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Election News This Week

2022 Voting and Registration Data: This week, the U.S. Census Bureau released the voting and registration trends from the 2022 Current Population Survey. According to the data, voter turnout for the 2022 U.S. congressional elections was the second highest for a nonpresidential election year since 2000, with 52.2% of the citizen voting-age population participating. And registration rates were the highest for a midterm election since 2000, with 69.1% of the citizen voting-age population registered to vote, up 2.2 percentage points from 66.9% in 2018. For the 2022 election, the survey found that nearly one-third (31.8%) of all voters cast ballots by mail, up from 23.1% in 2018. Almost half (47.1%) voted before Election Day, up from 37.8% in 2018. Other highlights:

• Among those who were registered but did not vote in the 2022 elections, the most common answer given for not voting was, “Too busy, conflicting work or school schedule.”
• The most common way people registered to vote was at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV); 29.8% of respondents reported registering at their DMV.
• Among the citizen voting-age population, homeowners had higher voter turnout than renters, with 58.1% of eligible homeowners and 36.5% of renters voting.
• Turnout rates for the citizen voting-age population differed by length of residence, 67.6% for those living in the same place for five years or longer and 40.5% for those in their current residence for one year or less.
• Turnout was higher among the married (61.2%) than unmarried (42.5%) citizen voting-age population.
• Turnout was higher among veterans (62.7%) than among nonveterans (51.3%).
• Native-born citizen voter turnout was 53.4%, greater than the 41.4% turnout of naturalized citizens.
• The South had the nation’s lowest voter turnout (48.9%), while turnout in the West (54.7%), Midwest (54.1%) and Northeast (53.8%) were not significantly different from each other.

2023 Elections: Voters headed to the polls in several states this week. In Ohio, counties held the first election since the passage of the state’s new voter ID law and by most reports, there seemed to be few problems. “I didn’t see any issues really at all,” said Aaron Ockerman, executive director of the Ohio Association of Election Officials. “It was super low turnout, which we had kind of expected. It was a good dry run for the new law. The stress test will come in November.” In Akron the larger issue seemed to be the reduction of polling places. Summit County previously had 420 precincts. It now has 371. “We only had the one person upset to the point of not wanting to go ahead and vote somewhere else, but I think he’s going to change his mind. I hope he did,” polling location manager Vanessa Winborn said. “Please don’t let this discourage you. You came this far. It’s just up the street.” A bomb threat at high school the City of Salem forced the relocation of one polling place and poll workers were praised for how they dealt with the site relocation mid-vote.  It was a quiet election day in Indiana where Secretary of State Diego Morales was overseeing his first election. “I cannot say thank you enough to the hardworking county clerks, election workers, and volunteers.  Primary Election Day would not be a success without your commitment,” said Morales. One vote center in Indianapolis was put on lockdown for about two hours due to nearby police activity that had nothing to do with the election. The Marion County Election Board asked voters to avoid IPS Clarence Farrington School during the lockdown and advised voters to visit other nearby voting centers. Students and poll workers observed lockdown procedures until the lockdown was lifted. In Cascade County, Montana, which has been in the news lately due to concerns about the administration of elections a Great Falls school election got started about an hour late because polling staff didn’t have the necessary voter rolls. The late delivery seems to have stemmed from miscommunication between the county clerk’s office and school system. According to The Electric, the county also got a late start in ballot counting and stopped for the night at 12:50 a.m. with the promise to begin counting again at 10 a.m. Wednesday. While results were posted on Wednesday, ballots were still being counted Wednesday night.

Recalled: Voters in Adams Township, Michigan recalled the township supervisor and clerk, both who had gained national media attention over “election integrity “concerns. Challengers Randy Johnson and Suzy Roberts won decisive victories against Supervisor Mark Nichols and Clerk Stephanie Scott, respectively, according to unofficial election results.  Johnson garnered 394 votes to Nichols’ 222, and Roberts nearly doubled Scott’s support; 406 Adams Township voters cast a ballot for Roberts while Scott had 214 votes. Adams Township resident Gail McClanahan filed recall language in May 2022 against the duo which stated that in October 2021 Scott was stripped of her ability to administer elections in Adams Township by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Hillsdale County Clerk Marney Kast’s office was then tasked with administering elections in Adams Township and her office later seized other election materials including ballots from the November 2020 presidential election from the Adams Township Hall out of “security concerns.”

Oregon Secretary of State: Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan is resigning effective May 8. Her resignation comes about a week after news broke that she had a secondary job with a cannabis company that played a key role in an audit conducted by her office. According to the Oregon Capital Chronicle, Fagan submitted her resignation to Gov. Tina Kotek several hours after she told Kotek and announced it publicly, according to documents shared by the Secretary of State’s office. “While I am confident that the ethics investigation will show that I followed the state’s legal and ethical guidelines in trying to make ends meet for my family, it is clear that my actions have become a distraction from the important and critical work of the Secretary of State’s office,” Fagan wrote. “Protecting our state’s democracy and ensuring faith in our elected leaders – these are the reasons I ran for this office,” she continued. “They are also the reasons I am submitting my resignation now.” It’s now up to Kotek to determine who will replace Fagan upon her resignation next week. State law requires Kotek to appoint a Democrat, like Fagan. In the interim, Deputy Secretary of State Cheryl Myers will have oversight of the office beginning May 8.

Personnel News: Longtime Collier County, Florida Supervisor of Elections Jennifer Edwards has retired after more than 20 years on the job. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson received the Brennan Center for Justice’s 2023 Legacy Award. Julie Glancey has resigned from the Wisconsin Elections Commission and Gov. Tony Evers (D) has tapped former Milwaukee County Clerk Joseph Czarnezki to serve in the role. Worcester, Wisconsin Clerk Roberta Reese is resigning. Tess Wigginton is the new deputy director of the Licking County, Ohio board of elections. C. Murphy Hebert will serve as deputy assistant secretary of state in Arizona.

Legislative Updates

Federal Legislation: U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration with oversight over federal elections, and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, reintroduced comprehensive legislation to address threats to election workers. The Election Worker Protection Act would provide states with the resources to recruit and train election workers and ensure these workers’ safety, while also instituting federal safeguards to shield election workers from intimidation and threats. The bill includes provisions that were developed with input from election officials, as well as provisions from the Freedom to Vote Act, voting rights legislation led by Klobuchar and supported by all Democratic Senators. The Election Worker Protection Act would:  Establish grants to states and certain local governments for poll worker recruitment, training, and retention, as well as grants for election worker safety; Direct the Department of Justice to provide training resources regarding the identification and investigation of threats to election workers; Provide grants to states to support programs protecting election workers’ personally identifiable information; Establish threatening, intimidating, or coercing election workers as a federal crime;  Expand the prohibition on voter intimidation in current law to apply to the counting of ballots, canvassing, and certification of elections; Extend the federal prohibition on doxxing to include election workers; and Protect the authority of election officials to remove poll observers who are interfering with or attempting to disrupt the administration of an election.

