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November 10, 2022

November 10, 2022

In Focus This Week

Election Day 2022
Another pretty typical Election Day despite the pre-election concerns

By M. Mindy Moretti
electionline.org

While ballots are still being counted, races need to be certified and recounts and audits are on the horizon, Election Day 2022 is officially over.

The pre-election fears of vigilante poll watchers failed to materialize and while there were some isolated incidents of erratic behavior at polling places, that happens every election. Overall officials, poll workers, poll watchers and voters remained calm and patient.

Although problems like lines and malfunctioning equipment weren’t widespread, that didn’t stop the conspiracy theorists from kicking into high gear.

“Whenever over 100 million people do something, something will go wrong. That is human nature. It does not mean there is a conspiracy,” tweeted Michael McDonald, a political science professor at the University of Florida.

The week before Election Day, we listed things that we would be keeping an eye on, in addition to everything else. Here’s a quick look at some of those and also major headlines from the day. You can also look back at our Election Day Dispatches for a more in-depth look. We’ll be back next week with a state-by-state breakdown of what happened and of course what didn’t happen.

Threats to Democracy
While the nation held its collective breath on Tuesday over fears of Election Day violence, none of that really seemed to materialize. “We’re seeing everybody being adults,” said Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, a Republican. “We’re seeing the candidates be gracious and conceding and admitting they lost.” There were some isolated incidents of poll workers needing to be removed after complaints and in Wisconsin a man with a knife entered a polling place, but was quickly removed by police. But overall, elections officials were prepared. “Election officials were acutely aware of the tense environment in which they were operating,” said Nate Persily, an election law professor at Stanford University. “Although their procedures weren’t markedly different (from 2020), they knew they were being scrutinized both by legitimate forces and conspiracy theorists.”

On the Ballot
While some races are still being decided, here is a list of the winning secretary of state candidates: Alabama Wes Allen (R); Arkansas: John Thurston (R); California: Shirley Weber (D); Colorado: Jena Griswold (D); Connecticut: Stephanie Thomas (D); Georgia: Brad Raffensperger (R); Idaho: Phil McGrane (R); Indiana: Diego Morales (R); Iowa: Paul Pate (R); Massachusetts: William Galvin (D); Michigan: Jocelyn Benson (D); Minnesota: Steve Simon (D); Nebraska: Bob Evnen (R); New Mexico: Maggie Toulouse Oliver (D); North Dakota: Michael Howe (R); Ohio: Frank LaRose (R); Rhode Island: Gregg Amore (D); South Dakota: Monae Johnson (R); Vermont: Sara Copeland Hanzas (D); and Wyoming: Chuck Gray (R).

At press time, the races in Arizona, Nevada and Washington were too close to call with more ballots still to be counted. Additionally, in Wisconsin, Democrat Doug LaFollette is leading with the thinnest of margins. Although the secretary of state in Wisconsin does not oversee elections, the Republican-controlled state Legislature had vowed to disband the Wisconsin Election Commission and give the secretary of state oversight of elections if the Republican candidate won.

We’ll dig into the ballot measures next week.

Acceptance
As of press time, most losing candidates have conceded their loss and accepted the results. There are still outstanding races to be decided, including in Arizona and Nevada. Whether losing candidates there will accept the results remains to be seen especially because they would not commit to that prior to Election Day.

Redistricting
While there were some grumbles from voters over redistricting, there weren’t many reported problems with voters showing up at the wrong polling place en masse. In Davidson County, Tennessee more than 200 people were given the wrong ballots during early voting due to problems with redistricting. Those voters were offered the option to come back on Election Day and vote a provisional ballot, more than 100 of them took advantage of that opportunity. County Election Administrator Jeff Roberts said that more than 3,000 voters could have been affected had the problem not been discovered during early voting.

Displaced Voters
There weren’t any reports of major impacts with voters displaced by storms, although polling places in Oklahoma and Texas had to be relocated after storms went through the area Monday night. In Lee County, Florida, the county which suffered the greatest impact from Hurricane Ian, Supervisor of Elections Tommy Doyle said that it may be time to rethink how Florida handles post-storm elections. “A lot of people showed up on election day. But it was good! People were very appreciative. I was glad to see the lines, and everybody got to put their vote in,” said Doyle. He also believes the system could be improved upon, “We need more sites. 12 is not enough.” The county’s biggest problem was tracking data in real time. The real-time vote data wasn’t rebuilt to align with the voting location method, making it nearly impossible for voters to follow races as the night wore on. It also created challenges for poll workers to know exactly how many votes were in and how many were still pending. Doyle believes with time to rebuild a new permanent system; the tracking issues would be solved. “As time goes on and once you start it, I think down the road it gets better and better.”

