April 20, 2017
I. In Focus This Week
Helping judges deal with election cases
Five ways elections officials can be resources for judges
By David Levine
Special to electionlineWeekly
As noted by the Election Law Program, a joint project of William & Mary Law School and the National Center for State Courts, the United States has witnessed a dramatic increase in election-related litigation over the past ten years.
Legal challenges to election laws and procedures are now commonplace, and a source of considerable uncertainty and confusion.
Election administrators can be an important resource for judges deciding election disputes — they understand the laws covering voter registration and elections in their jurisdiction(s) and the practicalities of administering and implementing those laws.
Election administrators are often automatically drawn into election disputes. They may, for example, be the named defendant in a lawsuit, in which case they will be the client of (and likely principal witness/resource for) the lawyer handling the case for the jurisdiction. In other cases, the court (or a party to the case) will contact or subpoena an election official to testify as the “local expert” on the subject matter of the case.
But even if an election official is not pulled into a case, there may be ways for him/her to help a judge.
For example, even if not a party, an independently elected official with authority to act on his/her own initiative can reach out and offer to serve as a “friend of the court” when a political dispute becomes a court matter, testifying as an impartial observer and providing facts/insight concerning the relevant law and how it is administered. [An election administrator that is not independent – i.e., one who heads a department that reports to a mayor or county executive – can also do this, but only after securing the approval of his/her superiors.]
Alternatively (and with approval if required), the administrator can reach out to the party he/she believes is correct on the merits, and work with that party to secure its success. For example, if a local or state law enforcement agency files a lawsuit against a candidate for failing to file campaign finance expense reports in a manner that complies with state laws, the election administrator can work with local law enforcement to ensure they understand how reports should be filed.
Here are five ways election administrators can be a resource for judges:
1. Offer your subject matter expertise on election administration-related matters. In any election-related dispute, a judge must first have a set of facts to work with. For example, where a ballot-related statute has not kept pace with changes in voting technology, a court may be asked to interpret statutory ballot requirements in light of existing capabilities. Election administrators are as well-positioned as anyone to explain changes in voting technology – and their implications for the voting process — to judges. Without such knowledge, a judge will be hard pressed to interpret statutory requirements in an informed manner.
2. Tell the judge what it will take to implement a requested remedy. When a plaintiff files a lawsuit alleging that the election official did not follow statutory or administrative requirements when creating the ballot, the plaintiff will often ask the court to correct the ballot mistakes prior to the election. But the court may decline to order corrective action unless it is satisfied that acceptable changes can be made on time and at a reasonable cost. Since election officials are often the ones designing the ballot, and placing candidates and ballot measures on it, they are uniquely well informed about the time and money it will take to fix a mistake, as well as the practical consequences of leaving it unresolved.
3. Inform the judge of election deadlines that could be impacted by his/her decision. For example, the time required to send and receive absentee ballots may play a role in a pre-election legal challenge, even if absentee ballots themselves are not at issue. The deadline to send absentee ballots can operate as a de facto deadline on court decisions that directly affect the ballot, but judges need to be told about this, and particularly about the actual and/or practical deadline(s) for absentee voters to have their ballots counted.
4. Be honest with the judge, even when that’s not easy. Election officials must comply with all relevant local, state, and federal laws, but when a lawsuit is brought and there is no way to fully comply, the election administrator should inform the judge immediately. For example, if an emergency fire or flood occurs short before election day and a precinct no longer has an accessible polling place, the election administrator should inform the judge of this immediately, so that efforts to resolve the legal dispute are directed towards a practical, albeit imperfect solution, as oppose to one that cannot be implemented.
5. If you can, offer the court options for how to resolve a thorny issue. For example, if there is a natural disaster shortly before election day, the course of the election outcome will be altered no matter what action is taken. Some individuals may want the election to proceed because of all the preparation that has already taken place; others might want to reschedule the election if some/many polling places are unusable and/or election workers are unavailable. There may be no single best remedy, particularly in the absence of controlling statutes or case law. In such circumstances, election officials can call upon their experience to give input to judges on the pros and cons of their available options.
Judges are, by and large, very good at adjudicating legal disputes, but surprisingly few are knowledgeable about how elections are administered.
With no indication that the surge in election litigation will subside anytime soon, it is imperative that judges be become familiar with the how elections are actually conducted, a goal election administrators can and should help them reach.