Alabama: Lawmakers voted on the final passage of two election bills that codify practices that already in state code into law. The first bill that passed mandates the use of paper ballots. The second bans electronic vote-counting machines that connect to the internet. Supporters of the bill say these clarify the administrative code and provide other benefits to the state elections system. “The whole purpose of having paper ballots because you can go through and count and make sure if a machine says there’s 607 ballots in this box, you can go through and count and make sure there’s 607 pieces of paper,” said Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Baldwin County. These bills now go to Gov. Kay Ivey for possible signage. If signed, the paper ballot bill goes into effect immediately and the vote counting bill will be in effect three months after signage. Secretary of State Wes Allen said he is in support of both bills.

Alaska: A bill to update Alaska’s election laws passed out of the Senate State Affairs Committee, part of a bipartisan effort to revive a set of proposals that failed during last year’s legislative session. The bill, which heads next to the Senate Finance Committee, is a compromise that largely avoids more controversial changes to how the state’s elections are run. It would establish a ballot curing process, signature verification, ballot tracking and requirements to more regularly update voter rolls, among other elements. It does not include any reforms to how campaigns are financed, nor does it alter the state’s ranked-choice voting system. The provisions would allow voters to correct errors on their ballots once they are submitted, allow election workers to more reliably verify the identity of voters, and allow voters to track their by-mail ballots after they are submitted. The bill aims to address several ongoing concerns with Alaska’s elections, including onerous requirements that have been blamed for reducing turnout in rural parts of the state and among voters for whom English is not a primary language. It would also address concerns raised in a lawsuit filed last year, which accused the state officials of violating voters’ constitutional rights by failing to implement a process to fix defective ballots. The bill would give voters the opportunity to correct their ballots if there are errors, including a missing or unverifiable signature or identifier. Under the bill, the state Division of Elections would be required to contact voters by phone or mail to inform them of issues with their ballot, and then provide them the opportunity to correct it.

Colorado: Lawmakers approved a host of changes to the state’s election system with the passage of Senate Bill 276 .  The near-annual election “clean up” bill is drafted in coordination with the Secretary of State’s Office, county clerks and other stakeholders. This year, the bill seeks to make several changes, including expanding voting access on tribal lands and establishing personal income disclosures for political candidates.  The House passed SB 276 in a 44-19 vote, following the Senate’s 29-6 passage last month. The bill will next go back to the Senate to approve changes made by the House, and then to the governor for final consideration. One of the most significant components of the bill seeks to improve voting access for Native American tribes.  If passed, the bill would expand the state’s automatic voter registration system to include tribal membership lists — making Colorado the first state in the country to do so, Fenberg said. It would also increase the number of in-person voting sites on tribal lands before and on Election Day. SB 276 also seeks to improve timeliness in ballot counting by requiring clerks to begin counting ballots at least four days before an election for counties with more than 10,000 electors. Currently, counties can start counting ballots as early as 15 days before an election, but it’s not mandated. Other notable changes the bill would make include increasing state reimbursements of county funds spent on elections; increasing voter service centers on private college campuses and in jails; allowing the use of digital IDs to vote; and, requiring clerks to update information about cured ballots every 24 hours.

Georgia: Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a ban on donations to county election offices, making it a felony for local governments to accept money from nonprofit organizations that gave millions of dollars during the 2020 presidential election. Limiting outside election money became a priority among Republicans in Georgia and across the country after the Center for Tech and Civic Life, which was funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, contributed more than $400 million to election offices nationwide during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic. About $45 million of that money was given to local election offices in Georgia. Under the legislation, DeKalb will be able to keep the $2 million grant, which was previously allowed under state law. But any county government official who accepts future outside money could face felony charges punishable by at least a year in prison and a $10,000 fine. Contributions will still be allowed to the state government, which could then decide how to distribute funding among counties.

Illinois: Legislation proposed in the state Senate would ease remote voting for people who are visually impaired, but some advocates say it is redundant. Senate Bill 282 would provide a remote-accessible vote-by-mail system. If passed, the bill would allow voters with a “print disability” such as blindness, low vision or learning/physical disabilities to mark, verify and return a mail voting ballot electronically. The bill was filed by Feb. 2 by Sen. Julie A. Morrison, D-Deerfield, and has been referred to assignments twice, the last time March 31.

Kansas: The Legislature has failed to override a veto made by Governor Kelly to now keep the mail-in voting deadline in the Sunflower State the same. The Senate voted 25-15 to sustain the Governor’s veto. “This bill eliminates the three-day grace period for mail-in ballots often used by those in the military serving across the country or overseas,” Gov. Kelly said after her veto. “It would also likely result in too many rural Kansans not having their votes counted in important elections. That is unacceptable. We should be doing everything we can to make it easier – not harder – for Kansans to make their voices heard at the ballot box.”

Massachusetts: For the first time, a proposal to amend the constitution to restore the right to vote for incarcerated felons was favorably reported by a legislative committee, giving hope to reformers who aim to push the measure to the 2026 statewide ballots. The bill (S 8 / H 26) by Sen. Liz Miranda and Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven would remove the constitutional amendment that was added in 2000 when voters approved a statewide ballot question making it illegal to vote from prison while serving a felony sentence. Similar bills have been filed in the past, but the  Election Laws Committee vote marks the first time the proposal was favorably reported out of a committee, enabling it to move on in the legislative process. “We should be furthering democracy. When I look at the commonwealth disenfranchising close to 5,000 people who had the right to vote until it was taken away — I think it’s a stain on our commonwealth’s history, here where we think of ourselves as the bastion of democracy,” Miranda said.