Equipment
Every single election has some sort of technical issue with equipment and this year was no different. While there were minor issues scattered throughout the country, the two biggest problems occurred in Maricopa County, Arizona and Mercer County, New Jersey. In Arizona’s largest county, the ballot scanners in about 20 percent of the county’s vote centers were not scanning on Election Day. Voters were still able to cast their paper ballots and put them in the emergency slot. The county is still currently working through processing and counting all of those ballots, as well as trying to figure out what exactly happened to the equipment. Needless to say, given the eyes on Maricopa, the equipment malfunction sent the conspiracy theorists and others into a tizzy, but County Recorder Stephen Richter and County Supervisor Bill Gates were quick to come out and explain what was happening and how the county was working through it. In New Jersey, Mercer County the issue was with precinct-based paper ballot scanners. None of them worked on Tuesday. Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami-Covello said the paper ballot system meant that everyone could still vote “This allowed our election to go forward, and we took advantage of that fail-safe measure yesterday,” she said. “We were able to bring all of the ballots back to the Board of Elections, where that bipartisan commission processed the ballots’ high-capacity scanners at their central location. Every vote was counted.” She has however reported an issue to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office to “investigate as to whether this scanning problem occurred based on an error or whether something was intentionally done to create chaos and distrust in the election system.”

Lines
Interestingly enough, there were a lot of lines on Tuesday and most seemed to be simply from volume of voters. Some occurred in places like Maricopa County, as expected due to the equipment problems, but there were also reports of lines in other places as well. Although election-denying activists had called on voters to show up at the polls as late as possible to create end of the day lines and chaos, that didn’t seem to occur. In Kentucky, some voters were faced with lines throughout the day and seemed to have a bit of buyer’s remorse for not taking advantage of early voting. “It is a little frustrating and I guess I’m a little aggravated myself too, maybe I should have checked into this early voting more,” voter Jeff Hay told Local 12. In Michigan, huge lines formed in Ann Arbor where many University of Michigan students waited till Election Day to vote. In Derry, New Hampshire, which had consolidated its polling places to one central site in 2020, people waited in long lines and police were called in to direct traffic. In Jefferson County, New York, one voter compared the lines to vote like one sees at Disney World. “I didn’t expect – I thought I’d just breeze in and breeze out. I didn’t expect to see this line out here,” said voter Olin Warren. In Bristol, Connecticut more voting booths were brought in to help ease the lines. Polling locations across Cuyahoga County, Ohio saw a steady stream of voters and few issues on Tuesday, though some voters in the eastern suburbs were faced with long lines, primarily later in the day.

Cybersecurity
Several jurisdictions including Mississippi and Champaign County, Illinois suffered DDoS attacks on Election Day but those issues had no impact on voting or tabulating the ballots. And in Suffolk County, New York where the county had been victim of a recent ransomware attack, while voting was not impacted, officials did have to rely on the state’s site for posting results and physical ballots were driven to a central location for tabulating. “We have seen no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was any way compromised in any race in the country,” said CISA director Jenn Easterly.  “Right now, election officials are tabulating votes, reviewing procedures, and testing and auditing equipment as part of the rigorous post-Election Day process that goes into finalizing and certifying the results. It’s important to remember that this thorough and deliberative process can take days or weeks, depending on state laws; these rigorous procedures are why the American people can have confidence in the security and integrity of the election. We urge everyone to look towards your state and local election officials for the most accurate and up-to-date information about vote counts and to remain patient as election officials continue to do their jobs and carry out the certification process.”