The Election Law Program has launched a pilot project aiming to help judges understand state election laws. In addition to linking code sections with case law, regulations, advisory opinions, and useful links, the site features annotations by state election experts—including state election administrators–to provide context for judges. See ebenchbook.wm.edu. You can email elect@wm.edu if you’re interested in creating an election law “eBenchbook” in your state.
II. Election News This Week
Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske has launched an investigation in possible voter fraud on the 2016 general election and she is claiming that the Department of Motor Vehicles may have inadvertently added non-citizens to the voter rolls. Cegavske sent a letter to DMV head Terri Albertson on Friday and on Saturday, Albertson responded in party by saying “Your letter comes as a complete surprise as you and your office have reviewed, contributed to, and approved the processes you are expressing concerns about.” Cegavske said DMV workers being told to accept voter registration information from all customers is a misinterpretation of the law. She ordered the DMV to stop the practice. Albertson responded that her agency will consult attorneys on the matter but that the law requires the DMV to forward the registration information no matter how incomplete it may be, because it is the state’s election officials who ultimately assess voter eligibility. The DMV said its workers do, however, flag cases for further review when eligibility is questioned. Cegavske subsequently announced that the investigation had found three non-citizens voted in November’s election.
The ongoing saga around the U.S. Virgin Islands special election continued this week as members of the St. Thomas-St. John Joint District Board of Elections determined that they may not be able to certify the results until the status of former senator-elect Kevin Rodriquez has been officially settled. “I know it sounds chaotic, it sounds like confusion, but that’s what happens,” District Board of Elections chair Arturo Watlington, Jr. said Tuesday at an emergency meeting on St. Thomas.
Seasonal and temporary elections workers go a long way to easing the workload of elections offices during high busy times. But sometimes getting those temporary employees paid becomes more work for already busy elections offices. To solve that problem, Williamson County, Texas has decided to outsource the cost of paying temporary workers to an Austin-based personnel firm. The county will pay about $150,000 for startup costs and then about $33,000 annually. “We’re excited about this contract,” Jeff Evins, vice president of the personnel firm told the Austin-American Statesman. “It’s right up our alley. We have done city, county and state work. We helped out Travis County with the last election. Sometimes people are surprised how many people it takes to make an election happen.”
Although we typically stick to this side of the pond for our elections news, this week British Prime Minister Theresa May called for a nationwide election on June 8 giving elections officials just 51 days to prepare. While parliament will not officially dissolve itself until May 3 officially starting the ball rolling, many elections officials are already hard at work getting ready. We found this article and thought some of you might find it interesting to see how you pull off what is the equivalent of a presidential election in 51 days.
Congratulations to the Collier County, Florida supervisor of elections office which was recently honored with the Grand All Image Award from the Florida Public Relations Association. The Grand All Image Award is presented to the best public relations program in Southwest Florida and was awarded for the elections office’s “Election Ready” public information campaign which aimed to educate voters on how they could prepare for the 2016 Election Cycle.
Personnel News: Bob Evnen (R), an attorney from Lincoln and former member of the state board of education, has announced his plans to run for Nebraska secretary of state. Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney has announced that he will seek re-election in 2018.
III. Legislative Updates
Federal Legislation: Rep. Luke Messer (R-Indiana) has introduced The Election Integrity Act of 2017 (HR 2090) that would require voters to present a valid, government-issued photo ID in order to vote in federal elections beginning in 2020. Messer has modeled his bill after Indiana’s voter ID, which has withstood a Supreme Court challenge.
Arizona: Gov. Doug Ducey (R) has signed bill that makes it easier to keep citizen initiatives off the ballot by tightening the legal standard proponents must meet. “This commonsense legislation preserves the integrity of the process by ensuring that those seeking to make lasting changes to our laws comply with current laws, brings parity to the initiative and referendum processes, and introduces a number of voter education functions to ensure those who engage in the initiative process are educated and equipped to comply with state law,” he in a statement.
California: AB 668 will authorize the Voting Modernization Finance Committee to issue and sell bonds in the amount of $450 million for the purpose of assisting counties to purchase new voting equipment and technology necessary for voting centers, which the Assembly approved in 2016 and are scheduled for implementation in 2018.
A bill to move the state’s 2020 presidential primary up to March (from June) has cleared its first hurdle by a 5-0 vote in the Senate Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments.
Colorado: The House State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee has approved HB1281 which would move Colorado to an approval voting system.
