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Bipartisan Policy Center Report

New Bipartisan Policy Center Report: Fortifying Elections through Poll Worker Policy

Partisan organizations with nefarious intent are recruiting and training temporary election workers – some with the aim of undermining free and fair elections in pursuit of partisan goals.

The Bipartisan Policy Center’s report released this week, Fortifying Elections through Poll Worker Policy, unveils a 50-state and DC dataset on current temporary election worker policy, highlighting the litany of protections in place and the gaps that remain.

Most states provide quality training, administer oaths of office, and implement partisan parity laws to ensure transparency and accountability in temporary election workers. Many states have clearly defined policies to address the intentional disruption of voting, dereliction of duties by an election worker, and a process for removing individuals who are not fulfilling their duties and responsibilities.

Overwhelmingly, states have implemented safeguards to ensure reliable and trustworthy election workers:

• 42 states and DC require training for temporary election workers
• 40 states and DC require election workers to take an oath before beginning their duties in an election office
• 47 states strive for partisan balance in the makeup of temporary election workers, which helps ensure bipartisan involvement in all steps of the election process.

The report builds on a statement released earlier this month and endorsed by the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Task Force on Elections that condemns “any effort designed with the intent of using temporary election workers to undermine the credibility of the election ecosystem.”

In tandem with the policies in place that safeguard elections from threats, several states have introduced policy to increase legal protections for election workers facing threats and intimidation. Colorado, Maine and Oregon have passed laws that enhance legal protection for their election workers. All states have a mechanism of protecting public servants. These laws, along with increased attention from the Department of Justice, serve as the first step toward deterring and safeguarding our elections from threats.

Additional Resources for the Coming Weeks

Countdown to 2022: Additional Resources

Earlier this month, electionline Weekly brought a list of resources to help elections officials get through the coming weeks. We’ve got a few more to add to that list this week:

Digital Assistance
Last week, Rachel Raper, Director of Elections at Orange County, NC, reached out to U.S. Digital Response with an interesting request. Her county needed a simple public-facing wait time tracker for their 6 early voting sites. Nothing fancy, just a table on her website for voters to see how long the wait times are at each site during the early voting period. Our intrepid group of volunteers had something setup for Rachel within 2 days and you can see the end result on her website. To see how this tool works, watch this 6 minute demo. If you would like this setup for your jurisdiction or have another digital need, let us know! Now that we have the basic structure for this wait time tool, we could have you up and running in about a day.  U.S. Digital Response. We’re fast, free, and nonpartisan. (–Lynn Constable with USDR)

Election Security
*New* Non-Confrontational Techniques for Election Workers Training provides an overview of non-confrontational techniques to help election officials and poll workers recognize potentially escalating situations, determine if emergency response is needed, safely de-escalate, and report appropriately within their organization or to law enforcement. In addition to this training, CISA offers other no-cost trainings (available both in-person and virtually) on topics such as election security best practices to build trust, ransomware, and phishing as well as exercise services to enhance security and resilience of election infrastructure.

• View the 15-minute abbreviated version of the full training: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCWt7gDwEPc
• For other election trainings, check out: Election Trainings and Exercises Offerings Flyer
• To request the full training or for any of the other election trainings, email electionsecurity@cisa.dhs.gov or contact your Regional CISA office.

De-Escalation
De-Escaltion Toolkit: Planning and preparation before Election Day can help you and your staff protect the rights of voters and the public and resist efforts to disrupt your elections. This toolkit provides ideas and practical advice to help with that planning. We know that many election offices don’t have all the resources they need. You may not be able to carry out all of these steps. But taking even limited steps and adopting some of these recommendations will help your staff respond to attempts to disrupt the election.—States United Democracy Center

