electionline Weekly

electionilne Daily News Email

What’s the best part of waking up? electionline Daily News in your inbox of course so be sure to sign up for your daily dose.

Each morning you’ll receive the top headlines of the day, plus a listing of states featured in that day’s news round up.

To sign up, simply visit our site and provide us with your email and you’ll begin receiving the news in your inbox each morning.

We Google so you don’t  have to!

Election News This Week

Threats to Democracy: According to a new poll from Reuters/Ipsos, two in five U.S. voters say they are worried about threats of violence or voter intimidation at polling places. The Reuters/Ipsos poll, completed on Monday, also found that two-thirds of registered voters fear that extremists will carry out acts of violence after the election if they are unhappy with the outcome. Kathy Boockvar, former Pennsylvania secretary of state, said fears of voter intimidation and violence run counter to American tradition. “Our country is based on democracy. We should be excited about Election Day,” said Boockvar, a member of the bipartisan Committee for Safe and Secure Election. Among the registered voters polled by Reuters/Ipsos, 43% were concerned about threats of violence or voter intimidation while voting in person. The fear was more pronounced among Democratic voters, 51% of whom said they worried about violence, although a still-significant share of Republicans – 38% – harbored the same concerns. On Monday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the U.S. Department of Justice would not permit voters to be intimidated. “The Justice Department has an obligation to guarantee a free and fair vote by everyone who’s qualified to vote and will not permit voters to be intimidated,” Garland said during a press briefing. Additionally, Samantha Vinograd, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for counterterrorism, threat prevention, and law enforcement, on Monday said the agency is “certainly very focused on what we consider to be an incredibly heightened threat environment” ahead of November’s elections. She cited conspiracy theories swirling online and the history of extremist groups in the United States as reason for concern.

Early Voting: Early voting has kicked off in many places already and so far what we’re seeing may be a snapshot of what’s to come on Election Day. Maybe. Law enforcement officials in Maricopa County, Arizona have been forced to step up patrols near ballot drop boxes after people in tactical gear were spotted photographing voters.  In Crawford County, Arkansas, a coding error meant the candidate’s party affiliations weren’t listed. Equipment had to be temporarily shut down and reconfigured. Early voting kicked off in Florida without a hitch and minimal lines.  Georgia has been making headlines (and lines) with high turnout. More than a million people have already cast their ballots in the Peachtree State.  In-person voting began in Hawaii this week and a group called “Audit the Vote Hawaii” is organizing election doubters to stake out ballot drop boxes. In the first general election where early voting is allowed in South Carolina, day one kicked off with huge turnout—about 40,000 voters—and a crash of the state’s elections website. In Tennessee, an independent candidate for governor was arrested outside of a Hamilton County voting location for causing a disturbance and bothering voters. In Texas, counties reported a mixed bag for turnout as early voting got underway this week. Additionally, in many counties including Galveston, Randall and Taylor voters are facing new voting equipment. In Jefferson County, the learning curve was a bit stiff for the new equipment when several voters left the polling place after marking their paper ballots but not depositing those ballots into the tabulator.

edge book on the wooden table.

New Reports: The Center for Democracy & Technology, in partnership with the Center for Tech and Civic Life recently analyzed a dataset of election websites maintained by CTCL and found that, of the 7,010 websites that we included for analysis, only 1,747 (25%) used .gov. in 2020, the FBI identified dozens of fake election websites that may have been set up to mislead voters. In a Public Service Announcement released this month, the FBI and CISA warned the public that, because foreign actors may attempt to “manipulate information or spread disinformation in the lead up to and after the 2022 midterm elections,” voters should be wary around websites that solicit voting information that are not using .gov. To address this problem, election websites — and all government websites — need to adopt .gov widely enough that voters know to look for it as an indicator of trustworthiness. You can read the full report here. PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement) recently released new data on civic language perceptions. The Sentencing Project released a new report this week that estimates 2% of the voting age population in the United States will be ineligible to cast ballots during this year’s midterm elections due to state laws banning people with felony convictions from voting.