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Election News This Week

New Report: Fairvote has released a new report on statewide election recounts from 2000-2022. This report examines 22 years of statewide recounts in the United States, quantifies various aspects of statewide recounts, and makes recommendations for policymakers creating recount statutes. In the 6,297 statewide general elections from 2000 through September 2022, there were 35 completed statewide recounts. Only three of those 35 recounts overturned the outcome of the race. In all three, the original margin of victory was less than 0.06%. The report authors recommend that states automatically conduct statewide recounts up to a 0.1% margin as a best practice. They also note the troubling recent trend of recounts well outside the range where they could be considered consequential — including in this year’s Nevada Republican gubernatorial primary (11% margin) and Colorado Republican Secretary of State primary (14% margin), and for Kansas’s “No Constitutional Right to Abortion” ballot measure (19% margin). Key findings include: Statewide recounts are rare. There were 35 recounts in this time period out of over 6,000 elections. Outcome reversals are even rarer. Recounts have resulted in only three reversals, or one out of every 2,099 statewide elections. All reversals occurred in races where the original margin of victory was less than 0.1%. Recounts tend to shift only a small number of votes. Statewide recounts resulted in an average margin shift of 1,034 votes between the frontrunner candidates, representing just 0.046% of the total votes in those elections. An upper threshold should be established for campaign-requested recounts in order to prevent frivolous recounts. The recent trend of recounts in races with no realistic possibility of an outcome reversal reveal a flaw in the current recount statutes in many states. Recount laws should go hand-in-hand with rigorous post-election audit procedures. While full recounts should be rare, post-election audits should be the norm.

Personnel News: Montrose City Clerk Lisa DelPiccolo was recently honored by her peers and public servants across Colorado with the 2022 Outstanding Contribution to the Colorado Municipal Clerks Association by a Municipal Clerk award. Richard Barron, former Fulton County, Georgia elections director, has launched a new podcast. Kimberly Zapata was fired from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin Election Commission. Rockport, Maine Clerk Linda Greenlaw is retiring. Ginger Aldrich is the new Yellowstone County, Montana elections administrator. Baltimore City Elections Director Armstead Jones spent part of Election Day in an area hospital for an unspecified reason but was eventually released to recover at home.

 

Legislative Updates

Twin Falls, Idaho: County commissioners approved a resolution to raise the rate for poll workers who work on election day. County Clerk Kristina Glascock says Twin Falls County has about 200 poll workers and they generally work 15-hour days, Including 3 hours of training. She jokingly says most poll workers don’t even know they get paid. They do it out of a sense of civic responsibility. The rate of pay was raised to $11 per hour. “which isn’t enough, but over the years we have tried to raise that rate of pay for our poll workers because they do carry a hug responsibility on election day,” said Glascock.

 

 

 

Tripp County, South Dakota: In October, the Tripp County Commission voted 5-0 to hand count the results of the midterm election. Tripp County Commissioner Joyce Kartak made the motion and Dan Forgey seconded the motion to hand count the ballots. The motion came after an hour and 45 minute discussion was held on the concerns of the elections and the machine used to count the ballots, according to minutes from the Tripp County Commission. County Auditor Barb DeSarsa said she’s found some volunteers to help count hand count the  ballots which will counted by hand at the precinct sites, she said. “I thought that was the best way,” DeSarsa said.

Burlington, Vermont: The City Council Charter Change Committee voted unanimously to send a proposal to allow Burlington residents who aren’t U.S. citizens to vote in city elections. Burlington voters struck down a similar proposal in 2015, but Councilor Ben Traverse said a lot has changed in the last 7 years. “I think people view democracy, and the ability to participate in elections, differently,” he said. The committee is also considering expanding RCV to mayoral and School Board elections. The committee voted 2-1 to advance the ranked choice expansion to the full council. Councilor Sarah Carpenter voted no. “My constituents are still very leery of the system, and I want to give them time to see it in action,” she said. Traverse voted in favor of expanding RCV, but he’s worried Mayor Miro Weinberger will veto it like he did in 2020.

Legal Updates

Arizona: Pima County Superior Court Judge Casey F. McGinley blocked Cochise County’s plan to conduct a full hand-count of ballots from the current election — a measure requested by Republican officials who expressed unfounded concerns that vote-counting machines are untrustworthy. The ruling came after a full-day hearing on Friday during which opponents presented their case and called witnesses. McGinley said the county board of supervisors overstepped its legal authority by ordering the county recorder to count all the ballots cast in the election that concludes on Tuesday rather than the small sample required by state law. The lawsuit only challenged a full hand-count of an estimated 30,000 early ballots, but the ruling went further by blocking hand-counts of both the early ballots and those cast on Election Day.

McGinley wrote that state election laws lay out a detailed procedure for randomly choosing which Election Day ballots are chosen for the standard hand-count. “This entire process would be rendered superfluous if the court were to construe (that section) to initially select 100% of the precinct ballots as its starting point,” the judge wrote. “Because the statute does not permit elections officials to begin the precinct hand-count by counting all ballots cast, the Board’s requirement that elections officials do so here is unlawful.”