Election News This Week

Help is on the Way: Two states are stepping up to help voters and poll workers in new ways. In Georgia, the secretary of state’s office has created an incident reporting system for those working at the polls. Gabriel Sterling in the secretary of state’s office told NBC News he goal is to give county directors and state officials “real-time intelligence” from each of the state’s 159 counties. “We are putting this in the hands of the poll managers and the elections directors so the responsible parties can get the information to the right people at the right time,” he said. The alert system, which was activated Monday, the first day of early voting in the state, will allow poll managers in every precinct to text a special five-digit number to report any threats or concerning activities at their polling locations. The information will then be sent to county election offices and the secretary of state’s Elections Division during the early voting period and to the secretary of state’s “war room” — a command center where law enforcement and other officials gather — that will be set up on Election Day. In Colorado, the secretary of state’s office has launched a new hotline that allows voters to receive real time translation of their ballot content from a live interpreter. Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Taiwanese and Vietnamese translators are available on call. Other languages are available upon request, according to a release from the office. After dialing in, users will be patched into a three-way phone conversation with a state or county election worker and a state-certified interpreter fluent in the language they request.  The hotline only provides translations of ballot content — not for the Blue Book, according to the release. Interpreters can instruct voters on how to fill in ovals or make corrections. They will also be able to explain how people should properly sign and seal their ballots.

Election Office News: While state and local elections officials are laser focused on the upcoming election, things are still in the works behind the scenes on other fronts including new offices. The 2023 budget in Dane County, Wisconsin includes $12M for a new, stand along clerk’s office that will be equipped with thick walls, security checkpoints, bulletproof glass to protect staff, gated parking lots and weapons screenings. Clerk Scott McDonell opes the new clerk’s office will open by 2024. And while it may have a hefty price tag, he says it’s worth it to keep staff and elections safe. “It’s kind of a scary reality that we’re in now,” McDonell said. “If we’re going to keep people in these jobs, we have to make sure we protect them.” In Tuscarawas County, Ohio the county commission plans to spend more money than originally expected on a new building for the board of elections. Commissioner Kerry Metzger said the three-member board unanimously increased the funding for the project from $3 million to $4.3 million  In Berks County, Pennsylvania the county commission has signed a lease for a downtown office space for tabulation of  mail ballots. The Miller County, Arkansas clerk’s office is preparing to move back into the county courthouse after flooding forced them out in February 2021. Officials attended a groundbreaking for the new Broward County, Florida Supervisors of Elections office this week. Joe Scott, the county’s supervisor of elections, said the planning of the state-of-the-art facility took into account that the general election is during hurricane season and that the public needs to be aware of what is happening inside the facility. “It was really important for us to think about these things like how do you combat misinformation how do you make sure people can see what is happening inside an elections facility,” Scott said.  The design also took into account the possibility of long lines to drop off ballots. After being housed in a building that used to house a pharmacy and separate from most other government services, the Livingston Parish, Louisiana registrar of voters has moved to Government Boulevard with the rest of the parish’s government offices. Registrar of Voters Jared Andrews said they brought over “all of our computer equipment,” but mostly everything else was new, including the furniture. “That was one of my requirements,” Andrews said. “If I move, then we need new stuff. The other stuff was old. Some of it was from 1970. Some of it was from the 1990s. And everybody had a different-colored desk.” “So here we are, brand new.”

Sticker News: Charles Day of Rowan County, North Carolina and Kayleon Dortch-Elliott of Cabarrus County created the winning “I Voted” stickers in Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s Voter Sticker Design Contest and will have their designs distributed by each county’s board of elections during early voting, which begins this week. Carolina Vergason created the winning “I Registered” design for Rowan County, and Manuel Antonio Ceuvas Nuñez designed the “I Registered” winner for Cabarrus County. Both are advertising and graphic design students at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. Open to all residents of Rowan and Cabarrus counties, the contest invited participants to create “I Voted” and “I Registered” sticker designs. The winning designs were selected anonymously by board of elections representatives in each county. “We are honored to have had such a high caliber of entries from across two counties, and we are thrilled with the designers’ support of the electoral process,” said Jenn Gardner Selby, chair of the Rowan-Cabarrus Department of Art & Design. “Stickers are limited edition, so we encourage voters to get to the polls early!” In other sticker news, the Ulster County, New York Legislature will honor Hudson Rowan, winner of the 2022 “I Voted” sticker contest. “The Legislature is honored to recognize Hudson’s ‘I Voted’ sticker design that has struck such a deep nerve not only in Ulster County but across the country,” said Legislative Chair Tracey Bartels. “Hudson’s crazed, wild-eyed spider robot creature has genuinely tapped into what it feels like to participate in our democracy. I hope that this sticker will increase midterm election turnout.”