Hawaii: Could The Aloha State be the next to move to all vote-by-mail? House Bill 1401, which would the state to a vote-by-mail with vote centers system has passed its third read and House conferees are currently “ironing out wrinkles.”
Iowa: By a 28-21 vote, the Senate has given final approval to House File 516, the Election Integrity Act proposed by Secretary of State Paul Pate. The bill will require voters to show a government-issued ID in order to vote among other provisions. The bill now heads to Gov. Terry Branstad’s desk. He is expected to sign it.
Montana: By a 51-49 vote, the House has approved Senate Bill 352, the Montana Ballot Interference Prevention Act. The bill would ask voters if they want to prevent certain people from knowingly collecting someone else’s ballot. The bill will most likely be on the 2018 ballot.
Also in Montana, House Speaker Austin Knudsen has used his parliamentary power to kill a measure that would have allowed county elections officials to conduct the upcoming May 25 special election by mail. Knudsen has refused to schedule a floor vote on House Bill 83, which Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock sent back to the House on April 7, with amendments giving counties the option to conduct an all-mail ballot. Without a floor vote, the bill is dead – unless at least 60 House members vote to overrule Knudsen’s decision, which is unlikely. In a statement, Bullock said Knudsen is “playing procedural games to prevent this (bill) from reaching the House floor.”
New Hampshire: Members of the House Election Law Committee heard several hours of testimony on Senate Bill 3 this week. Under the proposed legislation, there would be new 30-day residency requirements for voters. Town Councilors in Durham have passed a resolution opposing Senate Bill 3.
North Dakota: By a 35-10 vote, the Senate has approved House Bill 1369 which clarifies which forms of ID are acceptable to cast a ballot in the state including a driver’s license or non-driver’s ID. It also includes several options for those living in “special circumstances,” such as in a long-term care facility.
Pennsylvania: House Bill 171 would permit a registered voter of the commonwealth to be appointed as a poll watcher in any election district in Pennsylvania. Currently poll watchers can only serve in the jurisdiction where they vote. The bill was recently approved by the House State Government Committee.
Tennessee: By a 30-0 voice vote, the Senate has approved a bill legalizing ballot selfies. The bill allows exceptions in which election workers can stop people from using cell phones, mainly relating to harassment, disruptions and a recording of a marked ballot. Photos of marked ballots would be prohibited, for instance, to keep elected officials from requiring employees of taking photos of their vote to prove they backed them at the ballot booth.
Texas: The House Elections Committee has approved a bill that would make court-ordered changes to the states voter ID law. Senate Bill 5 would give more leeway to people who show up at the polls without one of the seven state-approved IDs. They would be allowed to use other documents that carry their name and address, such as a utility bill.
IV. Legal Updates
Georgia: Four e-poll books were stolen from a Cobb County precinct manager’s car over the weekend, just days before a special election was set to occur. Janine Eveler, Cobb County elections director, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that while the theft would not impact the special election, the devices did contain a copy of the state’s voter file which include voters personal information like birthdate and driver’s license numbers, but not social security numbers. On Wednesday, an arrest was made in the case. The e-poll books were not recovered though because they were placed in a dumpster and the dumpster was subsequently dumped at the landfill making it almost impossible to retrieve the devices.
Kansas: Judge James O’Hara has ordered Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to disclose documents outlining a strategic plan he presented to then-President-elect Donald Trump in November. The plan, which was in Kobach’s hand when he met with the president-elect made reference to voter rolls, but that portion of the document was obscured by Kobach’s hand. The ACLU sought the documents disclosure as part of their ongoing suit against Kansas’ proof-of-citizenship law. Kobach is seeking a stay in the decision.
Maine: Last week the state’s highest court heard arguments on the constitutionality of ranked choice voting in The Pine Tree State. During the hearing, Justice Joseph Jabar told Phyllis Gardiner, an assistant attorney general, that if “we don’t take any action now, there’s definitely going to be a challenge after the next election.” “People aren’t going to know how to vote because they don’t know if it’s going to be a plurality system or a ranked-choice voting system,” Jabar said according to the Bangor Daily News. But James Kilbreth, an attorney for ranked-choice voting supporters, said it wasn’t necessary that the court weigh in before legislators move to implement the law, calling it “a tail-wagging-the-dog kind of problem.”
Montana: The Green Party of Montana is taking their fight for ballot access in the upcoming May 25 special election all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The party is appealing a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court that denied an emergency motion requesting a Green Party candidate’s name be added to the ballot.