The state’s Citizens Clean Elections Commission has been fighting to stop a conservative advocacy group from using a similar name. And the state commission now wants immediate action, in the form of a restraining order. The conservative group Clean Elections USA has been monitoring drop boxes in Maricopa County and alleging that the 2020 election was fraudulent. Commission director Tom Collins said the group’s name has caused confusion, leading Arizona residents to believe the state commission is the one monitoring the drop boxes. A lawsuit filed by the commission cites a post titled “10 plus ways the election was rigged in Maricopa County.” Collins says while that is not only inaccurate, it is causing people to believe that is the position of the state commission.

California: Los Angeles prosecutors have dismissed charges against the head of a Michigan election software company in a case that right-wing groups say shows proof of voting system vulnerabilities, citing “potential bias” in the investigation. Eugene Yu, chief executive of Konnech Inc, was charged last month with two felonies for allegedly violating the company’s contract with Los Angeles County by transferring election workers’ personal information to servers in China. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, which brought the charges, has acknowledged starting the investigation due to a complaint from Gregg Phillips of True the Vote, a Texas nonprofit and prominent purveyor of baseless voter-fraud claims. The District Attorney’s Office said it sought to dismiss the case, citing an unspecified bias. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge granted the dismissal without prejudice, meaning charges can be refiled in future. “We are concerned about both the pace of the investigation and the potential bias in the presentation and investigation of the evidence,” the office said in a statement. “As a result, we have decided to ask the court to dismiss the current case, and alert the public in order to ensure transparency.”

Colorado: Richard Ean Patton, 31 was arrested last week by Pueblo police after an incident on June 28 in which police claim he inserted a device into a voting machine. No information was breached, and no major disruption was caused to the voting process, according to the Pueblo Police Department. Patton will be the first in the state charged under a new felony law, according to Annie Orloff, a spokesperson for the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. The election law, which upgraded the charge for tampering with election equipment from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class 5 felony, was amended this spring. Under Colorado law, a Class 5 felony is punishable by a one- to two-year jail sentence and/or a fine between $1,000 and $100,000.

Georgia: Voters who were never mailed their absentee ballots filed a lawsuit asking a judge to require Cobb County to send ballots by overnight mail and extend the state’s deadline to return them. The lawsuit comes after Cobb election officials acknowledged that they failed to mail absentee ballots to 1,036 voters who had requested them. “Hundreds of eligible Cobb County voters did everything right and yet find themselves on the brink of total disenfranchisement because they were never mailed their absentee ballots, as is required under Georgia law,” said Jonathan Topaz, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project. The lawsuit was filed in Superior Court by four voters living out of state who weren’t mailed absentee ballots and the Cobb County Democracy Center, a voter education organization. Without relief from the courts, it’s unlikely that voters will be able to return their ballots in time to be counted, the lawsuit said. Under Georgia law, absentee ballots must be received at election offices by the time polls close on Tuesday, with a later deadline of Nov. 14 for military and overseas voters. Cobb County Superior Court Judge Kellie Hill ordered the county Board of Elections and Registration to send via overnight delivery Monday replacement ballots to affected voters who had not already been sent replacement ballots. And Hill ordered that any of the affected voters would be allowed to vote in person, by replacement ballot, or by federal write-in absentee ballot. The order was agreed to by county election officials after a hearing before Hill on Monday

Illinois: A lawsuit was filed in Champaign County alleging a top election official mishandled official ballots, a judge ordered that official be removed from all of her Election Day duties, and that same judge scrapped the order, allowing the Champaign County Deputy Clerk to continue working for the office. Lawyers representing Champaign County Board member Jim McGuire filed a lawsuit alleging that Champaign County deputy clerk Michelle Jett mishandled official ballots. Attached to the lawsuit is a sworn affidavit from an election judge in County Clerk Aaron Ammons’ office, which included pictures of ballots on the passenger seat and floor of Jett’s car. The election judge could not see exactly how many ballots were unsealed in the car and did not try to speculate as to why the ballots were unsealed in the car, to begin with. “As an election judge, I understand that there is no lawful explanation for a collection of unsealed official ballots to be stored in the condition I observed,” the election judge wrote in the affidavit. Within hours of the lawsuit being filed, Circuit Judge Anna Benjamin issued an emergency temporary restraining order, which ordered Jett to be stripped of all of her election-day duties. The judge threw out the order after Jett and the county provided evidence they were sample ballots being used to test voting machines.