Missouri: The House gave initial approval to a resolution that would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment forbidding ranked-choice voting. Rep. Ben Baker, R-Neosho, sponsor of House Joint Resolution 66, said his bill would enshrine Missouri’s current voting system in the state Constitution to resist movement toward adopting ranked-choice voting. Baker said ranked-choice voting is too complex and drags out tabulating election results. He argued that supporters of ranked-choice voting like it because it allows unpopular candidates to win elections that they couldn’t otherwise. Rep. Ashley Aune, D-Kansas City, said the problem with the current voting system is that voters do not always have a choice. Under the current system, Aune said Republicans in conservative districts are pressured to move far to the right to appeal to voters and secure the primary nomination. Once they win the primary, voters can only vote for “the most extreme Republican.” “(With ranked-choice voting,) it’s not a situation where you’re just voting against someone,” Aune said. “We have to give people options to vote for. The two-party system, one against the other, it really doesn’t work. I don’t think it makes sense for a democracy.”

Union County, New Jersey: Commissioners have approved a consent decree and other documents in a proposed voluntary settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. County counsel Bruce Bergen said the decree is the result of discussions between the U.S. Department of Justice, the county clerk’s office and board of elections, regarding a federal requirement for bilingual voting material. “In order to ensure the continued access to bilingual paperwork and other documents in voting, the county and the other bodies have agreed to take certain steps,” Bergen said. “There is no wrongdoing that the county has been accused of.” Commissioners also approved adding $23,025 to its contract with Royal Printing Services, for a total contract amount not to exceed $2,563,755, due to a new law that requires the set up and printing of bilingual versions of machine/official ballots, sample ballots, emergency ballots and overseas ballots, according to the resolution. County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi said the spending request was made as a result of the federal consent order. “Right now, the county does about half of its ballots in Spanish, which is determined by the state of New Jersey,” Rajoppi said. “As of November, the federal government has mandated that all of our ballots be printed bilingually, as well as all of our election materials.”

Texas: A bill that would force Harris County to get rid of its elections administrator is closer to becoming law after the House Elections Committee approved it this week.  Senate Bill 1750 would abolish the county elections administrator position in Harris County and transfer election duties to the county clerk and tax assessor-collector. The Senate passed the bill, written by state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Republican, on April 18. It will now go up for debate on the House floor.  The bill was originally written to affect all counties with populations of more than 1 million residents, but it was changed to focus solely on Harris after Bettencourt’s office conducted a survey of Texas’ largest counties and found that only Harris County had continuous problems, said Rep. Briscoe Cain, who presented the House version of the bill — House Bill 3876 — in committee. The Texas Election Code allows counties’ election commissions, based on their individual needs, to assign election duties to the county clerk and tax assessor-collector — which are elected positions — or to create an elections department and appoint a nonpartisan elections administrator. According to Votebeat, some supporters of the bill urged members of the House Elections Committee to return election duties to elected officials everywhere in Texas and not just in Harris County.

The House gave preliminary approval to House Bill 1243, sponsored by state Rep. Cole Hefner (R-Mt. Pleasant) with a 83-63 vote to a bill that would reinstate felony-level punishment for residents who vote illegally. The bill reverses a change state lawmakers made in 2021 when they downgraded illegal voting to a misdemeanor as part of a sweeping overhaul to the state’s election laws. “We must ensure that Texans are confident that the legitimate votes they cast will be counted and are not canceled out by someone who has knowingly or intentionally cast an illegal ballot,” Hefner said. Republican leaders have said that the 2021 change was a mistake. The key difference between the current House and Senate bills is whether a person can be prosecuted if they knowingly voted illegally. The Senate’s version, sponsored by Sen. Bryan Hughes, a Mineola Republican, changes the existing legal wording to what’s known as the “intent requirement.” Under the rewrite of the state’s election laws passed two years ago, a person only illegally votes if they “knowingly or intentionally” vote or attempt to vote in an election in which the person “knows they’re not eligible” to vote. The Senate version up for debate would change that language to include anyone who votes or attempts to vote in an election in which “the person knows of a particular circumstance that makes the person not eligible to vote.” Those circumstances could include having been convicted of a felony or not holding U.S. citizenship.

Vermont: The House approved two charter changes sought by Burlington residents. City voters on Town Meeting Day approved measures to allow noncitizens to vote as well as use ranked-choice voting in all city elections, including mayor. The method — formerly known as instant runoff voting — is already used for city council elections. Rep. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, who is a Progressive / Democrat for Burlington says “We’re very confident and excited that this will allow a more representative democracy so people could actually make their choices and not be forced into sort of a binary choice between who they think is actually likely to win and having to worry about a spoiler vote or anything like that people can really say I think these two top candidates are great, and will have more choices as a result, which is great for democracy in Burlington.” The Senate now takes up the charter changes. Governor Phil Scott in 2021 vetoed similar noncitizen voting measures in Winooski and Montpelier, saying he opposed the “patchwork” approach to changing voting on a town-by-town basis. Lawmakers overrode the vetoes.

Washington: A bill sent to Gov. Jay Inslee for consideration would exempt various aspects of the election system from public records requests and centralize all local records requests with the Secretary of State’s office. While supporters of Senate Bill 5459 say the bill will protect private information about voters and the technology used in ballot counting, critics argue that it will make citizens less trusting of the election process. Under existing law, citizens can submit public record requests regarding their local voting system with the county auditor. Since the 2020 election, the number of requests has increased from 400 in 2019 to 1,300 in 2022, according to the Washington Association of County Auditors. SB 5459 would centralize all those requests with SOS, which has a statewide voter database. The bill also exempts certain aspects of the voting system involving private contractors. Any records of the system infrastructure would be withheld from the public for 25 years if the contractor says releasing the records would put the system at risk. A new Public Records Act exemption would be created for voted ballots or copies and images of them.

Wisconsin: Republicans who control the Legislature’s budget-writing committee plan to strip out more than 500 items from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ two-year, $104 billion state spending plan, including the implementation of automatic voter registration. Wisconsin drivers would have been automatically registered to vote under another of Evers’ proposals, which has been shot down by Republicans before. The proposal would have required applications for a license or identification card to inform applicants that the information would be made available to the Wisconsin Elections Committee, and give them a choice to opt out. The governor’s budget allocated $172,700 for the Wisconsin Elections Commission and the Department of Transportation to implement automatic voter registration. The state DOT would have received another $349,000 in fiscal year 2023-24 to address one-time costs.