It Me! Back in 2018, I was photographed (well, the back of my t-shirt was) at a Nats game by former Senator Orrin Hatch’s then-communications person. It went a bit viral back then with a friend even messaging me Spain inquiring as to whether I’d been at the Nats game the night before.  Then, for some reason, the photo popped up on another Twitter account this weekend where it’s garnered more than 114,000 likes and counting. I didn’t even realize it had gone viral again until someone from CISA slid into my DMs and gave me a heads up. Despite all the comments on Twitter, I actually had the t-shirt custom made (the front says VOTE). Moral of this story? Everything old is new again, and you just never know who may be sitting behind you a sporting event.

This and That: Madison County, Alabama announced this week that it will be increasing poll worker pay by $50 in each position. Mail ballots in Alaska will require two stamps this cycle although the Alaska Division of Elections says that ballots with just one stamp on them will still be delivered. Advocates have expressed concerns that the 7.5 font size on ballots in Maricopa County, Arizona may be hard for some to read. Elections officials in Sacrament County, California spent part of last week conducting voter registration drives for the county’s unhoused population. Body-worn camera footage recorded by local police captured the confusion and outrage of Hillsborough County residents who found themselves in handcuffs for casting a ballot following investigations by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new Office of Election Crimes and Security. Early voting kicked off in Georgia this week with some voters waiting in hours-long lines to cast their ballots. Mississippi voters will be able to use their smartphones as voter identification in the November election, marking the first real test of a new statewide program that integrates technology into the voting process.The Montana Secretary of State’s Voter Information Pamphlet, which was printed and shipped before a court ruled against several provisions of a new state law, contain incorrect information. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt called a special election to vote on recreational marijuana and the State Board of Elections said the March Special Election will cost the state upwards of $1.3 million. York County, Pennsylvania officials announced a plan Wednesday to hand count ballots from three random precincts in the upcoming Nov. 8 election after meeting with a group that has spread misinformation about the 2020 election. Outgoing South Dakota Secretary of State Steve Barnett is urging the state to implement online voter registration. Early voting kicked off in Shelby County, Tennessee this week with voters getting to use new voting equipment for the first time in 15 years.

Personnel News: Stephens County, Georgia Election Supervisor Krista Terry has resigned. Southfield, Michigan Clerk Sherikia Hawkins has resigned.

Legislative Updates

Englewood, Colorado: An attempt to enshrine a ban on the open carry of firearms at ballot boxes and polling stations in Englewood’s municipal code failed after a split council vote Oct. 17, weeks before the Nov. 8 General Election.  The ordinance, which would have aligned the city with Colorado’s Vote Without Fear Act — a bipartisan state law approved in March that bans carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a voting location — received a 3-3 vote, failing to clinch a majority.  Englewood Mayor Othoniel Sierra, District 2 Councilmember Chelsea Nunnenkamp and Councilmember At-Large Jim Woodward voted in favor of the ordinance. Mayor Pro Tem Steve Ward, District 3 Councilmember Joe Anderson and Councilmember At-Large Rita Russell voted against it.  Cheryl Wink, Englewood’s other at-large council member, was absent. State law still empowers local officials to enforce the open carry ban and the Englewood City Attorney’s Office has asked the county clerk’s office to post signage of the ban at the county ballot box near the city’s civic center building. But without a formal alignment of city code with state law, Deputy City Attorney Victoria McDermott said “it’s possible” the city could still encounter issues around open carrying of firearms near voting sites.  “We don’t want to run into an issue where there is a question of whether or not this is in fact prohibited or not,” McDermott said. “Ultimately, we’re trying to ensure that voters aren’t intimidated at the ballot box.”  Councilmembers who voted against the ordinance did so on grounds of what they said were possible infringements of constitutional rights.