Michigan:  The Michigan Supreme Court suspended a Michigan Court of Claims order — celebrated by Republicans — that required revisions to the instructions for election observers that monitor polling locations and absentee ballot counting rooms. The Michigan Supreme Court’s order leaves in place for the general election the same poll challenger guidelines used in the recent August primary. In a statement concurring with the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision to suspend the lower court order, Justice Elizabeth Welch — a Democratic-nominated justice — chided those who brought the lawsuits for waiting until late September to file them. “The general election is now less than one week away. Training for poll workers has been completed. It would be impossible to retrain thousands of workers across our state within a matter of days,” she wrote.

A Wayne County judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Republican secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo that sought to disqualify absentee ballots in Detroit. The judge said the suit “failed dramatically,” and that the claims made by Karamo were “unsubstantiated and/or misinterpret Michigan election law.” “Plaintiffs have raised a false flag of election law violations and corruption concerning Detroit’s procedures for the November 8th election. This Court’s ruling takes down that flag,” a Wayne County circuit court ruling reads. “Plaintiffs’ failure to produce any evidence that the procedures for this November 8th election violate state or federal election law demonizes the Detroit City Clerk, her office staff, and the 1,200 volunteers working this election. These claims are unjustified, devoid of any evidentiary basis and cannot be allowed to stand.”

Missouri: Judge Jon Beetem temporarily blocked part of a new state law restricting civic groups from registering large groups of new voters. The Jefferson City circuit judge hit pause on rules that banned groups from paying volunteers to hand out voter registration applications, required groups seeking to sign up more than 10 voters to register with the state, and mandated those volunteers be Missouri voters themselves. Beetem wrote that the League of Women Voters and Missouri NAACP, who sued in August to block the law, had “sufficiently alleged” that the parts of the law in question “chill their protected speech.” The law, passed by the Republican-led legislature this past year, is House Bill 1878. “Plaintiffs argue, and (attorneys with the state) do not contest, that no other state has a restriction on voter engagement speech that even approaches the breadth of this statute,” Beetem wrote. “Such direct restraints on pure speech — and core political speech like encouraging political participation in particular ― are antithetical to the core tenets of freedom of speech.”

Nevada: Clark County District Court Judge Timothy Williams has ruled against the Republican National Committee’s legal request for Clark County to have equal political party representation on manual signature verification boards for mail ballots. Williams issued the order Thursday, a day after attorneys representing the RNC, Clark County and a cadre of Democratic groups argued the case  following oral arguments from the parties. In the order, Williams wrote that the RNC’s arguments that the county’s hiring of temporary employees to assist with signature verification did not constitute the creation of a “special election board,” a term defined in state law that requires membership to “represent all political parties as equally as possible.” He added that it would be a “big stretch” to classify those temporary employees as members of a special election board. “…Temporary employees do not have power to make decisions on ballot-counting procedures,” the order states. “Consequently, the temporary employees simply perform ministerial functions for the County, and by extension, the State of Nevada.”

Early voting dates were added at a reservation on the Nevada-Idaho border after Shoshone-Paiute tribal members sued over equal access. The Elko County Clerk scheduled three days of early voting at the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Owyhee for the first time this year, then added five more at the end of October and early November as a result of the lawsuit. Owyhee will also have a ballot drop-box on Election Day. The lawsuit claimed that the limited early voting schedule “violates state law, and imposes constitutional burdens on their fundamental right to vote.” The Duck Valley tribes were assisted in the lawsuit by Four Directions Native Vote. “After meeting for several hours, the Tribes and Elko County settled the equal voting access lawsuit for all future elections with greatly expanded access for election 2022,” stated Four Directions.

New Jersey: Superior Court Judge William G. Mennen IV has ruled that a Hunterdon County woman who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2021 will be permitted to cast her first vote in next week’s general election even though her voter registration form was never received by the county Board of Elections. Karen L. testified that she had mailed a voter registration form last year and questioned her status when two family members received sample ballots and she had not. “It must gave got lost in the mail or something,” she told Mennen. Mennen said he found her testimony to be credible. “She is to be lauded for her efforts,” the judge stated.

New York: Dutchess County Supreme Court, Judge Christie D’Alessio has ordered that a polling place be established on the campus of Vassar College. The lawsuit was filed by the League of Women Voters, a Vassar College professor, and a Vassar College student, seeking a court order for Republican Elections Commissioner Erik Haight to abide by a state law requiring colleges with more than 300 students living on campus, to have a polling place on the college property. ’Alessio ruled that the law is clear in requiring a polling place on campus.  The decision, in part, says, “This Court grants the petition in its entirety. The plain language of Election Law g 4-104[5-a] which includes the word ‘shall’ (as opposed to ‘may’ or ‘should’) specifically mandates the designation of a voting polling place on a college or university campus where, as here. the petitioner demonstrated that the college or university campus contains three hundred or more registrants to vote at an address on such college or university campus.”