Voter Education: The Wisconsin Elections Commission has created a series of four “Election 101” videos made for high school students but also promoted to the general public. Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe said she wants to help residents understand who runs elections and how they do it. “We know people are really hungry for that information,” Wolfe said. “We wanted to make sure we have lively, energetic content that helps them understand exactly how elections work.” The commission worked with the state Department of Public Instruction to offer lesson plans that accompany the videos. The videos, about five to seven minutes each, cover subjects like who election officials are, how to register to vote, how officials keep voting information secure, and a walkthrough of how to vote in person. The lesson plans cover valid forms of voter identification, ways to register to vote, questions about who should be allowed to vote, and how to serve as a poll worker. In focus groups of high school students who helped shape the lessons, WEC communications specialist John Smalley said there was a clear need for “baseline” information on how elections function. “It was not that surprising that there wasn’t a great baseline of knowledge there, so we felt like we could go forward with a pretty baseline level of how the elections process works,” Smalley said. Additionally, Wolfe said, the videos are meant to explain how officials keep elections secure and accurate.

Along Came a Spider: We’ve done a lot of reporting on Ulster County, New York’s fabulous new “I Voted” sticker (and to be fair, ALL the “I Voted” stickers are fabulous) so we would be remiss if we didn’t include this story in the legend of the 2022 “I Voted” sticker. Alex Wojcik, deputy mayor of New Paltz, and Matthew Mackey, who is running for state Assembly District 101, got tattoos of the now world-famous “I Voted” spider creature. Yes, tattoos. According to the Times-Union, Wojcik first shared her intention to get the drawing as a tattoo on Twitter on July 5, writing “If this wins I’ll get it tattooed on me.” Several days later, Mackey tweeted back, “Alex, I will join you in this tattoo mission!” Wojcik and Mackey aren’t alone. Ulster County archivist Taylor John Bruck plans to get his tattoo on Nov. 6 in New Orleans. “This has a voodoo vibe, so it fits with New Orleans and is a fun thing to do on vacation.”

This and That: A special election to fill a vacated seat on the Los Angeles Council could cost L.A. up to an estimated $7.65 million, the city clerk’s office has said. Johnson County, Kansas will transfer the PollChief election worker management system from Konnech to servers under Johnson County Government’s exclusive control. Accessibility advocates in Maine say the state’s online voting system—launched in 2020—is increased turnout among first time voters with disabilities. Baltimore, Maryland will pay city police overtime to collect and transport flash drives containing vote counts on election night. The City of Worcester, Massachusetts unveiled a trail marker for women’s suffrage movement leader Sarah E. Wall. The Washington County, Tennessee commission has allocated $25,000 for renovations to the Princeton Arts Center so it can become the new home of the county Election Commission. Perry County, Pennsylvania’s Election and Voter Registration Office moved into an updated and secure new building. The Virginia Department of Elections announced a $13.5M contract with The Canton Group to produce a new statewide voter registration system.

Personnel News: Lana Adams is the new Paulding County, Ohio board of elections director and Sarah Krouse is the new deputy. George Gilmore is set to be appointed to serve on the Ocean County, New Jersey board of elections. Douglas County, Minnesota Clerk Susan Sandvick will retire in January. Kaci Jo Lundgren will be the new clerk. Keri Hinton is officially the new county clerk for Yamhill County, Oregon. Genesee County, Michigan Clerk John Gleason is stepping down. Kayla Cheek is the new Montgomery County, Georgia elections supervisor. The Cayuga County, New York Legislature voted on Tuesday to appoint Keith Batman, a Democrat, and John Camardo, a Republican, to lead the county Board of Elections.

Legislative Updates

Cochise County, Arizona: The Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted 2 to 1 this for a hand-count of all ballots in the Nov. 8 election after rejecting a differently worded motion during a meeting press reports labeled as chaotic. Cochise County Supervisors Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby voted for the measure after rejecting a first proposal that mentioned 100 volunteers who had already been vetted and trained for the hand count. The third board member, chairwoman Ann English, is a Democrat who voted against both proposals, arguing that the country’s insurance would not protect it from expected lawsuits. “I implore you not to attempt to order this separate hand-count,” said County Attorney Brian McIntyre, a Republican. He said such action would be unlawful and supervisors could be held personally liable in a civil action. The first proposal that was rejected said that volunteers “are wishing to take part in this way to help people (including a few of the participants) who have lost trust in elections to see that elections are reliable and secure in our county.” The measure that was approved calls for a hand-count audit in all precincts to be organized by the county recorder or other elections official to assure agreement with the machine count. McIntyre also called that plan unlawful.

