organizes voter mobilization efforts has filed suit in Dane County seeking an order that would bar local clerks from rejecting absentee ballots if witnesses left off bits of their addresses, such as the ZIP code. The suit seeks a declaration that a witness address is complete so long as it provides information “necessary to reasonably discern the location where the witness may be communicated with.” It also would lessen the impact of a Waukesha County judge’s ruling that bars local clerks from filling in missing information to witness addresses on absentee ballot envelopes. The suit argued that ruling created confusion for clerks because state law doesn’t define what constitutes a complete address. The Elections Commission in 2016 guidance it issued defined an address as complete when it included a street number, street name and municipality. That same guidance also laid out steps clerks could take to complete an address with readily available information without first contacting the voter.

Opinions This Week

National Opinions: Secretaries of state | Election reform, II | Democracy | Voting rights | Election deniers| Election threats | Poll workers

Alabama: Voter ID;

Arizona: Secretary of state race, II

California: League of Women Voters | Secretary of state race

Colorado: Secretary of state race

Connecticut: Early voting | Ranked choice voting

Florida: Election integrity  | Pete Antonacci

Illinois: Threats to elections

Indiana: Secretary of state race

Iowa: Voter access

Missouri: Voter ID, II

Michigan: Ballot measure

Minnesota: Absentee voting | Secretary of state race

Nevada: Secretary of state race

New Jersey: Election security

New Mexico: Election security

New  York: Election preparations

North Dakota: Secretary of state race

Pennsylvania: Election officials | Election deniers

Tennessee: Voter ID

Texas: Jail voting | Election officials

Wyoming: Secretary of state

Upcoming Events

Voting Rights Braintrust: 2022 Midterm Elections: Protecting our Voting Rights from the Courts to the Ballot Box and Beyond: This year’s Voting Rights Braintrust will bring together legal, policy, and advocacy experts to discuss the current strategic efforts to dismantle the right to vote and how we can fight back. During the first panel, several of our nation’s top Civil Rights leaders will discuss the obstacles that millions of Americans face as they cast their ballots. Panelists will also discuss the ongoing attacks on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the importance of fair representation. The second panel will feature several premiere advocacy leaders and activists for a conversation about concrete steps that can be taken to protect the franchise and get Americans out to vote in the upcoming midterm election. When: September 30, 9am Eastern. Where: Online.

Voter Accessibility: Improving your election coverage for people with disabilities:  Midterm elections are Nov. 8. Are you prepared to be a watchdog for disabled voters in your communities? What is your newsroom doing to ensure your election coverage is useful and accessible for disabled voters? How are you covering voter rights and accessibility leading up to and on Election Day?  More than 61 million Americans live with disabilities, yet they remain underrepresented in journalism produced by U.S. newsrooms. As a decisive midterm election approaches, recent coverage shows state and local measures intend to: reduce voting by absentee ballot, limit access at polling locations, and limit information explaining how people with disabilities can cast their ballots. Join the National Press Club Journalism Institute for a virtual discussion among experts in voter access, disability representation, and accessible news coverage on best practices to cover disabled voters and to highlight voting access issues they may face.  When: October 14, 11:30am Eastern. Where: Online.

The Path to End-to-End (E2E) Protocols for Voting Systems:  The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), in collaboration with NIST, is initiating a process to publicly solicit, evaluate, and approve protocols used in end-to-end (E2E) cryptographically verifiable voting systems for conformance to the recently revised Voluntary Voting System Guidelines, Version 2.0. This workshop will be used to discuss the plan and further develop the protocol requirements and evaluation criteria. This workshop will cover the following: A keynote presentation on E2E in voting systems; Four discussion-based panels covering: Integrity and Voter Confidence, Voting System Security, Accessibility and Human Factor Considerations, Implementation of E2E in Voting Systems/Testings; Next Steps; Q&A Session When: October 6 & 7, 1pm-5pm Eastern. Where: Online.

NPC Headliners Book Event: Major Garrett and David Becker, “The Big Truth”: Less than a month before the midterm elections, CBS Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett and David Becker, one of the nation’s leading elections experts, will discuss their new book, “The Big Truth: Upholding Democracy in the Age of THE BIG LIE,” at a National Press Club headliners book event. Garrett and Becker’s new book examines the potentially dire consequences for the 2022 midterms and beyond. Filled with interviews with key players — election workers, January 6th Committee members Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md), Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and more — they take a close look at what is known as the Big Lie. Garrett, a veteran Washington correspondent, and Becker, the Executive Director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Integrity, make a case that Big Lie “fraud” allegations evaporate under scrutiny. The authors examine what actually happened in 2020, while reporting on what they call each Trumpian misdirection designed to con and beguile Americans into chasing phantom allegations of election crimes. The authors argue that the next midterm and presidential elections will test American democracy more severely than at any time since the Civil War, arguing that how Americans react may determine whether the country is led into another war against itself. The program will include a question-and-answer session with Garrett and Becker. When: October 11. Where: National Press Club, Washington, D.C.