Pennsylvania: On Saturday, the state Supreme Court unexpectedly issued an additional order in the vote-by-mail case it had ruled in earlier in the week. The new order clarified the court’s  definition: Mail-in ballots are to be rejected in this election if the handwritten dates fall before Sept. 19, 2022, or after Nov. 8 (Election Day), and absentee ballots are to be rejected if they are dated before Aug. 30, 2022, or after Nov. 8. The court’s separate time frame for absentee ballots appears to come from conflating those votes with a different kind of absentee ballot — the ones sent to military and overseas voters, known as UOCAVA for the federal law that governs them — which are sent out 70 days before Election Day, which is Aug. 30 this year.

The NAACP, ACLU, and other political organizations are suing the Pennsylvania courts over mail-in ballots.  They want mail-in ballots with improper dating to be counted.  This comes just days after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that they shouldn’t be counted after a lawsuit was filed by the Republican National Committee. The court ruled that undated ballots received at election offices must be set aside and not counted. Now, they are clarifying what “incorrectly dated” means. They are ballots with outer envelopes listing a date that falls outside the date range of September 19, 2022, through November 8, 2022.

York County has settled an injunction agreeing, among other things, to provide sample ballots in Spanish at all polling places and bi-lingual ballots in 18 precincts, to make translators available by phone to voters and poll workers, to provide signage at polling places in Spanish and to hire 20 poll workers to assist Spanish-speaking voters.  The lawsuit arose from a survey that CASA conducted of voting practices, and adherence to language-access provisions in the Voting Rights Act, in York, Lancaster and Dauphin counties. The organization found problems in York and Lancaster counties. The lawsuit remains active. The settlement reached addresses issues brought up in the preliminary injunction, issues that could be resolved in time for the Nov. 8 election. Among those issues are providing bilingual ballots and access to assistance for Spanish-speaking voters in all of York County’s voting precincts.

South Dakota: A Minnehaha County judge will not stop the auditor’s office from counting absentee ballots on election day. Two people filed a civil lawsuit last week, asking for a temporary restraining order. They didn’t want mail-in ballots counted until the county auditor confirm that the people who requested them were properly registered. According to the South Dakota e-courts system, a judge issued an order saying the temporary restraining order is denied

Tennessee: After more than 200 Davidson County voters were given incorrect ballots during the early voting period, the Davidson County Election commission announced on Saturday procedures for Election Day intended to give those voters the opportunity to cast votes in their correct electoral districts. “We have posted important information on our website for all Davidson County voters,” said Jeff Roberts, Davidson County Administrator of Elections. “A red banner at the top of the page includes a link to ‘Important Election Information.’ When voters click on that link, they will find guidance for what to do if they voted early and what to do if they intend to vote on Election Day.” The information includes a list of voters who may have been assigned incorrect early voting ballots. Voters finding their name on the list can cast a provisional ballot on Election Day only at the Davidson County Election Commission office, 1417 Murfreesboro Pike in Nashville, not at assigned Election Day polling locations. The ACLU of Tennessee filed a lawsuit, naming as defendants Roberts, the members of the Davidson County Election Commission, Gov. Bill Lee, Secretary of State Tre Hargett and state election coordinator Mark Goins. Within an hour of the suit being filed, the parties reached a legal agreement.

Texas: After spending nearly a week in jail, Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips — leaders of Texas-based right-wing voting activist group True the Vote — have been released. They’d been held for contempt of court since Halloween, having repeatedly refused to release the name of a man they called a “confidential FBI informant” who is a person of interest in a defamation and hacking case against them.  The person remains unidentified.  Their release came after True the Vote’s lawyers appealed the contempt order by federal district Judge Kenneth Hoyt to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, arguing the finding of contempt was in error and the pair should be released from jail. The appeals court granted their release but kept the remainder of Hoyt’s order in place.