Faribault County, Minnesota: After hearing from many members of the public the Faribault County Commissioner eventually opted to not adopt a resolution which dealt with the issue of using voting machines or doing hand counting of ballots in the upcoming General Election on Nov. 8. The County Board members had previously discussed the issue at their last meeting, and had heard from some members of the public who requested hand counting of the ballots. County commissioner Tom Loveall said he believed the machines did an accurate job, but in order to show they did, he made a motion to do both machine counting and hand counting at the next election, with the machine count being the official tally. His motion died for lack of a second, and no other motions were brought forward, so the voting machines will be used in this next election as usual.

New Jersey: New Jersey lawmakers want to let police officers into some polling places, but they’d prefer no one know they’re law enforcement. Officers stationed at schools and senior living communities acting as polling places would be required to be in plain clothes under amendments to bills approved unanimously by the Assembly Oversight, Reform, and Federal Relations Committee. An earlier version of the bills required plainclothes officers only at senior living communities. The changes are the latest part of lawmakers’ efforts to pare back a law that bars police from polling places, with few exceptions. That bill, which Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law in January, allows officers to be deployed to a senior residential center if the community reports a threat or safety concern and requests police presence. The legislation advanced would eliminate the threat threshold, meaning schools and senior living communities hosting voting can request police to be stationed there even in the absence of a threat.

Legal Updates

U.S. Supreme Court: A group of 20 Democratic senators filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to reject a legal argument that would give state legislatures extraordinary power over federal elections. The brief, filed by Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, draws parallels to the checks and balances of the federal government — especially Congress — as a clear indication that the so-called independent state legislature theory runs afoul of the Constitution. The senators argue that while the Constitution grants state legislatures the responsibility of setting the time, location and manner of federal elections, the Constitution also requires state legislatures to follow the same procedures when making rules for federal elections that they use to make other state laws. The clause, they write, “does not allow state legislatures to bypass the same restrictions imposed by state constitutions — the very documents that create and empower them.” Set to be heard in December, that case, Moore v. Harper, involves a congressional map drawn by the Republican-led legislature that was rejected by the state’s Supreme Court as a partisan gerrymander. Republican lawmakers sued, arguing that the court had no authority to reject the map. The North Carolina Republicans have argued that the clause means state legislatures alone are responsible for drawing congressional districts, and the courts have no role to play. Additionally, a group of current and former elections officials filed an amicus brief this week. The brief, in part, argues that, “If this Court were to decide that state legislatures have exclusive authority to set the rules in federal elections, and that federal courts are the arbiters of what those state rules mean and how they apply in federal races, the consequences would be profound. State and local election administrators need a single authoritative interpretation of state election law. Yet under petitioners’ “independent state legislature” (ISL) claim, the same state statute could be construed and enforced in three different ways—one by state courts subject to state constitutional constraints (for state elections); the next by federal courts applying their own views on what the statute means and how it should apply (for federal elections); and finally (and definitively) by a House of Congress in resolving a federal election contest. But these are the same concurrent federal-state elections governed by the same rules administered by the same officials with respect to the same ballots cast by the same voters. Embracing petitioners’ claim would wreak havoc on concurrent federal-state elections and could result in States having to conduct federal and state elections separately under different rules…”

Alaska: The Alaska Supreme Court issued a full opinion  explaining why it upheld the state’s new ranked choice voting and open primary system as constitutional in January. The five justices issued a brief order at the time in favor of the new system that was narrowly approved by voters in a 2020 ballot measure. It was issued quickly to confirm to the Alaska Division of Elections that the new voting system would be used this year. In their 57-page opinion, the justices said that the tabulation process would still result in a gubernatorial candidate winning with the greatest number of votes — unless in the unlikely result of a tie — and that “there is no question that a ranked-choice vote is a single vote.” They also rejected arguments that an open primary burdens political parties’ right to choose their own candidates. Instead, it merely narrows the field of candidates by allowing the top four vote-getters, regardless of party, to advance to the general election, they said.