New York: In 2016, Common Cause sued the New York City Board of Elections over the purging of 200,000 voters shortly before the election. State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s office subsequently joined the suit charging that the city wrongly purged the voters. In papers filed this week, the city indicated that it working towards a settlement agreement with the plaintiffs.
Pennsylvania: The state’s highest court has tossed a lawsuit seeking the replacement of Philadelphia’s city commissioners. The Committee of Seventy, an elections watchdog group had sued saying that like county officials, the city’s elections officials should recuse themselves from May’s primary. City attorneys argued that Philadelphia commissioners don’t serve in the same capacity as county commissioner and their sole job is to run Philly’s elections. The Supreme Court gave no reason for the dismissal.
Texas: Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued an opinion that a court is likely to conclude that election judges are public officers and must take the constitutional oath of office, in addition to the election officer’s oath. The Texas Secretary of State’s Election Division had previously opined that election judges are not state officers within the meaning of the constitution and the constitutional oath of office is not applicable to election judges and early voting election officials.
V. Opinions This Week
National Opinions: U.S. Election Assistance Commission, II | Voting rights | Overseas voters | Cherokee Nation | Voter ID
Arizona: Election officials | Pima County
California: Primary date, II, III, IV
Iowa: Election integrity bill, II, III, IV
Kansas: Non-citizen voters | Kris Kobach, II
Maine: Ranked choice voting, II
Michigan: No-excuse absentee voting
Minnesota: Ballot counting
Mississippi: Precinct consolidation
New Hampshire: Moving elections
New Jersey: Voter fraud
Oklahoma: Voting system
Oregon: Paid postage
Texas: Voter ID, II, III, IV, V
U.S. Virgin Islands: Elections board
West Virginia: Cleaning up WV elections | Voter fraud
Wisconsin: Improving elections
VI. Upcoming Events
The Changing Trends in Elections — a special workshop from the Election Center where you will hear from colleagues and stakeholders in the election process covering issues such as the Electoral College debate, voter registration and litigation update, modernization of the voter registration process, media review of the 2016 election and polls and media projections impact on election administrators, changes and trends with vote-by-mail and other USPS issues, the 2015 American Community Survey, polling place accessibility and much more. Where: Columbus, Ohio. When: April 26-28.
The Future of Elections: Technology Policy and Funding — Join legislators, legislative staff, elections officials and election administration experts for a discussion on the future of elections technology and how to pay for it. Share ideas on updating voting infrastructure in an era of limited resources and heightened security concerns. In addition to a robust discussion on elections policy, attendees will enjoy all Colonial Williamsburg has to offer. Bring the whole family with you! When: June 14-16. Where: Williamsburg, Virginia.
Global Election Technology Summit — The GET Summit is a multi-day conference and networking event convening leaders in the rapidly evolving space of election technology. This nonpartisan event provides a forum to build the technology infrastructure that enables innovation in election technology. Attendees include government officials, private industry, academia, media, and civil society organizations. A 30 percent registration discount is available to readers of electionline. When: May 17-21. Where: San Francisco.
IaoGO 2017 Annual Conference — Mark your calendars now and stay tuned for more information and registration details on the International Association of Government Officials 2017 Annual Conference. When: July 6-13, 2017. Where: Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin.
NASS 2017 Summer Conference — Mark your calendars now and stay tuned for more information and registration details on the National Association of Secretaries of State 2017 Summer Conference. When: July 7-10, 2017. Where: Indianapolis, Indiana.
Summer Conference on Election Science, Reform and Administration — Hosted by Reed College and Portland State University the goals of the conference are, first, to provide a forum for scholars in political science, public administration, law, computer science, statistics, and other fields who are working to develop rigorous empirical approaches to the study of how laws and administrative procedures affect the quality of elections in the United States; and, second, to build scientific capacity by identifying major questions in the field, fostering collaboration, and connecting senior and junior scholars. When: July 26-27. Where: Portland, Oregon.
NASED 2017 Summer Meeting— Mark your calendars now and stay tuned for more information and registration details on the National Association of State Election Directors 2017 Summer Meeting. When: August 22-25, 2017. Where: Anaheim, California.