Michigan: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed a bill into law that will make it easier for local elections officials to find polling places. Currently, school buildings, fire stations, police stations and other publicly owned buildings must be used as polling locations. If it is not possible or convenient to use a publicly owned building, a township or city may opt to use a building owned by a nonprofit entity. House Bill 6071, sponsored by Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton, expands the options for polling places beginning in 2023 to include public banquet centers or clubhouses, such as those at large apartment complexes or senior housing facilities, as long as the building is not owned by a candidate for office or someone who runs a political action committee. The reform has long been a priority for Michigan’s municipal clerks.

Columbus, Ohio: The Columbus City Council has voted to allow the last two remaining unions representing city workers to serve as poll workers on Election Day next month. City officials adopted the measure after a poll worker shortage during the spring primary elections. Council members voted on two measures, one with the Communications Workers of America, local 4502, and one with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Ohio Council 8, Local 1632. It will allow the workers to help staff the polls on election day throughout the city.  “We know that other communities have done similar things across the nation we want to be progressive here in Columbus and let people know that you know we’re backing our employees for the opportunity to serve, “ said Columbus City Councilman Emmanuel Remy, who sponsored a poll worker protection act last week. He said they want to give workers an opportunity to help alleviate the poll worker shortages. “We certainly encourage people to do so I mean it is a great opportunity and we’re making the path easier for employees to contribute to this this cause,” Remy said.

Pennsylvania: The Senate State Government Committee voted unanimously to approve legislation that would strengthen security requirements for the transportation of ballots, marking what could be one of the last election-related bills that lawmakers approve prior to the November midterm elections. The legislation, House Bill 34, which is sponsored by Republican state Rep. Gary Day, outlines a set of “ballot security procedures” that counties must follow when transporting ballots that have been cast. Per the bill, ballots must be kept in a specific transportation container when they are not at a voting precinct or county election office. However, that requirement does not apply when ballots are in the custody of the U.S. Postal Service. Each container must also include a “bill of lading,” which will list the location, date and time of when the ballots were collected. The bill also grants poll watchers the right to know how many ballot containers exist in a given election.

Wyoming: The Corporations Committee has approved a bill that would establish a ranked choice voting pilot program that cities would have to decide to join. The municipality would have to reimburse the county clerk’s office for the cost of running the ranked choice election. The committee advanced the bill on an 8-5 vote. It will have to be voted on during the next legislative session before it could go into effect. This specific bill would only allow ranked choice voting for nonpartisan races. The legislation was tabled when it reached the full Legislature.

The Corporations Committee also advanced a bill that would codify the election equipment guidelines Wyoming already follows — and which are already followed by every other state. “This doesn’t really establish anything new,” Wyoming’s Election Director Kai Schon said. “It really just simply protects that process by codifying it.” But when lawmakers discussed the bill, it set off a lengthy debate surrounding allegations of voter fraud. Several public commenters derided the bill, arguing that electronic vote-counting systems weren’t safe and shouldn’t be used and advocating for a hand-count. The bill advanced out of committee on a 12-1 vote. It can now head to the full legislature for further consideration during the next session.

Legal Updates

Florida: Leon County Judge Angela C. Dempsey has dismissed a lawsuit Melissa Martz filed over her Aug. 23 election loss to U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, in which she claimed “fraud, misconduct and corruption.” Martz, an attorney who represented herself, failed “to state a cause of action,” according to the Oct. 7 ruling by Dempsey. “The facts alleged were insufficient to change or place in doubt the result of the election.” Martz had asked the judge to set aside the results of the Republican primary for the U.S. House District 21 seat that represents Martin, St. Lucie and parts of Palm Beach. The 178-page complaint Martz filed Sept. 9 contains no evidence to prove her claims. It only lists myriad unsubstantiated accusations, rumors and speculation “which have caused suspicion around the idea we have free and fair election,” she wrote. In her complaint, Martz demanded all three counties’ elections offices give her the cast vote record, which is the raw data used to tabulate results. The defendants she listed were the Florida State Canvassing Commission, each county’s canvassing board and Mast himself.