Arizona: Two southwestern Arizona women were indicted earlier this month for allegedly harvesting a small number of ballots during the 2020 primary election, authorities said Wednesday. A state grand jury charged Gloria Lopez Torres and Nadia Guadalupe Lizarraga-Mayorquin, aka Nadia Buchanan, with conspiracy and ballot abuse on Oct. 3. Both women are from San Luis, and Torres is a council member in the Yuma County city. Torres is accused of collecting seven ballots from Lizarraga-Mayorquin, who allegedly collected at least one ballot from another person, according to the indictments.

An association for retirees and an organization for Latino voters are seeking a temporary restraining order against a group they allege is coordinating a campaign of voter intimidation in Arizona. The restraining order request was filed Monday evening with a federal court lawsuit alleging that the group Clean Elections USA and its founder, Melody Jennings, were running afoul of federal law with incidents near ballot drop box locations in Arizona.  The lawsuit accuses the defendants of a “coordinated campaign of vigilante voter intimidation” in violation of the Voting Rights Act and federal civil rights law.

A federal lawsuit by the League of Women Voters of Arizona is aiming to stop extremist groups from surveilling drop boxes in Maricopa and Yavapai and counties.  The nonprofit Protect Democracy Project is representing the League of Women Voters of Arizona in the case. It seeks to bar three groups — the Arizona chapter of the Oath Keepers, the Yavapai County-based Lions of Liberty and Clean Elections USA, which is run by QAnon linked Melody Jennings — from continuing to surveil drop boxes.  The case accuses the groups of violating the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voter intimidation, and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, which outlaws conspiring to “prevent, by force, intimidation, or threat, any citizen who is lawfully entitled to vote, from giving his support or advocacy in a legal manner.”

Arkansas: A three-judge panel dismissed part of a lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ new U.S. House map, which split the Little Rock area among three congressional districts. The federal panel tossed some of the constitutional claims in the lawsuit challenging the redistricting plan approved by the majority-Republican Legislature last year. The lawsuit filed by two Black Democratic lawmakers and four other residents claimed the new map violates the Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act by moving 23,000 predominantly Black voters out of the 2nd District in central Arkansas. Those voters were split between the state’s 1st and 4th congressional districts. The ruling gave the residents 30 days to file an amended complaint focusing on their remaining claims that the new map violates the Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act. The lawsuit had claimed the new map diluted Black voters’ influence. “What we can say at this stage is that the plaintiffs are a few specific factual allegations short of pleading a plausible vote-dilution claim,” the judges’ ruling said. The judges also dismissed Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson and the state of Arkansas as defendants in the lawsuit.

Florida: Robert Lee Wood, who faced one count of making a false affirmation on a voter application, and one count of voting as an unqualified elector, had his charges dismissed on the grounds that the prosecutor lacked appropriate jurisdiction. Wood was facing up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines and fees, for allegedly illegally voting in the 2020 election. The judge found that the statewide prosecutor did not have jurisdiction over one case in Miami. Statewide prosecutors, which are an extension of the Attorney General’s office, are prosecuting all of the election fraud cases that were brought in August. The judge agreed with the defense’s argument that the alleged violations, applying to vote and voting while ineligible, only occurred in Miami-Dade County. Thus, the statewide prosecutor was found to not have jurisdiction. The ruling by a Miami judge may now pave the way for similar motions and rulings in the other 19 election fraud cases, which garnered national attention and controversy when they were announced on Aug. 18.