Vote Early Day: Vote Early Day is a nonpartisan movement of media companies, businesses, nonprofits, election administrators, and creatives working to ensure all Americans have the tools to vote early. This holiday is a tentpole moment for partners of all stripes to engage with voters and urge them to cast their ballots. Created in 2020, Vote Early Day has brought thousands of national and local partners together in celebration and activation to increase the number of people voting early. This collaborative, open-source model—similar to Giving Tuesday and National Voter Registration Day—ensures that millions more Americans take advantage of their options to vote early through on the ground activations, get-out-the-vote pushes, national communications on traditional and social media, and efforts to create a new culture around voting. Vote Early Day plays a unique role in the push to get voters to cast their ballot. We are a trusted, nonpartisan holiday with supporters on both sides of the aisle. We provide a central moment for a wide range of partners (many non- traditional to the civic space) to engage with voters and urge them to vote early. Our collaboration of thousands of diverse partners allows us to engage in places beyond where voters are used to seeing election messages. This allows us to break through the noise and meet voters where they are. When: October 28

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.

Assistant Director, Butler County, Pennsylvania— To supervise and direct the operational processes relating to voter registration, voting and elections, ensuring that voters’ rights are protected and votes are recorded and counted accurately. Assists the Director in implementing the day to day functions of the Elections Department. The incumbent supervises the non-exempt staff and answers voter and candidate questions or selects proper course of action to resolve problems. Assists Director in evaluating new technologies for election process. Consults with others regarding clarification of the Pennsylvania Election Code. Refers complex issues requiring clarification of the Pennsylvania Election Code or the Pennsylvania Constitution to the Director of Elections. A Bachelor’s Degree in a related field and/or equivalent work experience is required. Significant experience in Computer Science course work or equivalent is required. Prior work experience involving the electoral process is desirable, as is supervisory experience. Must be knowledgeable of State and County voting laws, regulations, procedures, and requirements. Computer, telephone and customer service skills are necessary. Salary: $45,129.18-$63,180.85. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Campaign Finance Specialist, Wake County, North Carolina— Do you want to be a part of democracy in action? Wake County Board of Elections wants you! If you enjoy working in a fast-paced rewarding environment, then come work in a place where your team values you. The Board of Elections Campaign Finance Specialist plays a critical role, providing communication support and report auditing for candidates and committees who file campaign finance reports at the county level. The Campaign Finance Specialist must maintain in-depth knowledge of campaign finance law and reporting schedules. What will you do as a Board of Elections Campaign Finance Specialist? Communicate with candidates and campaign committee treasurers; Conduct financial audits of campaign finance reports; Refer late or non-compliant reports to the State Board of Elections for further investigation or financial penalties; Maintain directories and databases of elected officials and report filing statuses; Develop candidate and campaign finance informational guides; Manage the Candidates and Campaign Finance section of the Board of Elections website; Organize and administer candidate filing; Assist campaign committee treasurers with campaign reporting software; and Petition Management. Salary: Hiring Range: $20.81 – $28.10. 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.

Chief Information Officer, Illinois State Board of Elections— Functions as Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the SBE Information Technology Systems.  Responsibilities encompass full range of information services; application design and development, system administration, data administration, operations, production control, and data communications. In conjunction with the Board, Executive Director, and Executive staff, the CIO determines the role of information systems in achieving Board goals.  Defines goals in terms of statutory obligations to be met, problems to be solved, and/or opportunities that can be realized through the application of computerized information systems.    Prepares and submits budget based projections of hardware, software, staff and other resource needs to adequately provide for existing systems, as well as support of new project initiatives.   Advises Executive Staff in matters relating to information technology.  Develops presentations and reports for the Board and Administrative Staff.  In conjunction with Executive Staff, evaluates system performance to determine appropriate enhancements. Salary: $7,885 – $13,237 Monthly. 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.