Georgia: A new lawsuit alleging past election fraud was filed in Morgan County last week, aiming to halt the use of electronic voting machines and switch to paper ballots for the Nov. 8 Midterm Election. The lawsuit, filed by Morgan County residents Lori Tullos and Virginia McFadden, is against the Morgan County Board of Elections and Registration, Morgan County’s Elections Director Jennifer Doran, Chairman of the BOER James Woodard and all sitting board members, as well as Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. The 186-page complaint lobs numerous accusations against Raffensperger, state voting officials, and the Morgan County BOER officials, including claims that Georgia’s electronic voting machines do not accurately record votes as cast and are susceptible to foreign interference and tampering from countries like China and Iran. The lawsuit also alleges Georgia’s voting machines are “unconstitutional” and accuses Raffensperger of “fraud,” “intimidation” and “violating his oath of office.” The suit also claims Morgan County voters were deprived of their right to a referendum to vote on switching from paper ballots to electronic voting machines and whether or not to approve funding to pay for the new voting machines when they were adopted by the state in 2017. The suit, filed on Oct. 11, is asking the Morgan County Superior Court to “grant the utilization of the illegal Dominion ICX voting systems in Morgan County and GA to be immediately discontinued as voter disenfranchisement and the abridgment of our right to vote is imminent.” The suit also asks the court to “grant a referendum vote by the electors of Morgan County to decide on the use of any voting machines, as is required by law, prior to any further machine voting. And that, this referendum vote needs to be done by hand marked paper ballots that are hand counted as this could have been the process if the law would have been followed prior to the machines being installed.” The suit also calls for a referendum on the use of county funds to pay for any approved voting machines/systems.

Kansas: U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree denied a conspiracy-laden effort to stop the use of ballot drop boxes and electronic voting machines in next month’s election, part of a longshot lawsuit from election deniers that seeks to redo the 2020 and 2022 elections, among other aims. Some of those involved with the lawsuit are also individuals who took part in a recount of the 2022 primary election based on unfounded allegations of fraud. Others have testified in legislative hearings on perceived flaws in Kansas election administration. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court for the District of Kansas last month, relies on largely baseless allegations that the state has been using erroneous voting machines and has been the subject of fraud. It wants Gov. Laura Kelly to void the 2020 general election and 2022 primary election results and order a redo, something that cannot be done under state law. It also wants elections in Kansas to be conducted entirely by paper ballots. Crabtree indicated during a hearing that he was unlikely to grant the motion and his ruling largely picks apart the case made by the plaintiffs. It is largely pessimistic about the odds of the larger lawsuit to find any success. Elected officials, he said, “have chosen processes and methods to use in the state’s elections.” “It may not represent the system that plaintiffs prefer, and our Constitution entitles them to express their opinions,” Crabtree wrote. “But nothing in the current record entitles them to sweeping use of federal judicial power to impose their views on their state or their fellow Kansans.” Those bringing the lawsuit, Crabtree said, do not have the standing to do so, as they have not demonstrated they have been directly harmed by the issues they allege.

Minnesota: Kittson and Roseau Counties are seeking a court order allowing a redo of ballots after discovering flaws with ballots printed by a vendor that does work for several counties in the state. County officials asked the Minnesota Supreme Court for direction on fixing ballots that failed to include political affiliation in all partisan races and incumbency status for judges as required by law. In their petitions, election officials in the two counties say the information was inadvertently left off ballots by a printing vendor. Both use SeaChange Printing and Marketing for their mail and absentee ballot programs. In both cases, party labels were assigned only in the governor’s race and not any other state or federal contests. Both rural counties rely heavily on mail ballots, not all of which had been sent when the problem was discovered. Court papers say only 25 voters had returned ballots in Kittson County as of late last week. Martha Monsrud, who oversees elections in Roseau County, said 124 ballots had been returned to her office before the problem surfaced. She said a voter alerted her to the omissions. The high court has fast-tracked the cases.