Massachusetts: Barnstable Superior Court Judge Mark Gildea denied the injunction sought by Republican 1st Barnstable state representative candidate Tracy Post concerning the approximately 2,600 mislabeled mail-in ballots sent to Dennis voters. Approximately 3,200 mail-in ballots were sent to voters in Dennis from the town clerk’s office last week incorrectly labeling Democrat Chris Flanagan as the candidate for reelection in the 1st Barnstable state representative race, Deb O’Malley, communications director for the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office told the Times. The 1st Barnstable state representative seat is currently held by Rep. Timothy Whelan, R-Brewster, who is not seeking reelection. Whelan, instead, is running for the Barnstable County sheriff. Dennis Town Clerk Theresa Bunce was able to intercept 600 of these ballots, but approximately 2,600 ballots reached voters incorrectly, labeling Flanagan as the incumbent, O’Malley said. Voters were given the option to send in the second corrected ballot, she added, but if they had already mailed in the first ballot and did not mail in the second ballot, the original ballot would be counted. Post filed a complaint on Oct. 18 in Barnstable Superior Court seeking an injunction on counting the original ballots, alleging they were defective and counting them would violate election laws. Gildea denied Post’s request for an injunction on the grounds that the commonwealth secretary’s office and the Dennis town clerk acted on the error, and that there is no evidence that the incident would impact Post’s chances at the polls. “Ms. Post suggests that this court has a unique opportunity to act before a complete injustice occurs in an election, rather than after,” Gildea said in his opinion. “The facts of this case do not warrant mandamus relief and I do not find that Ms. Post has shown a likelihood of success of succeeding on the merits of her claim.”

Michigan: Michigan Court of Claims Judge Brock Swartzle issued an order last week invalidating new instructions for election challengers created by the Bureau of Elections. Swartzle’s order bars election officials from using the manual and requires Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Michigan elections director Jonathan Brater to rescind the manual or revise it to comply with Michigan election law. Swartzle found that some of the provisions in the manual such as a ban on the use of electronic devices at absentee counting boards were at odds with the law or failed to undergo the proper rule-making procedure with input from the public and state lawmakers. Benson and Brater “exceeded their authority with respect to certain provisions” in the challenger manual, Swartzle wrote. His order deems invalid instructions issued in the manual that required challengers to present credentials issued using a form from the Secretary of State’s Office and restricted election challengers’ communication to only those designated as challenger liaisons.

Nevada: Nye County can start hand-counting mail-in ballots two weeks before Election Day, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday, but it won’t be allowed to livestream the tallying and must make other changes to its plans. The ruling came in response to an emergency petition filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, which challenged several aspects of Nye County’s plan to start hand-counting votes next week. The ACLU said in its lawsuit that the plan risked leaking early voting results. It also said rules on touch screens to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act were too vague and restrictive, and that the county violated state law with its “stringent signature verification” for voter ID. Friday’s ruling — which was largely but not completely in favor of the ACLU — said that observers of the public hand-count must sign a form promising not to disclose information about the early voting results before the official results are released. Observers “are likely to learn election result information before the release of such information is statutorily authorized,” the justices wrote.  The justices also modified Nye County’s signature verification process to allow voters more options to verify who they are if their signature doesn’t match what’s on their voter forms.

New Hampshire: Judge Michael Kainen suspended the discovery process for three individuals accused of voter fraud in controversial school closure votes in the town of Windham last year. Kainen made the decision regarding the process of exchanging information between parties about witnesses and evidence to be presented at trial during a hearing Tuesday morning in Windham County Superior Court, Civil Division. He is allowing an attorney representing three citizens accused of voting illegally, because they were not living in Windham at the time, to file a motion for summary judgement. The defendants — Lisa Beshay, Alex Beshay and Christopher Strecker — are “non-residents” who all live in the same household in Peru, claim residency in Peru and supported an effort to keep the elementary school open, states the complaint filed by Erin Kehoe and Crystal Corriveau in November 2021. A vote in September 2021 was held on whether to close the school and provide school choice for elementary students. The article passed by two votes, then a petition resulted in a revote Nov. 2 and it failed by three votes.