Legal Updates

Colorado: Sandra Brown, 45, a former Mesa County elections manager who prosecutors said assisted in a security breach of voting equipment was sentenced to 30 days in jail. Brown pleaded guilty in November to attempting to influence a public servant, a felony, and official misconduct, a misdemeanor. She will be required to testify against former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters at her trial in October as part of the plea agreement. Brown has already served two days of her jail sentence and has until noon Friday to report to finish out her 30-day sentence. She was also ordered to serve two years of unsupervised probation and complete 100 hours of community service. She was granted a deferred judgment for the felony charge with the same conditions as her probation but must also pay a $2,000 fine. Upon completion, the felony charge will be dismissed from her record. If she fails to comply with the conditions she would be re-sentenced for the felony charge which could result in probation or prison time.

Florida: A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the bulk of Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker’s ruling that a 2021 Florida elections law was intended to discriminate against Black voters, finding that he relied on “fatally flawed” analyses and “out-of-context” statements by legislators. The Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved the elections law as GOP leaders across the country pushed to make voting changes after former President Donald Trump’s loss in 2020. The law imposed new restrictions on mail-in voting and voter registration groups and prohibited people from giving snacks and drinks to voters waiting in line to cast ballots. Walker last year ruled that the law, challenged by voting rights groups, was intentionally intended to discriminate against Black voters. The judge also made the rare move of putting the state under a process known as “preclearance,” meaning that he would have to approve any changes to certain parts of state election laws. The split ruling by the panel said Walker’s decision “does not withstand examination.” “The district court relied on fatally flawed statistical analyses, out-of-context statements by individual legislators, and legal premises that do not follow our precedents,” Chief Judge William Pryor wrote in a 79-page decision joined by Judge Britt Grant. “On the contrary, examining the record reveals that the finding of intentional discrimination rests on hardly any evidence.” Judge Jill Pryor issued a dissenting opinion.

Georgia: Fulton Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney is giving District Attorney Fani Willis additional time to respond to a motion by Donald Trump’s legal team that argued she should be disqualified from investigating the former president’s alleged interference in Georgia’s 2020 election. The extension comes after Cathy Latham, a South Georgia-based “alternate” elector, filed a motion on Friday which echoed Trump’s claims. McBurney on Monday indicated he would consider Trump and Latham’s motions together and gave the DA’s office until May 15 to respond to their motions. The office’s response had been due May 1. The court motions, filed by Trump’s Atlanta-based attorneys in late March and by Latham last week, also seek to quash the release of the final report authored by the special grand jury that aided Willis and any evidence collected by the group.

Critics of Georgia’s voting machines say they are unconstitutional and should be scrapped in favor of hand-marked paper ballots. State election officials dismiss their concerns as unfounded and argue that the state’s voting system is safe and secure. U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg held a hearing this week on motions filed by election officials, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and members of the State Election Board, asking the judge to rule in their favor based on the facts presented without going to trial. Lawyers for the activists argued there are disagreements on the facts in the case and that the merits of the arguments need to be fully explored at trial. Totenberg had extensive questions for both sides and did not indicate when she would rule.

Louisiana: Louisiana imposes an unfair and illegal paperwork requirement for some former prison inmates who have regained the right to vote, criminal justice and voting rights advocates say in a lawsuit filed in federal court. The lawsuit says that under laws passed in 2019 and 2021, convicted felons are automatically granted the right to vote when they have been out of prison for five years. But, the lawsuit points to an apparent quirk in the law that treats some formerly incarcerated people different than others. Those who are registering to vote for the first time don’t have to show any paperwork to register, according to the lawsuit. But those who were already registered to vote when they were convicted of a crime had their placed on “suspended” status, according to the lawsuit, and they have to obtain and present paperwork proving that they are eligible. The lawsuit alleges that the requirement is the result of a misreading or misapplication of state law. It asks the federal court in Baton Rouge to halt the practice.

New York: Three Rensselaer County officials with close ties to the Republican Party have been indicted on federal charges as part of an investigation into ballot fraud. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Richard Crist, James Gordon, and Leslie Wallace were arrested and charged with conspiring to violate the rights of county voters during the 2021 election cycle. The arrests are only the latest in an ongoing federal probe of GOP officials in the county. A trial date of June 26 has been set.

North Carolina: The newly GOP-controlled North Carolina Supreme Court last week threw out a previous ruling against gerrymandered voting maps and upheld a photo voter identification law that colleagues had struck down as racially biased. On voter ID, the Republican majority reversed a trial court decision that struck down the 2018 law. The trial court had ruled that GOP legislators passed the law in part to retain General Assembly control by discouraging Black Democrats from voting in legislative elections. But Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr. wrote, in part, that the trial judges erred in relying on a federal court ruling striking down a 2013 voter ID law as tainted by racial discrimination. Although a federal lawsuit challenging the voter ID law is still pending, the State Board of Elections said Friday that staff would start working toward “a smooth rollout” of the ID requirement with municipal elections this fall. Voters also previously approved a separate photo voter ID mandate for the state constitution, although that amendment remains stuck in litigation that wouldn’t affect Friday’s ruling.

In another ruling, the state Supreme Court overturned a trial judge’s ruling that had restored the voting rights to thousands of formerly incarcerated residents serving felony sentences. The State Board of Elections said later Friday it has updated voter registration applications to comply. Now, once again, people serving a felony sentence cannot register or vote until their sentence ends, including any period of probation, parole or post-release supervision. Elections officials will use lists of people serving felony sentences to cancel registrations of people who are now ineligible, the board said. Arguments in the case, known as Community Success Initiative v. Moore, centered on whether the state law that delineates how people’s voting rights are restored is constitutional and whether it had discriminatory intent. The high court reversed the trial ruling 5 to 2, split along partisan lines, with Republican justices in favor of reversal and Democrats against. For the majority, Justice Trey Allen wrote that it is “not unconstitutional to insist that felons pay their debt to society as a condition of participating in the electoral process.” “The General Assembly did not engage in racial discrimination or otherwise violate the North Carolina Constitution by requiring individuals with felony convictions to complete their sentences — including probation, parole, or post-release supervision — before they regain the right to vote,” Allen wrote.

Texas: Konnech Inc., a Michigan-based company specializing in election logistic software has withdrawn a lawsuit accusing Houston-based True the Vote of making slanderous statements about the software company’s work during the 2020 election. The company reserved the right to refile the federal case at a later date. The suit came in response to accusations made by members of True the Vote  that onnech had allowed the Chinese government to access a server in China that held the personal information —  including Social Security numbers, phone numbers, bank account numbers and addresses — of nearly 2 million U.S. election workers. True the Vote’s “unique brand of racism and xenophobia” had defamed Konnech and its founder, Eugene Yu, the lawsuit said. According to the Houston Chronicle, the suit had a brief and tumultuous history on the Houston docket. In late October, True the Vote leaders testified that they had learned concerning information about the software company from FBI agents. The federal judge pressed the conservative leaders to disclose more of the details of their accusations. He then held the founder and a contractor for the conservative group in contempt and ordered them to serve time in jail. Then in February, the federal judge recused himself. Konnech asked the newly assigned judge to dismiss the case “without prejudice” against True the Vote. The company is also withdrawing its case against Catherine Engelbrecht, the organization’s founder, and contractor Gregg Phillips, according to court documents.