Missouri: Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem dismissed a lawsuit that argued a new law requiring Missourians present a government-issued photo ID to vote is unconstitutional. Beetem ruled that the plaintiffs — the Missouri NAACP and League of Women Voters of Missouri, along with two voters — didn’t have the standing to bring the case because they couldn’t provide evidence of harm. However, the voting advocates who filed the case in August say the ruling is a “procedural pit stop” on the way to the Missouri Supreme Court, noting that the ruling doesn’t address the legality of the new state law. “This is a procedural ruling,” said Denise Lieberman, director and general counsel for the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition. “This case will be decided by the Missouri Supreme Court, which has twice concluded that limiting the forms of voter ID in the very way that this law does violates the Missouri Constitution and Missourians ’ right to vote. So this is not the end of the line for this lawsuit in any way, shape, or form.” Lieberman said the judge did not dismiss the case outright but offered the opportunity to amend the pleadings to provide the specificity that he believes is warranted. Currently, voters can present a variety of different forms of identification at the polls, including some that don’t include a photo, like a utility bill or voting card. Under the new law, registered voters would either have to get a government-issued photo ID or cast a provisional ballot on Election Day.

Nevada: Fifth District Court Judge Kimberly Wanker dismissed an emergency petition by the ACLU’s Nevada chapter attempting to stop the county from its plan to hand-count votes alongside a machine tabulator starting later this month. The plan was spurred by false claims of election fraud. Wanker said the ACLU did not provide a recording or transcript of the publicly available Nye County Board of Commissioners meeting referenced in the organization’s petition. The judge said it was unreasonable for the court to access the video and watch a 7-hour, 23-minute video to find a presentation on the plan. She also said there was no certificate of service in the file that indicated the respondents were served with an emergency petition. The ACLU Nevada has filed an emergency petition with the state Supreme Court. The complaint is nearly identical to the ACLU lawsuit that was recently dismissed in Nye County District Court due to technicalities. The ACLU asked the court to rule by October 21, five days before Nye County officials plan to start early hand-counting of mail-in ballots and one day before early in-person voting starts statewide.

North Carolina: Wake County Superior Court Judge Vince Rozier gave a partial legal victory to state and national Republicans by agreeing to loosen restrictions on activity by some party-appointed poll observers. Rozier granted one of the party’s two requests related to the work of “at-large” observers chosen by political parties and who are allowed to monitor more than one voting site. A second request seeking the use of more than one such observer simultaneously at a location was denied, according to a GOP leader and the State Board of Elections, which is a lawsuit defendant. Rozier also refused another GOP demand that he block the State Board of Elections from extending the fall absentee-ballot receipt deadline based on the Veterans Day holiday on November 11th, board spokesperson Pat Gannon said. The GOP won in a portion of the litigation filed last month requesting a preliminary injunction on state board guidance that requires an at-large observer to work for at least four hours before they can be replaced at a voting site.

North Carolina’s top legislative leaders believe a federal judge should dismiss a lawsuit that aims to add unaffiliated voters to the state’s elections board. House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, and Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, filed a motion to dismiss the case Common Cause v. Moore. Common Cause and five individual unaffiliated voters are challenging a state law, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-19. It dictates the terms of state elections board membership. The governor appoints the five-member board, based on recommendations from the two major parties. The governor’s party exercises a 3-2 majority. “Plaintiffs argue that by not allowing unaffiliated voters to serve on the State Board, their First Amendment and Equal Protection rights are violated. However, these Plaintiffs lack standing to bring those claims,” wrote legislators’ attorneys. “And Defendants, members of the legislative branch, who enact but do not enforce laws, are immune from suit for such claims in federal court.” The Common Cause suit filed Aug. 2 asks a federal court to declare the elections board law “unconstitutional and void.” Common Cause also asks the court to block the General Assembly from enacting any new law for state elections board appointments that “discriminates against unaffiliated voters or penalizes them based on their decisions not to register as Republican[s] or Democrats.”