New Jersey: Bergen County Superior Court Judge Anthony Gallina found probable cause for voter fraud charges against a Palisades Park councilwoman and current Republican mayoral candidate. Probable cause was found for a fraudulent voting violation stemming from the June 2020 primary, when Councilwoman Stephanie Jang was running as a challenger in the Democratic primary for a council seat. Since the incident, Jang has switched parties and is the Republican mayoral candidate in this November’s election. She is challenging Democrat and current Councilman Chong “Paul” Kim. On June 11, 2020, Jang, allegedly violated vote-by-mail laws when she entered the Palisades Park senior center building, gathered and assisted individuals filling out their vote-by-mail ballots for herself, while she was a candidate. The complaint was filed by David Lorenzo this April. Lorenzo is the chairman of the Palisades Park Democratic county committee and is the borough administrator. New Jersey law states, “In no event may a candidate for election provide such assistance, nor may any person, at the time of providing such assistance, campaign or electioneer on behalf of any candidate.”

New  York: Supreme Court Justice Dianne Freestone has ruled the new process for “canvassing” — or ensuring valid absentee ballots are inspected and prepared for counting — prior to Election Day violates candidates’ rights in various ways, including by making it more difficult for the courts to intervene when there are questions about a ballot’s validity. The ruling did not, however, invalidate hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots already in the hands of New York voters as Republicans asked the judge to do — at least not for now. In her 28-page ruling, Freestone said she believes a law allowing anyone to vote absentee if they’re fearful of spreading an illness — a provision approved by the state Legislature in August 2020 and extended in January of this year — is also unconstitutional. But the judge concluded she was bound by prior court precedent that already allowed it to stand. “The framers of the Constitution did not intend to grant (and did not grant) the Legislature carte blanche to enact legislation over absentee voting,” Freestone wrote. Senate Democrats and Assembly Democrats immediately appealed the ruling, which could draw a stay that would temporarily block Freestone’s order from taking effect. The state has appealed the ruling.

Ohio: Two right-wing political operatives have pleaded guilty in Ohio to a telecommunications fraud charge for arranging thousands of robocalls that falsely claimed that the information voters included with mail ballots could be used by law enforcement and debt collectors, prosecutors said. The operatives, Jacob Wohl, 24, of Los Angeles, and Jack Burkman, 56, of Arlington, Va., entered their pleas on Monday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in Cleveland, prosecutors said. The men were indicted in 2020 after they were accused of using the robocalls to intimidate residents in minority neighborhoods to refrain from voting by mail at a time when many voters were reluctant to cast ballots in person because of the coronavirus pandemic. The calls also claimed that the government could use mail-in voting information to track people for mandatory vaccination programs, prosecutors said. “These individuals infringed upon the right to vote, which is one of the most fundamental components of our democracy,” the Cuyahoga County prosecutor, Michael C. O’Malley, said in a statement announcing the guilty pleas

Pennsylvania: Judge Thomas A. Capehart has ruled that Lehigh County can deploy ballot drop-off boxes without assigning staff to check whether people deposit more than one ballot. Capehart said there is no need for anyone to personally monitor drop boxes. He said they are under constant video surveillance, adding that monitors “may unduly interfere with voters lawfully returning ballots.” The suit referenced an investigation by Republican District Attorney Jim Martin based on video surveillance in the November 2021 election. Martin found at least 288 instances where people dropped off more than one ballot contrary to state law. People are limited to depositing only one ballot unless authorized to do so by another voter. That prompted Martin to send county detectives to monitor activity at the county’s five ballot box locations in the May 18 primary. Capehart referenced testimony in an Oct. 7 hearing on the case by Martin, who said he found no evidence of voter fraud involving mail-in ballot drop boxes in the May 18 primary when county detectives monitored activity. “Further, any alleged harm appears to be speculative,” Capehart, a Republican elected in 2021, wrote.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court said late last week it will consider whether election officials should count votes cast by voters who fail to put a handwritten date on their mail-in or absentee ballots. In a two-page order, it directed Republican Party officials to file briefs by noon on Monday and gave acting Secretary of State Lehigh Chapman until noon on Tuesday to respond.  The order comes a little more than two weeks before the Nov. 8 election where voters will choose Pennsylvania’s next governor, U.S. Senator, and hundreds of state lawmakers. The subject of litigation since no-excuse mail-in voting became an option for Pennsylvania residents in 2020, the question of whether lawmakers intended for ballots returned without the date on the outer envelope remains unsettled. The Supreme Court ordered the parties to limit their briefs to three issues: Whether the Republican Party-backed voters have standing to sue, whether the Election Code’s instruction that voters “shall … date” mail-in and absentee ballot means those without dates should not be counted, and if that is the case, does the law run afoul of ballot access provisions in the federal Civil Rights Act.