Opinions This Week

National Opinions: Youth vote, II, III | Election security | Jail voting

Colorado: Election integrity

Connecticut: Early voting

Florida: Voter registration | Election legislation

Mississippi: Secretary of state

Missouri: Voter ID | Youth vote

Nevada: Access to voting

New Jersey: Voting age

New York: Election reform | Rensselaer County

North Carolina: Court rulings

Ohio: Voting rights

Oregon: Election transparency | Secretary of state

Pennsylvania: Election legislation

Texas: Election legislation, II, III, IV, V

Washington: Jail voting

Upcoming Events

The Profession of Democracy: Election Administration and State Associations: Elections administrators, the people who referee our democracy, are literally and figuratively under threat. Long hours, harassment, malicious open records requests, hyper partisanship – these and other factors are driving people out of elections administration. How do we attract and retain people willing to make a career of elections administration while meeting the training and collegial demands of a more professionalized workforce? The Certificate in Election Administration’s spring conference will explore the state of election administration professionalism, the role state associations play in the development of a vibrant, resilient field, and national and state-specific training programs that can help drive the profession forward. When: May 10. Where: Online.

Trust Issues: Examining Declining Confidence in Political Institutions:  Trust is a keystone of institutions, but that keystone is increasingly weak. Across nearly all institutions—government, business, media, religion—trust is at an all-time low, with no shortage of polls showing the continuing decline. According to Pew Research Center, only 21% of Americans recently said they trust the government in Washington to do what is right “just about always” or “most of the time.” Can these trends be reversed or are our democratic institutions stuck cursing the storm? Join the Bipartisan Policy Center and the National Capital Area Political Science Association for a conversation with experts investigating the causes and consequences of declining trust in society, as well as prospects for restoring this essential element of national strength. When: May 10, 10am Eastern. Where: Online.

Ensuring Accuracy: Post-Election Audits: It’s always a good idea to double-check your work, and in the world of elections, audits do just that: ensuring accuracy and providing an added layer of assurance to election officials and the public alike that election results are verifiably correct. Tune in for the third installment of NCSL’s four-part webinar series, How U.S. Elections Are Run, to learn more about the different types of post-election tabulation audits that states use (traditional, tiered and risk-limiting) and the value of having such audit laws on the books with EAC Commissioner Christy McCormick. When: May 12, 3:30pm Eastern. Where: Online.

USPS National Postal Forum Election Mail Symposium: USPS and NPF will once again be hosting a special “Election Mail” symposium at this year’s National Postal Forum on Wednesday, May 24th at the Charlotte Convention Center, NC.  Join us at NPF in Charlotte, NC for a special one-day Election Mail Day Forum hosted by USPS. Election Mail Stakeholders will showcase how to optimize best practices and make the most of available resources throughout every stage of the election process. Enjoy a full day of expert panel presentations and actionable insights to fortify your Election Mail strategies. Come hear top Postal Service Leaders and Election Officials discuss topics such as: Securing and Ensuring the Integrity of Election Mail; Understanding Election Mail Visibility & How to use IV®-MTR to Track Election Mail; Leveraging Data for Better Election Administration through Business Intelligence; Understanding Address Management Services; and Learning Appropriate Election Mailpiece Design Standards for Election Mail. When: May 24. Where: Charlotte, North Carolina.

ERSA 2023 Conference:  The 7th Annual Summer Conference on Election Science, Reform, and Administration (ESRA) will be held in person from Wednesday, May 31 to Friday, June 2, at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.  Details about this year’s conference program are forthcoming. When: May 31-June 2. Where: Atlanta

Voting Technology, Certification and Standards: As voting technology gets more sophisticated, so do the standards against which they’re tested. The Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) are a set of specifications and requirements designed to test basic functionality, accuracy, accessibility and security capabilities. Tune in for the final installment of NCSL’s four-part webinar series, How U.S. Elections Are Run, to learn more about the newest iteration of these standards, VVSG 2.0: What it is, why it’s important and what options legislators can consider for keeping their state’s voting technology as secure and accurate as possible with EAC Commissioner Donald Palmer. When: June 6, 3pm Eastern. Where: Online.

State Certification Testing of Election Systems National Conference: This year’s State Certification Testing of Election Systems National Conference (SCTESNC), hosted by Pro V&V, Inc., will be held at Huntsville Marriott at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. The purpose of the conference is to share ideas and solutions for ensuring voting and election system reliability, transparency, and integrity through better testing of systems. The 2023 conference will feature a panel discussion on risk-limiting audits by leading national experts in the field. The primary goal of the conference is to provide a venue for practitioners and academics to share best practices for voting system testing and management, to explore more efficient and effective methods for testing and implementing voting and election systems, and to identify common challenges and potential mitigation to those challenges. Additionally, the conference is meant to be a vehicle to improve the flow of information between the federal, state, county, and municipality testing entities. This is a working conference with expectations that all attendees prepare a paper, presentation, panel discussion, or other activity to share ideas and innovations in the testing of voting and election systems.  First-time attendees may waive the paper presentation requirements. This year, in lieu of an overarching theme, the conference organizers invite those attending to submit proposed topic presentations on any issue of importance related to the certification and testing of election systems. Attendance is open for all individuals engaged in the testing and certification of voting and election systems for government jurisdictions.  When: June 12-13. Where: Huntsville, Alabama

NASS 2023 Summer Conference: The National Association of Secretaries of State will hold its summer conference in Washington, D.C. Registration will be open in May. Check back for more details. When: July 9-12. Where: Washington, DC.

NACo Annual Conference: The National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference & Expo is the largest meeting of county elected and appointed officials from across the country. Participants from counties of all sizes come together to shape NACo’s federal policy agenda, share proven practices and strengthen knowledge networks to help improve residents’ lives and the efficiency of county government.  When: July 21-24. Where: Travis County, Texas.