The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday set the stage for a legal fight over whether to count ballots Harris County voters cast during an extended hour of voting ordered by a lower court. That lower court ordered that the state’s most populous county extend voting hours until 8 p.m. after several polling places were delayed in opening. The state’s highest civil court blocked that ruling and ordered Harris County to separate ballots cast by voters who were not in line by 7 p.m., the normal cutoff for voting in Texas. The Supreme Court’s order followed a request by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to reverse the lower court’s order. The Supreme Court posted the order on Twitter at 8:30 p.m. It’s unclear how many votes were cast during the extra hour of voting, but Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee raised the prospect that the state would ask for those votes to be thrown out. The attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether they would pursue such action. Voters who got in line after 7 p.m. were required to cast a provisional ballot, which the county had already said would take more time to process and would not be initially counted in election night returns. Harris County is home to nearly 2.6 million registered voters.

Virginia: Judge Thomas Horne sided with the Prince William County Republican Committee in a lawsuit it filed against Prince William County Registrar Eric Olsen and the Prince William County Electoral Board. The party argued that Olsen and the board broke the law by failing to ensure that the chief and assistant chief election officers at each polling place were evenly split between the parties. In response, Olsen and the electoral board contend they “doubled” the overall number of Republican election officers working the polls on Tuesday as a result of a targeted mailers sent over the summer. But they said they assigned chief and assistant chiefs based on workers’ experience with prior elections in an effort to ensure a smooth process on Election Day. The GOP Committee’s lawsuit stated the the party’s research into the voting records of election officers assigned to represent Republicans revealed that several had participated in past Democratic primaries. Virginia does not register voters according to political parties but keeps a record of voters’ participation in party primaries, which can be accessed for a fee from the Virginia Department of Elections.

A last-minute push to upend how Virginia counts its votes was dismissed Monday after the man behind the legal effort didn’t show up to court. James Renwick Manship filed an injunction to temporarily block the use of electronic voting machines used to count ballots in Virginia for years and have the Department of Elections “implement a state-wide Hand Count of Paper Ballots.” In his injunction, Manship called machines used to tabulate ballots in Virginia “exploitable” and “flawed” but did not provide specific evidence to back his claims. The Virginia Attorney General’s Office, led by Republican Jason Miyares, represented the state’s Department of Elections in the case. Miyares’ office argued in a motion to have the case thrown out that Manship’s allegations “are long on conspiracy and short on fact.”

Wisconsin: Former Milwaukee Election Commission Deputy Director Kimberly Zapata, 45, of Milwaukee was charged with misconduct in public office, a felony, and three misdemeanor counts of making a false statement to obtain an absentee ballot. If convicted, Zapata faces up to 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on the Class I Felony count and six months behind bars and a $1,000 for each of the three misdemeanors, according to the complaint. Zapata was fired by Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson this week after city officials discovered she had requested three military ballots and had them sent to the home of state Rep. Janel Brandtjen of Menomonee Falls.

The conservative Thomas More Society, on behalf of veterans and Waukesha County voters, filed a lawsuit Friday asking a court to order Wisconsin elections officials to sequester all military absentee and mail-in ballots. The lawsuit asks the Waukesha County Circuit Court for a temporary injunction requiring elections officials to set aside military ballots so their authenticity can be verified. The suit was motivated by the case of a Milwaukee Election Commission deputy administrator, who was fired after admitting to fraudulently requesting military ballots. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Maxwell denied the request, calling the step a “drastic remedy” but also chiding the Wisconsin Elections Commission over its guidance to municipal clerks. “I think I made clear in my questioning that I felt that that was a drastic remedy, that I felt that it was at least at a minimum a temporary disenfranchisement of our military voters’ votes to say, ‘let’s put them on hold and let’s figure out after the fact whether or not there’s bad votes cast,’” Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Maxwell said at the end of a two-hour hearing.

Opinions This Week

National Opinions: Vote by mail | Election workers, II, III | Premature claims of victory | Ballot errors | Not normal | Guns at polling places | U.S. Postal Service | Voter apathy | Voter intimidation | Ballot counting | Election deniers, II | U.S. Supreme Court | Disinformation

Alaska: Ranked choice voting

California: Poll workers

Florida: Ex-felon voting rights | Poll workers

Georgia: Stop the steal | Election system

Illinois: Ranked choice voting

Iowa: Election deniers

Maine: Election workers | Democracy

Missouri: Voter suppression stunts

New Jersey: Poll workers

New York: Accessibility

Ohio: Election observer | Election deniers

Pennsylvania: Peaceful election| Voter challenge | Patience | Election security | Poll workers | Vote by mail

South Carolina: Polling place behavior

Virginia: Voting plan

Washington: Secretary of state race, II | Election workers

Wyoming: Secretary of state

Upcoming Events

Voter Turnout in the 2022 Midterms: Join Nonprofit Vote for a post-election analysis of turnout trends in the 2022 midterms. Our featured speaker, Dr. Michael McDonald, professor at the University of Florida, is an elections expert who closely monitors voter turnout. His website, US Elections Project, provides timely and accurate election statistics, electoral laws, research reports, and other useful information regarding the United States electoral system. We’ll also talk to organizers in the field about what they’ve heard from voters this year and lessons we can apply to future election cycles. Where: Online. When: November 16 1pm Eastern.