In other state Supreme Court news, the high court deadlocked on the issue of whether county elections officials may help voters cure their ballots. The high court normally has seven members, but Chief Justice Max Baer died last month. Of the remaining six members, Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht said they agreed with the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court’s decision that allowed ballot curing to continue. Chief Justice Debra Todd and Justices Sallie Updyke Mundy and Kevin Brobson said they would have reversed it. The three-sentence order dealt a defeat to the Republican National Committee and other GOP groups, which had filed the appeal in one of the latest fronts in the state’s contentious partisan battle over which ballots should be counted.

Tennessee: Pamela Moses, a 45-year-old Memphis woman who was sentenced to six years in prison after a Shelby County jury found her guilty of false entry on permanent voter registration, is suing the state of Tennessee, former Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich and the current top prosecutor Steve Mulroy. Moses, who later won a new trial and saw the charges dropped, is suing for emotional damages and punitive damages against the defendant; the lawsuit states she was punished and demoralized even as the errors that led to her charge of falsifying information on her voter registration occurred at the state level. Moses spent 82 days in jail, and according to the suit, “suffered mental anguish, emotional distress, stress, anxiety, embarrassment, humiliation and demoralization.”

Texas: A judge ruled that Hidalgo County must reinstate a polling location in the city of Peñitas, or cancel the November 2022 general election. The order was granted Thursday, the same day the city of Peñitas filed a temporary restraining order  In response to the county removing the Peñitas Public Library as a polling location for the November 2022 election. Last week, the county said it didn’t receive a request to use the library as a polling location until after the deadline to submit the application had passed. The judge’s order calls for the county to open the Peñitas Public Library polling location for the entire early voting period and General Election Day and post a notice of it online by Friday, Oct. 21. As of Saturday afternoon, the Hidalgo County website still doesn’t list the Peñitas Public Library as a polling location. The county has appealed the decision and now an appellate court is reviewing the matter.

A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has revived a 2021 law that set new residency requirements for voter registration, including one that civil rights groups alleged essentially blocked college students from signing up. The panel overturned a lower court’s ruling that blocked most of the law for creating an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote. The judges found the groups, LULAC and Voto Latino, failed to prove they had endured harm as a result of the law and therefore lacked standing. Senate Bill 1111, which took effect Sept. 1 of last year, requires that anyone using a P.O. Box to register must also provide documentation of a physical residential address, such as a photocopy of a driver’s license. It also prohibits voters from establishing or maintaining a residence “for the purpose of influencing the outcome of a certain election.” Lastly, it bars voters from establishing a residence in a place they have not inhabited or at a previous residence, unless they live there at the time of the designation and intend to remain there. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel mostly left the P.O. Box provision in-tact, reasoning that the state has an interest in preventing voter registration fraud and the request for verification of a physical address is not a severe burden. A response to that request with a new address, Yeakel clarified, should be considered a change of address with no further action needed. Yeakel had enjoined the two other provisions. He argued that there are valid reasons for changing an address that may influence the outcome of an election but not in a malicious way, such as “voting, volunteering with a political campaign, or running for an elected office.” The final provision relating to where a person lives or intends to stay would make registration near-impossible for college students, senators or other groups of people who live in multiple locations throughout the year, Yeakel said.

Charges have been dropped against Houston resident Hervis Rogers almost two years after he gained public attention for waiting in line for six hours to vote in Harris County and being one of the last people to cast their ballot. A year after that, Rogers was arrested and charged with a felony after the Texas Attorney General’s office argued Rogers was prohibited from casting a ballot because he was on parole. Rogers was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 1995 for burglary and intent to commit theft. He was released on parole in May 2004, and his parole was set to end in June 2020. The charges were dropped after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled earlier this year that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton cannot unilaterally prosecute alleged election crimes.