Pennsylvania: The Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee and Pennsylvania Republican Party along with eight registered voters filed a lawsuit challenging Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration’s guidance to counties to include undated mailed ballots in their official vote count. The voters filed the case in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court asking for an expedited review of a case dealing with undated mail-in ballots. Specifically, they are asking for the state’s high court to skip a review by lower courts and to order undated mailed ballots not to be counted. At minimum, they ask the court to order the segregation of incorrectly dated or undated ballots. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling came in a case involving a Lehigh County judicial race. The high court vacated a regional federal court decision that ordered timely received undated mailed ballots to be counted. Wolf Administration officials interpreted that ruling as saying the lower court ruling was “moot” because the race at issue in that case had already been decided.

Lehigh County Judge Thomas Capehart has rejected a lawsuit by four residents who demanded tighter restrictions on ballot drop boxes. The plaintiffs, all Republicans, demanded the boxes at the government center in Allentown and other parts of the county be open only during “normal” business hours and be monitored in person to make sure voters drop only their own ballots, or ballots they have been authorized to drop. Capehart said evidence presented at hearings on the case showed in-person monitoring had not conclusively reduced third-party ballot dropping, but better education, publicity and signage had succeeded in doing so. Capehart also said the county had made its case that it would be too difficult to hire and train drop box observers in such a short time, meaning the boxes, which many voters rely on, would be eliminated. “With better and clearer information being provided to voters by the [county election board] and with this information being publicly disseminated to the electorate in a timely fashion, the integrity of mail-in voting via drop boxes in Lehigh County remains safe and secure,” the judge wrote.

Latino civil rights group filed a lawsuit against York County today for lack of Spanish-language services in elections.  LatinoJustice PRLDEF and Dechert LLP filed a complaint on Oct. 19 in a federal district court on behalf of CASA and Puerto Rican voters with the Board of Elections in York County.  The lawsuit cites the county’s failure to provide Spanish-language materials and assistance as required by the Voting Rights Act. The groups are demanding that the Board of Elections honor its obligation to provide Spanish-language ballots, election materials and assistance to voters within the county. The lawsuit is also seeking a preliminary injunction ordering the Board of Elections to provide Spanish sample ballots and signage and training for poll workers on the rights of Spanish-language voters.

Texas: A former political candidate who volunteered to be a poll watcher during the 2020 general election received two misdemeanor charges for criminal trespassing and perjury, according to the Travis County district attorney’s office. Authorities say Jennifer Fleck was working as a poll watcher on Nov. 2, 2020, when she refused to leave a piece of property owned by Travis County after interfering with employees who were counting ballots, a statement from the DA’s office said. Fleck is also accused of recording both audio and video of workers counting ballots, which is against state election laws. “Our state’s election laws prohibit poll watchers from filming and photographing during the election count process to prevent any interference and protect the legitimacy of the election outcome,” Travis County District Attorney José Garza said in a statement. “Our office will ensure a fair election by guarding against any interference and holding accountable anyone violating our election laws.” The Travis County district attorney’s office was appointed to prosecute these misdemeanor cases in the place of the county attorney’s office because the county attorney’s office represented the Travis County clerk in civil litigation as the facts of these cases unfolded, the DA’s office said. Fleck will appear in court next on Nov. 3.

Washington: A US District Court recently dismissed lawsuit challenging 2020 General Election results stating, “Because plaintiffs have asserted only generalized grievances, the court finds that plaintiffs lack Article III standing to assert their federal claims.” Article III of the US Constitution defines what cases the US District Court has jurisdiction to hear. The Court ruled the plaintiffs failed to prove the US District Court had jurisdiction over their case. The lawsuit filed was 1 of 4 similar lawsuits filed against county auditors across Washington by Washington Election Integrity Coalition United (WEICU), a group challenging 2020 General Election results and seeking a full forensic audit of the Washington election system, similar to an audit done in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Wisconsin: A lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin League of Women Votes seeks to allow clerks to accept absentee ballot envelopes with incomplete witness address information. The suit and a request for a temporary injunction comes a month after a Waukesha County judge ruled clerks cannot correct incomplete witness addresses.  The League is suing the Wisconsin Elections Commission in Dane County Circuit Court. The group is asking Judge Nia Trammell for a declaratory judgment aimed at clarifying state statute barring clerks from counting a ballot if the envelope, also referred to as a witness certificate, “is missing the address” of that individual.  A brief filed by LWM, argues “the common-sense, plain-language definition” of the word “missing” only applies to “circumstances in which the address field is left completely blank” on absentee ballot envelopes. During a hearing, Attorney Dan Lenz, who is representing LWM, said ballots with witness certificates that include a partial address or even just the name of a municipality should not be rejected. He said current law creates confusion among clerks that could cause votes not to be counted.