Departmental Training Coordinator, DeKalb County, Georgia— The purpose of this classification is to develop, coordinate, deliver, and evaluate departmental training programs and learning solutions. The following duties are normal for this position. The omission of specific statements of the duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification. Other duties may be required and assigned. Develops training programs for departmental employees; creates new and/or modifies existing courses and course materials; researches industry changes; and prepares activities and course assignments. Conducts training and facilitates in-house training programs for employees based on current trends and best practices. Assists employees in meeting certification and recertification requirements for mandated licensure and submits documents for license renewals. Coordinates training logistics to include training room, schedules, attendance tracking, passwords, supplies and set up; and selects or develops teaching aids including training handbooks, tutorials or quick reference guides . Administers and grades course assignments and exams; and tracks and analyzes learning curriculum effectiveness through various evaluations techniques including evaluation of individual performances. Maintains and prepares training and compliance records and prepares related documentation and reports; enters course exam grades; prepares training certificates; and updates compliance databases. Assists with internal departmental communications by preparing newsletters, promotional materials for training programs, flyers for departmental events, or related communications. Communicates with department management, supervisors, other employees, subject matter experts, schools, community groups, volunteers, the public, and other individuals as needed to coordinate work activities, review status of work, exchange information, or resolve problems. Maintains current knowledge of departmental business functions and operations to develop training programs and solutions for improving employee knowledge and performance within business units; and research training industry standards and best practices and applies new technologies. Salary: $52,815 – $81,862. 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 Elections, Pender County, North Carolina— Performs difficult administrative work planning, directing, coordinating and supervising the elections process staff, registering voters, conducting elections, preparing and maintaining records and files, preparing reports, and related work as apparent or assigned. Work is performed under the general direction of the Board of Elections. Departmental supervision is exercised over all personnel within the department. Assist with other duties as needed or assigned. Salary: $62,274-$75K. Deadline: October 16. 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.

Director of Elections & Chief Registrar, Butler County, Pennsylvania— Seeking a Director of Elections & Chief Registrar with great communication, leadership and organizational skills. Employee reports directly to the Board of Commissioners. Employee is responsible for the overall planning, organization, direction, management, coordination, and oversight of the County voter registration and election processes in accordance with the County Code, the policies of the Board of Commissioners and/or Board of Elections and Federal, State and Local laws and regulations. Working knowledge and familiarity of PA Election laws, laws pertaining to Conduct of Election and Voter Registration and supervisory experience a plus. Must have a minimum of three years’ experience and/or training in the election/voter registration process, course work with an emphasis in business a plus. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Division Director, Illinois State Board of Elections— Subject to Executive Director approval; oversees the administration of human resource programs including, but not limited to, compensation, payroll, benefits, and leave; disciplinary matters; disputes and investigations; performance and talent management; productivity, recognition, and morale; occupational health and safety; and training and development. Serves as the Board’s subject matter expert relating to personnel and human resource matters. Identifies staffing and recruiting needs; develops and executes best practices for hiring and talent management. Conducts research and analysis of Board trends including review of reports and metrics from human resource information systems. Recommends, implements, and ensures compliance with agency policies and procedures including, but not limited to, hiring, disciplinary actions, employee grievances, compensation plan, and employee performance evaluations. Creates and oversees human resource practices, programs, and objectives that provide for an employee-oriented culture that emphasizes collaboration, innovation, creativity, and knowledge transfer within a diverse team. Oversees the day-to-day administrative aspects of the Board’s personnel programs; accuracy of bi-monthly payrolls; benefits; quarterly and annual EEO/AA reporting; and, employee transaction documentation. Facilitates professional development, training, and certification activities for staff; development and maintenance of agency-wide training programs for on-boarding, staff development, and knowledge transfer. Responsible for the administration and oversight over all disciplinary matters; including: investigation of complaints; conducting witness interviews; documentation gathering; drafting and submittal of investigation findings to Executive Staff; advising Division Directors and Executive Staff on disciplinary matters; and, drafting of formal disciplinary reprimands in accordance with policy. Has administrative oversight of the Chief Fiscal Officer regarding budgetary and fiscal matters under the purview of the Division of Administrative Services. Supervises and evaluates subordinate staff; facilitates knowledge transfers and cross trainings; performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above. Salary: $6,023.00 – $12,374.00 Monthly. 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 Cycle Temp, Pinal County, Arizona— Under supervision, performs the basic duties of Voter Registration and Early Voting during the election cycle as required by state statute for the Recorder’s Office. This position is not covered under the Pinal County Merit System. Incumbents in this position serve at the pleasure of their respective Appointing Authority. The employment relationship of incumbents in this position is “at will” the employee may be terminated at any time, for any reason, with or without cause. Salary: Up to $20/hr. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Election Deputy Director I, Cecil County, Maryland— Under the direction of the Election Director, the primary responsibility of the Deputy Director is to organize, and coordinate programs and activities of the Cecil County Board of Elections in accordance with the Registration and Election Laws of Maryland, the Maryland Constitution, miscellaneous Maryland laws, and the Code of Maryland Regulations – Title 06 & Title 14 as well as rules, regulations and administrative directives disseminated by the Maryland State Board of Elections, to ensure that every citizen is afforded the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote and guarantee the efficiency, accuracy and candor of all elections. 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 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.