Bipartisan Policy Center’s 2022 Elections Summit: BPC’s greatest strength is as a convener, bringing together the best ideas of elected leaders, experts, and practitioners with an intentional focus on getting things done. Join us for a day-long summit featuring five panel discussions with elected leaders and foremost experts, moderated by journalists on the frontlines of democracy, voting, and election issues. Panels: Federal Election Reform in 2023; Threats to Democracy, Election Infrastructure, and Election Officials; Recapping Election Administration in the 2022 Midterms; Election Reform Efforts in 2023 State Legislative Sessions; and Election Information & Content Moderation – Review of 2022 and Projections for the 2024 Campaign. Featured Speakers: Jena Griswold – Colorado Secretary of State; Maggie Toulouse Oliver – New Mexico Secretary of State; Senator David G. Argall – Chairman, Pennsylvania State Government Committee; Senator Natalie Murdock – North Carolina, District 20; Lisa Desjardins – U.S. Capitol Correspondent, PBS NewsHour; and Jessica Huseman – Editorial Director, Votebeat. When: December 6. Where: Online and In-person.

MEDSL 2022 Post-Election Webinar: On December 14, 2022, we’ll be convening a great line-up of experts to discuss election administration and other happenings during the 2022 midterm election. From 1:30 to 3pm EST, we 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. In particular, the webinar will feature a number of the research teams that were awarded grants under our new Evolving Election Administration Landscape project. 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 14 1:30pm Eastern.

Election Center Joint Elections Officials Liaison Conference:  When: Jan. 11-13, 2023. Where: Arlington, Virginia

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.

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 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.

Elections Specialist, Oregon Secretary of State’s Office— In this role, you will serve as the front-facing customer service agent for the Elections Division. You will also provide administrative support for Division management and programs. This is accomplished in part by, but not limited to: Monitoring and managing the division’s public facing email boxes; Assisting voters via phone, email, and in-person; Processing the division’s incoming and outgoing mail; Resolving routine problems or complaints and escalating complicated issues to other staff members; Performing an initial review of documents filed with the division; Providing data entry assistance to division staff; Assisting division staff with mailings; Coordinating travel and scheduling meetings for the division; Providing support for records management; Fulfilling voter registration supply orders. Salary: $3,535 – $5,361/per month. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Executive Director, Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center— The primary responsibilities of this position are to set and reinforce the mission and vision of the organization, define its strategic direction and implement strategic plans for the organization’s development, make executive decisions that drive organizational growth, and build and manage relationships including stakeholders and potential donors. The Executive Director works with the Board to set goals for the organization, governs over organizational activities and relationships, guides the organization’s culture, and directs communication to support the mission of the organization. The ideal candidate will define the organization’s priorities and direction, oversee staff recruitment and retention, and work systematically to meet organizational goals. He or she should be a self-starter with the ability to work independently and with a team. This is a full-time remote position with in-person meetings and travel as needed. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

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

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

Language Access Coordinator (Russian and Somali), King County Elections — The Department of Elections is searching for energetic and resourceful professionals who like to “get stuff done”. The Language Access and Outreach Coordinator position in the Elections Department combines an exciting, fast paced environment with the opportunity to cultivate talents and apply a variety of skills. The ideal candidate will thrive in an innovative, fast-paced environment and will not hesitate to roll up both sleeves, work hard, have fun, and get the job done. The Language Services and Community Engagement Program is recruiting Language Access and Outreach Coordinators who will support the program for the Russian and Somali languages. This position provides bilingual assistance, translation, and community outreach support. These individuals must be able to read, write, understand, and speak Russian or Somali at the language proficiency testing level used by the Department. In addition, as part of the community engagement program, they will participate in voter registration and voter education activities with community partners and provide support to out Voter Education Fund partners. Individuals in this position will provide language access assistance to our communications team and administrative support to other election work groups as needed. Salary: $33.63 – $42.62 Hourly. 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.

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