Election Center National Conference: The National Association of Election Officials (The Election Center) will hold its 38th Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida in late August. In addition to the conference, CERA courses and renewal courses will be offered. Check back for more information. When: Aug. 26-30. Where: Orlando, Florida

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 II (Elections Specialist – Chinese), King County Elections— This is an amazing opportunity to be engaged in the election process! This benefits-eligible Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) position is anticipated to last until December 2024. A Special Duty Assignment may be considered for King County Career Service employees who have passed their initial probationary period.  The Department of Elections – is searching for energetic and resourceful professionals who like to “get stuff done”. The Administrative Specialist II positions in the Voter Services Department combines an exciting, fast-paced environment with the opportunity to cultivate talents and apply a variety of skills. The ideal candidate will have a desire to help ensure the democratic process through public service. They will thrive in an innovative 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 registrations and elections for more than 1.4 million voters in King County, 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: $24.59 – $31.30 Hourly. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Assistant County Clerk, Santa Cruz County, California— Under general direction, assists the County Clerk, to plan and direct all activities associated with conducting state, federal, local, and special district elections at multiple locations; to plan and direct the delivery of Clerk Services at multiple locations including special events, and to maintain and secure official documents and records consistent with state and federal mandates. Acts for the County Clerk in their absence. Perform other duties as required. Salary: $9,549-$12,797/month. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Assistant County Clerk-Recorder, Nevada County, California— Under administrative oversight you can be assisting with planning, organizing, directing and leading the activities of the County Clerk-Recorder’s office! The Assistant Clerk-Recorder will provide highly sophisticated staff assistance to the Clerk-Recorder! This management classification position serves at the will of the County Clerk-Recorder, and acts on her behalf in her absence and provides full line and functional management responsibility for the department’s Recorder and Election divisions. This position is distinguished from the County Clerk-Recorder in that the latter is an elected position and has overall responsibility for all functions of the department. Salary range: $111,810 – $136,500. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Assistant Manager-Poll Worker Department, Palm Beach County, Florida— The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections is looking for an experienced Assistant Poll Worker Department Manager. In this role, you will oversee the planning and the completion of various projects, administrative functions, operations, and specialized tasks in the Poll Worker Department. The work involves knowledge and application of departmental operations, planning, assigning responsibilities, monitoring election worker classes, maintaining records, evaluating performance, and the ability to review work for accuracy. This position requires initiative and sound independent judgement in the application of office policies, election laws, and procedures. Must be personable and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, associates, and the general public. All work is performed under the guidance of the Supervisor of Elections. The ideal candidate will have an excellent work ethic, including consistent performance, reliability, and attendance. The desire and ability to work well in a fast-paced collaborative environment with a smile are essential to the position. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Associate Director, Political Science, MIT Election Data and Science Lab— To serve in a leadership role by working with the faculty director to develop and implement an expanded strategic vision of MEDSL and to manage operations and administration of the lab’s activities. Will bear primary responsibility for ensuring that the lab’s activities are responsive to the most pressing needs of election administrators throughout the United States and for maintaining robust lines of communication with election officials and allied research institutions. MEDSL is dedicated to the creation of knowledge, insights, and data necessary to increase understanding and guide improvement of elections as they are conducted in the United States. Required: bachelor’s degree; five years’ direct experience working in election administration or election science (which may have been acquired through work as a state or local administrator, leader of a nonprofit organization, or academic researcher); tactical and strategic approach to responsibilities; excellent problem-solving, organizational, project management, and written and verbal communication and presentation skills; organizational and cultural awareness; diplomacy and good judgment;  initiative; interest in contributing to the progress of scientific research by facilitating the work of others; discretion and judgment with confidential information/issues; and proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.  Must be able to achieve big picture results while paying attention to detail; follow through and achieve objectives in a timely manner; keep teams, projects, and deliverables on track; coordinate multiple tasks, set priorities, deliver results, and meet deadlines; exert influence, negotiate, and work across boundaries; and work independently and collaboratively. Preferred: graduate degree in law, political science, public policy, public administration, management, or related field. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Board of Elections Training Specialist, Wake County, North Carolina— Are you looking to get involved in your community? Do you want to make a difference? Are you passionate about learning? If so, get ready to roll up your sleeves and become part of something bigger! The Wake County Board of Elections is currently seeking an experienced Instructional Designer/Training Specialist to join our dynamic and driven Training Team. The ideal candidate will be a strong communicator who thrives in a fast paced, ever changing work environment. They will have a clear understanding of the commonly accepted instructional design models, what it takes to be a behind the scenes designer, have a strong visual sense and excellent project management skills. What will you do as a Board of Elections Training Specialist? Develop training materials, including classroom presentations, manuals, workbooks, training videos and online training modules to facilitate comprehensive training for Early Voting and Election Day Officials; Review, evaluate and modify existing and proposed programs and recommend changes; Create schedules, design layouts for training facilities and adjust room layouts as necessary between in-person classes; Train and manage instructors and assistants for in-person training classes; Serve as instructor for some online webinars and in-person classes; Collaborate with team members to gain knowledge of work processes, identify training needs and establish plans to address the needs through training solutions; Identify innovative training tools and methods to enhance the training program; Monitor and assess election law changes and incorporate the changes into polling place procedures; Develop and design election forms, precinct official website, newsletters, assessments and other communications; Develop high level design documents, storyboards, audio narration scripts, status reporting, QA and testing plans; Assists with Early Voting site setups and call center support; Assists with Election Day call center support and post-election processes; and Portfolios will be required by all applicants who are selected to move forward in the recruitment process. Salary: $27.10 – $28.10.  Application: For the complete listing and to apply, click here.

Chief Deputy Registrar of Voters, San Bernardino, California— The San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters seeks a dynamic and innovative administrator who can lead and thrive in a fast-paced environment to manage our elections programs, processes, and team.  The Chief Deputy Registrar of Voters is a forward-thinking individual that assists with guiding the future direction of the department and its processes, taking a hands-on approach to find solutions while working collaboratively with a knowledgeable and dedicated team. The Chief Deputy Registrar of Voters is a key member of the Department’s senior management team, participating in organizational strategic planning and administering election programs. The position serves as a Chief over a division of the Registrar of Voters (ROV) office and has primary responsibility for assisting the ROV in planning, conducting, and certifying all Primary, General, and Special elections. Salary: $85,425.60 – $118,684.80. 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.