Finance and Operations Manager, The Carter Center— The Finance and Operations Manager support The Carter Center’s nonpartisan Observation efforts by managing the finance and operations in both states. They will report directly to the US Nonpartisan Observation Coordinators in Michigan and Arizona and to the US Elections team in Atlanta. 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.

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.

Public Relations Manager, DeKalb County, Georgia— The following duties are normal for this position. The omission of specific statements of the duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification. Other duties may be required and assigned. Supervises, directs, and evaluates assigned staff; develops and oversees employee work schedules to ensure adequate coverage and control; compiles and reviews timesheets; approves/processes employee concerns and problems and counsels or disciplines as appropriate; assists with or completes employee performance appraisals; directs work; acts as a liaison between employees and management; and trains staff in operations, policies, and procedures. Organizes, prioritizes, and assigns work; prioritizes and schedules work activities to meet objectives; ensures that subordinates have the proper resources needed to complete the assigned work; monitors status of work in progress and inspects completed work; consults with assigned staff to assist with complex/problem situations and provide technical expertise; provides progress and activity reports to management; and assists with the revision of procedure manuals as appropriate. Develops and implements a comprehensive communications plan to support the mission and objectives of the department/division; develops communications strategies; reviews internal and external communications to ensure consistent messaging; creates and implements branding initiatives; manages online presence; and generates public relations campaigns to support special projects, service changes, and new initiatives within the department. Oversees the creation of print and online content to publicize and promote department programs, facilities, events, or objectives; researches and verifies information; reviews, approves, or produces newsletters, calendars, brochures, and flyers; monitors, approves, and creates content for social media and department website; and writes or edits official department announcements, emails blasts, press releases, letters, or posts. Oversees community outreach programs and events; plans, organizes, and oversees special events, facility tours, educational programs; oversees the selection of locations, dates, and sponsorships; reviews activities and materials prepared by staff or vendors; recruits and supervises event volunteers; and coordinates set-up, staffing, and implementation of program/event plans. Represents department as a spokesperson; serves as a liaison to the news media, other departments, boards, and other external groups; responds to media requests; gives interviews and official comments; and produces short television segments for DeKalb County TV. Cultivates community partnerships to advance departmental objectives and initiatives; develops and maintains relationships with community partners; attends or leads community events on behalf of the department; responds to inquiries from citizen groups or the public; and serves on internal and external committees or projects. Prepares and monitors public relations budget; prepares cost estimates; develops annual budget requests; and reviews and approves expenditures. Salary: $67,182 – $104,133. 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) Training Associate, Center for Tech and Civic Life— As the CTCL Government Services (Senior) Training Associate, you will develop and deliver training courses and easy-to-use tools that advance the tech and communication capabilities of election officials. Project coordination – Oversee multi-course training series and other major projects by setting goals, creating project plans, coordinating coworkers and partners, and monitoring progress. Continuous improvement – Suggest, hone, and evaluate new approaches to instructional design, such as alternative training formats, materials, or participant engagement practices. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Technology Division Leader, Boulder County, Colorado— The Boulder County Clerk and Recorder Technology Division Leader is a leadership position in the Clerk’s office and reports directly to the elected Clerk and Recorder. The Technology Division Leader is accountable for driving the multi-year strategic technology planning, resourcing, and implementation for the office that enables us to achieve our vision of providing the best in public service for Boulder County residents.  This position leads the Technology Team and is accountable for the multi-year planning, resourcing, and implementation of technology and security projects that support our vision. This position supports all areas of the office to ensure adequate technology support and is especially collaborative with the Elections Director, Boulder County IT, and our Cybersecurity Consultant. This position is one of the office’s six Leadership Team members and collaborates closely with the Administrative Team and the Division Leaders. Our team sets a high-bar for fulfilling our commitment to providing the best in public service, and we are looking for someone who has an exceptional technical foundation, is forward-thinking, committed to continual improvement, and someone who can build an empowering and results-driven environment. Our office consists of 75+ team members (and hundreds more during election time). Commitment to ensuring we include historically excluded communities in our work is vital to fulfilling our mission. This person must be committed to building a culture where individuals from any background can be successful, which includes ongoing work around disrupting patterns, systems, and behaviors of inequity and exclusion. Deadline: October 9. Salary: $92,940 – $133,872. 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.

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