Wisconsin: Judge Gwendolyn Connolly shut down the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s attempt to halt the City of Milwaukee’s involvement in a get-out-the-vote effort. The judge rejected allowing a temporary injunction, which would have forced the City of Milwaukee’s GOTV efforts as a case played out in court, writing that “The issuance of a temporary injunction would impermissibly chill constitutionally protected speech.”

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Nia Trammell rejected an emergency request to allow election clerks to count absentee ballots with incomplete witness address information. The request came from the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. The group filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Elections Commission in late September in hopes the court would clarify state statutes barring clerks from counting absentee ballots if envelopes, known as witness certificates, are “missing the address” of that individual.  Legal arguments in the case focused on the meaning of the word “missing” in the statute governing absentee ballots. In an oral ruling, Trammell said parties requesting injunctions must prove, among other things, that they are “necessary to preserve the status quo.”  “I believe that to issue a temporary injunction would upend the status quo, not preserve it,” said Trammell. “I also believe that the fact that the election is all but two weeks away lends some credence to the argument raised by WEC and the Legislature that any decision issued by the court granting the temporary injunction would frustrate the electoral process by causing confusion.”

Opinions This Week

National Opinions: Secretaries of state, II | Voting Rights Act | Poll watchers | Transgender voters | Voting system, II | Voter intimidation | 5 facts about voting| Voting equipment | Voter suppression; Rogue poll workers | Voter ID | Voting rights

Alaska: Ranked choice voting

Arizona: Drop boxes| Voter intimidation

California: Vote by mail

Colorado: Drop boxes

Delaware: Voting laws

District of Columbia: Noncitizens

Florida: Ex-felon voting rights | Voter fraud | Election police, II

Georgia: Voting rights

Idaho: Secretary of state race

Iowa: Secretary of state race

Kansas: Ballot security

Kentucky: Election security

Massachusetts: Secretary of state race

Michigan: Voter suppression

Nevada: Election deniers | Secretary of state race

New Mexico: Election security

New York: Ranked choice voting | Jail voting | Voting law court case

North Carolina: Election integrity | Election security

Ohio: Election officials

Pennsylvania: Ballot cure | Undated mail ballots | Election deniers | Black voters

South Carolina: Early voting

Texas: Voting rights

Virginia: Election deniers

Washington: Seattle election reform | Ranked choice voting

West Virginia: Election confidence

Upcoming Events

Democracy’s Frontline: Election Administration the State of Our Union: Co-presented by Issue One and the documentary film No Time To Fail. In partnership with the League of Women Voters and Election Hero Day. Once invisible to the general public, election workers across the country are under threat as they work around the clock to secure the vote for their community. Despite the challenges of a global pandemic and desperate attempts to disrupt the 2020 election, they pulled off the most secure election in our history. Rather than receiving a hero’s welcome, they have become the focus of an ongoing coordinated campaign of disinformation, with 1 in 5 election officials likely to quit prior to the 2024 election season (source: Brennan Center of Justice). This expert roundtable event brings together those at the forefront of election administration to discuss critical issues facing these stewards of democracy as we face the midterm elections: Jocelyn Benson – Michigan Secretary of State; Al Schmidt – Former City Commissioner of Philadelphia; Tiana Epps-Johnson – Founder and Executive Director, The Center for Tech and Civic Life; and Tommy Gong – Deputy County Clerk-Recorder for Contra Costa County and member of the Coalition of Bay Area Election Officials. When: October 27 3pm Eastern. Where: Online

No Time to Fail Virtual Screening: Amidst an onslaught of attacks from a sitting President and the deadly threat of a global pandemic, local election administrators work around the clock to secure the vote for their community. Rhode Island’s election teams take center stage in this unprecedented voting adventure. When: October 27, 5pm Eastern Where: Online

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 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.

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 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 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 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.

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.

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.

Marketplace

electionline provides no guarantees as to the quality of the items being sold and the accuracy of the information provided about the sale items in the Marketplace. Ads are provided directly by sellers and are not verified by electionline. If you have an ad for Marketplace, please email it to: mmoretti@electionline.org