Consultant: Election Expert, Electoral Assessment in Michigan, North Dakota, New Mexico, California, Virginia, Montana, Mississippi, The Carter Center— The Democracy Program at The Carter Center works globally to support democratic elections and strengthen participatory democracy, consistent with human rights. The overarching objective is to enhance democratic governance and increase effective political participation for all, especially groups that have been historically disadvantaged or that face political, cultural, or socioeconomic barriers. This includes women, racial and ethnic minorities, indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, youth, elderly people, and other marginalized groups. This consultant position will support the U.S. Election Project within the Democracy Program including a team of Carter Center staff and consultants, to conduct a short-term assessment of election related issues in Michigan, North Dakota, New Mexico, California, Virginia, Montana, or Mississippi focusing on the electoral/political environment and the landscape for non-partisan election observation. The State Assessment consultant will largely be tasked with collecting information to assess whether the presence of the Democracy Program at The Carter Center would be useful, advisable, and feasible. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Director of Elections, Connecticut Secretary of State’s Office— This position will be responsible for assigning and providing oversight for all election and voter registration functions and specifically supervise three (3) Staff Attorneys, five (5) Election Officers and three (3) administrative support staff members. The primary functions of this position include, but are not limited to: ensuring compliance with registration and election laws; coordinates the training of local election officials; drafts legislative proposals and regulations; monitors changes in federal election law, funding sources and grant opportunities;  serves as a liaison between the Agency and registrars of voters, town clerks, municipal governments, other state agencies, other state governments and the federal government; attends regional and statewide meetings of town clerks and registrars organizations; receives and responds to public inquiries, requests for assistance, and complaints regarding areas of responsibility; works with the IT Director to strengthen Connecticut’s cybersecurity infrastructure and to manage existing technology and implement new technology for election systems, accessible voting systems, online voter registration, motor-voter registration and other agency programs. Monitor available Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funds or other funding sources and grant opportunities. Participate as a member of the National Association of Election Directors (NASED)and the Electronic Voter Registration Center (ERIC) and other national boards as requested by the Secretary. Salary: $105,678-$144,090. Deadline: May 8. 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.

Election Certification & Training Program Manager, Washington Secretary of State’s Office—   The Elections Certification & Training Program Manager reports to the Deputy Director of Elections and is responsible for managing the Certification and Training team. Certification and Training is a mission critical program established and required by RCW 29A.04.530, 29A.04.560, 29A.04.590. The Certification and Training Manager develops and manages program objectives and priorities, in collaboration with external stakeholders including independently elected auditors and election officials. Additionally, the Program Manager makes collaborative strategic judgments and decisions balancing competing program demands or priorities for resources; develops, modifies, and implements division policy; formulates long-range strategic plans and projects . The Certification and Training Manager also integrates division and office policies and reviews the program for compliance with policies and strategic objectives. The position is responsible for four mission critical functions: Professional certification and training of local and state election administrators and county canvassing board members. Review of county election operations and procedures. Testing of all vote tabulation equipment used in each county during state primary and general elections. The election clearinghouse and publication program. The Program Manager also manages the process for adopting state rules and is the Election Division’s liaison with the USPS. Salary: $83,000 – $93,000. Application: For the complete job application and to apply, click here.

Election Director, Ohio Secretary of State’s Office— The Ohio Secretary of State Elections Division is recruiting for a Director of the Elections Division. The Director of the Elections Division (often called the Elections Director) oversees a team responsible for one of the Office’s two main functions: the oversight of local, state, and federal elections. The director serves as the Office’s primary liaison to Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections and, under the general direction of the Chief of Staff, leads the strategic planning and daily management of the division, including the following duties: Supervises division employees, including the enforcement of workplace policies, periodic review of performance, and recommendations for compensation and promotion; Oversees the issuance of advisories and directives that inform boards of changes to state election laws and sets uniform standards and policies by which elections are conducted; Develops and executes a detailed plan to manage the division’s work product in support of all timelines and deadlines associated with the annual elections calendar; Helps to develop and administer the division’s operational budget to ensure adequate levels of statewide support for the Office’s objectives; Provides daily support to boards of elections, including troubleshooting and training, as well as assistance as needed with administrative functions such as voting operations, poll worker recruitment, records processing and retention, post-election auditing, budgeting, legal compliance, and all other expectations established in the Secretary of State’s Election Official Manual; Reviews feedback from the Office’s regional operations teams and provides follow-up and support as needed; Determines the forms of ballots, poll books, voter instruction notices, and other forms relevant to the administration of elections; Oversees the collection, organization and review of statewide initiative and referendum petitions; Coordinates the meetings and direction of the Ohio Board of Voting Machine Examiners and the Ohio Ballot Board; Assists in the development and implementation of election-related public policy; Supports the Office’s legal staff in fulfilling public records requests, addressing litigation, and supporting law enforcement inquiries; Frequently briefs the Secretary of State and Chief of Staff on all relevant developments impacting the administration of elections in Ohio; Advises on vendor and consultant contracts; Assists the Office’s Information Technology team with election data retention and analysis efforts, including maintenance of voter registration records, investigations of fraud and irregularities, and publication of election statistics; Communicates with advocacy groups and election officials seeking guidance on the Office’s directives, advisories, or strategic policy initiatives; Represents the Secretary of State as needed in meetings, hearings, conferences, and other functions related to election administration; Seeks opportunities to strengthen the influence and visibility of the Office with election officials, advocacy groups, and influencers; Assists with the development of the Office’s communication content to intergovernmental contacts and third-party stakeholders; Manages the logistical planning and execution of the Office’s statewide Election Night Reporting operation, which includes the collection, tracking, tabulation, and reporting of election data from boards of elections to an official website for public consumption; Assists the Office’s legal staff in ensuring compliance with applicable rules, disclosures, and filings relating to lobbying and ethics laws; Collaborates with the Office’s External Affairs, Business Services, and Public Integrity divisions to support their respective objectives, including the development of public voter awareness campaigns, informational publications, website content, and other communications content; and Otherwise supports the Secretary of State and the Office of the Secretary of State in complying with all statutory obligations set forth under Ohio Revised Code Section 3501.05, “Election duties of secretary of state.” Salary: $125K-$140K. 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.