Opinions This Week

National Opinions: Nonpartisan election work | Election deniers, III | Transgender voters | Military & overseas voters | Election officials | Election workers | Open primaries| Democracy, II, III |  Wait times | Vote by mail Election security

Alaska: Voting plan

Arizona: Election deniers | Secretary of state race

California: Election integrity

Colorado: Secretary of state race, II, III, IV, V |  Ranked choice voting| Voter education | Poll watchers

District of Columbia: Noncitizen voting

Georgia: Faith in elections

Indiana: Secretary of state race, II

Iowa: Vote by mail

Maine: Voting matters

Michigan: Ballot measure | Election security

Minnesota: Accessibility

Montana: Mixed messages

Nebraska: Voter ID

Nevada: Election paranoia | Ballot measure | Secretary of state race

New Mexico: Election security

Ohio: Election security

Pennsylvania: Election deniers

South Carolina: Ranked choice voting | Poll watchers

Virginia: Voting system | Voter registration system

Washington: Secretary of state race

Wisconsin: Drop boxes

Wyoming: Secretary of state

Upcoming Events

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

MEDSL 2022 Post-Election Webinar: On December 8, the MIT Election Data & Science Lab will be hosting a public webinar all about the 2022 election, featuring our own takes on what happened as well as highlighting other researchers’ work and what they saw. From what happened online to what happened in polling places, we’ll cover as much as we can. Register today to hold your spot and receive more details about the event! Where: Online When: December 8

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.

Administrative Specialist III (Elections Specialist Lead), King County, Washington— This is an amazing opportunity to be engaged in the election process! This position will lead processes, projects, and people within the Opening work area of Ballot Processing. This will include leading, coaching, mentoring, and training temporary and regular staff. Leads may also provide assistance and/or participate in long-term cross-training in multiple work areas to meet organizational agile efforts. This is a great opportunity for a person with strong communication and interpersonal skills. The Department of Elections is searching for an energetic and resourceful professional who likes to get stuff done. The Administrative Specialist III in the Elections Department combines an exciting 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. King County Elections (KCE) manages voter registration and elections for more than 1.4 million voters in King County and is one of the largest vote-by-mail county in the United States. KCE’s mission is to conduct accessible, secure, and accurate elections. As a leader in providing inclusive elections, KCE is focused on three key priorities – (1) actively identifying and working to remove barriers to voting at both the individual and community level, (2) strengthening relationships with community and governmental partners, and (3) creating a culture of professional growth and development, openness and inclusion. Salary: $26.03 – $33.12 Hourly. Deadline: October 28. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

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.

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. 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 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 Review Program Lead, 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 county election review program; Travels extensively throughout state to conduct reviews of county elections departments. Application: For a 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.

Policy Analyst, National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) — This is an entry-level policy position with NCSL’s close-knit elections and redistricting team. NCSL is known for its role as the nation’s keeper of nonpartisan, accurate information about election administration, redistricting, campaign finance and ancillary topics. The successful candidate will work on election administration topics relevant to state legislators and legislative staff and will contribute to a range of projects, including webpages, databases, briefs and presentations. A policy analyst operates under the close supervision of others and has no supervisory responsibilities. Tasks likely to include tracking legislation in databases, answering research requests from legislators or legislative staff, contributing research in support of projects led by others and assisting with meeting planning. Salary: $4,014/mo. 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.

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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