Operations Associate, NASED— This position is part-time and fully remote, but the candidate must live in the United States. Travel to support NASED’s Winter and Summer conferences is required (approximately 10 days per year). This position reports to NASED’s Executive Director. This role does not supervise any staff. A part-time (approximately 20 hours per week), fully remote, Operations Associate for a small nonpartisan, nonprofit membership association. Reporting to the Executive Director, this new role will support all the organization’s operational needs. The responsibilities of this position will include, but are not limited to, the following: Help update and maintain website content; Help maintain NASED’s social media presence, including developing content and creating basic graphics; Work with NASED’s controller on monthly financial reports and with the auditor and accountant on annual reports and filings; Monitor and assist with responses to inquiries sent to NASED’s shared inboxes; Maintain organization distribution lists; Assist with scheduling Board and Committee meetings; Assist with conference planning, including developing the conference website via the conference management platform, creating and proofing materials, planning activities, and budgeting; Support the execution of two national conferences per year; Create and send annual invoices to organization members and Corporate Affiliate members; Other duties and special projects as assigned. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Program Manager-Strategy, Impact and Learning, The Center for Tech and Civic Life— When you think about elections, you might think about popular candidates, “I voted” stickers, and all sorts of paperwork and deadlines, but behind the scenes are thousands of election officials in state and local governments who are working hard to make sure ballots are counted and voices are heard. At a time when election officials are facing unprecedented challenges and scrutiny, they need support in order to administer secure and inclusive elections and build trust among the public. As Program Manager on the Strategy, Impact, and Learning Team, you will play a key role in implementing a multi-year strategy to connect and support officials across the country to meet high standards of election administration. You’ll report to an Associate Director in the Government Services department. Salary:  $72,931. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Program Officer, Election Trust Initiative— The Election Trust Initiative, LLC is a non-partisan grant-making organization providing support to nonpartisan research, resources, and organizations that help election officials strengthen election administration. Launched in 2023, the Initiative’s founding partners are the Pew Charitable Trusts, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Klarman Family Foundation. Election Trust Initiative operates as a subsidiary of the Pew Charitable Trusts, a section 501(c)(3) public charity. The program officer is part of a small project team that works to advance evidence-based and nonpartisan solutions that improve the accessibility, integrity, and trustworthiness of the U.S. election administration system. This position will work with the team and our partners to develop strategies to strengthen the field of election administration, identify and vet grantees, provide business planning and capacity building support to key organizations in the field, develop metrics to assess and monitor the portfolio’s progress in attaining its objectives, and coordinate strategies with allied philanthropic partners also investing in the elections sector. This work will involve building relationships with elections officials, researchers, policymakers, non-profit organizations, donors, and other key stakeholders. The position is based in Washington, D.C., though remote candidates will be considered, and it is eligible for up to 60% telework if working from the DC office. The position will report to the executive director of the Election Trust Initiative. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Senior Campaign Manager, Center for Tech and Civic Life— When you think about elections, you might think about popular candidates, “I voted” stickers, and all sorts of paperwork and deadlines. But behind the scenes are thousands of people in state and local governments who are working hard to make sure accurate election information is published, ballots are counted, and voices are heard. As CTCL Senior Campaign Manager, your goal is to support local elections offices across the country in advocating for adequate and reliable funding at the federal, state and local levels. You will implement CTCL’s nonpartisan advocacy strategy to support elections officials in administering inclusive and secure elections. You will execute tactics to support a range of key audiences including election officials, elected officials, allied organizations, and other CTCL supporters. Working closely with other members of the department, you will manage persuasion campaigns at all levels of government, and support the skills-development of key audiences to build power. You’ll report to the Advocacy Director and work in collaboration with other members of the CTCL team. This is a new position in a new department, so there’s room for you to help shape what the role looks like. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Senior Specialist-Voter Services, Johnson County, Kansas— The Senior Election Specialist – Voter Services will take a lead role on the voter services team within the Election Office. This position will oversee the office’s use of the statewide voter registration system and support other employees in their work within this vital system. This will require attention to detail and the ability to define a series of tasks to complete work within the system in an efficient and accurate manner for temporary employees. This position will also research and perform all geography changes within the statewide voter registration system to accommodate annexations made by cities as well as district boundary changes made by state and local governing bodies. The Senior Election Specialist – Voter Services will also participate in the programming of elections to include laying out paper ballots and designing the screens and audio for use on the ballot marking devices. This position will also receive and file all candidate paperwork including declarations of candidacy and required campaign finance disclosures. This position also actively mentors, coaches and collaborates with employees to enhance the county mission and vision keeping in mind the common goal of leaving our community better than we found it. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

System Administrator, Sarasota County, Florida— The Systems Administrator is an Information Technology professional responsible for the coordination, implementation, planning, investigating and serving as the liaison for all facets of data processing, to include any election related tasks. Salary: $40,996 – $87,630. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Warehouse Supervisor, Decatur 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. 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. Supervises warehouse operations and facilities; safeguards warehouse operations and contents; establishes and monitors security procedures and protocols; implements production, productivity, quality, and customer service standards; plans warehouse layout, product flow, and product handling systems; identifies trends; evaluates and recommends new equipment; and analyzes process workflow, space requirements, and equipment layout; and implements improvements. Researches, purchases, and inventories commodities, equipment, and other supplies; conducts physical counts of inventory items; records issuing and usage; verifies and refines or updates required bid specifications; and maintains related records and documentation. Oversees the administrative process through process assessments, measurements, and process mapping for better efficiency; formulates process documentation; organizes periodic and random cycle counts; formulates and monitors various administrative reports; populates database with stocking levels and other information for proper report generation and order tracking; performs regular maintenance on various inventory report statuses to keep system clean and updated; and reviews various system-generates reports for overall key performance drivers. Manages the issuing, maintenance, servicing, and receiving of various types of equipment and supplies from the supply room. Organizes and directs physical inventory counts; manages vending equipment acquisition, implementation, and orders replenishment items; and manages office product inventory for assigned department and emergency response procedures, non-stocked inventory, and expendable inventory items. Receives and reviews various documentation, including attendance records, overdue equipment reports, operational budgets, equipment status reports, stock transfer reports and about-to-reorder reports, and physical inventory reports; reviews, completes, processes, forwards or retains as appropriate; prepares or completes various forms, reports, correspondence, and other documentation, including inventory measures reports, open purchase order reports, performance evaluations, and performance measurements; compiles data for further processing or for use in preparation of department reports; and maintains computerized and/or hardcopy records. Facilitate all logistics related to the elections operation of voting sites, including moving equipment, furnishings, supplies, and materials; conduct pre-election testing and post-election equipment audits. Serve as site manager for VRE warehouse space; oversee the department’s inventory of voting site supplies, tables, chairs, signs, voting machines, and equipment. Attend and participate in mandatory ongoing training, including certifications and annual training. Salary Range: $42,937 – $66,552. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.

Marketplace

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