VII. 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.
Account Manager, Clear Ballot, Boston — we are looking for a talented Account Manager to play an active role in developing and maintaining long-term working relationships with Clear Ballot’s customers. This person should be able to work independently and in partnership with other team members to achieve high customer satisfaction. The account manager will have a regional assignment, with certain customers assigned to him/her. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Customer Relations Manager, Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a passionate and dedicated Customer Relations Manager to join our team! This is remote position that can be based in either Ohio or Pennsylvania. In this role, you will be responsible for providing world-class customer service to our customers in Ohio and Pennsylvania in order to achieve our core purpose of delivering solutions for the advancement of fair, accessible, and secure elections! You will problem solve, collaborate, create and improve processes, and make our customers successful in the execution of seemingly impossible tasks. Excitement lives here! Salary: Negotiable base + bonus target & benefits. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Data Reporting Supervisor, Orange County, Florida — The Office of the Supervisor of Elections is seeking an experienced GIS Data Reporting Supervisor to join our dynamic team. With minimal supervision, this position maintains accurate street index, precinct map, municipal and district boundaries for the elections office. The position coordinates all activities related to management of census data and redistricting. The ideal candidate would have experience managing GIS data for a government agency, developing and maintaining data reporting for internal and external parties and experience working with Oracle database, forms and reports including development of SQL queries and stored procedures. Preference will be given to candidates with strong supervisory skills, project management experience and prior experience utilizing MapInfo. Employment with the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office is contingent upon successfully passing a criminal background check, health screening and verification of work history, academic credentials, licenses and certifications, as applicable. Salary: Grade 14-Minimum $56,998, Maximum $85,486. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Nonprofit Vote — Nonprofit VOTE partners with America’s nonprofits to help the people they serve – communities typically left out of the political process – participate and vote. We are the largest source of nonpartisan resources to help nonprofits integrate voter engagement into their ongoing activities and services. Nonprofit VOTE also assists nonprofits with other forms of civic engagement, and increasingly Census participation. Nonprofit VOTE manages the multi-organizational work of National Voter Registration Day (NVRD). NVRD is a single day of coordinated field, technology, and media efforts, held on the fourth Tuesday in September, to raise awareness of voter registration opportunities and ultimately help hundreds of thousands of Americans get registered to vote. Director of Strategic Partnerships will be focused on cultivating partnerships and related activities for both Nonprofit VOTE and NVRD. The Dir. of Strategic Partnerships will be based in a shared space or home office easily accessible to Washington, DC, with frequent travel across the country and to Nonprofit VOTE’s main office in Boston. Deadline: May 14. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Election Warehouse Technician, Yavapai County, Arizona — Under minimal supervision, coordinates all the logistical activities for obtaining and equipping the county’s polling locations. This includes assuring that these sites are in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). PLEASE NOTE: This is not a typical warehouse job; no hard hats or heavy equipment operator licenses are necessary. Ideal candidate would have experience in election equipment testing and maintenance, leading a group of seasonal staff, project planning and preparing documents. Preference will be given to candidates with supervisory, project management and Microsoft Office experience. Employment with Yavapai County Government is contingent upon successfully passing a criminal background check and verification of work history, academic credentials, licenses and certifications, as applicable. Salary: $35,731-$41,073. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Full Stack .Net Developer, Dominion Voting Systems, Toronto, Ontario — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a highly technical and passionate Full Stack .Net Developer to join our team in downtown Toronto! This position will be responsible for providing high-level technical expertise to design development, coding, testing and debugging of new voting system software and/or significant enhancements to existing software. This position will work on a team utilizing an Agile development environment. Salary: Negotiable base + bonus target & benefits. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Regional Sales Manager (Southeast), Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking is highly-motivated and accomplished Regional Sales Manager to work remotely and be based in the Southeastern United States; preferably in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, or Louisiana. The Regional Sales Manager is responsible for long term sales (3-5 years) of the company’s election products and services in a specified geographic region to governmental agencies. This position uses technical, organizational and customer knowledge to influence customers and assist them in applying the products and services to their needs, resulting in revenue generation. In addition, the position provides input and participates in the marketing, planning and development of products and services. Salary: Negotiable base + commission & benefits. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Regional Sales Manager (Northeast), Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking is highly-motivated and accomplished Regional Sales Manager to work remotely and be based in the Northeastern United States; preferably Illinois, Ohio or New York. The Regional Sales Manager is responsible for long term sales (3-5 years) of the company’s election products and services in a specified geographic region to governmental agencies. This position uses technical, organizational and customer knowledge to influence customers and assist them in applying the products and services to their needs, resulting in revenue generation. In addition, the position provides input and participates in the marketing, planning and development of products and services. Salary: Negotiable base + commission & benefits. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Regional Sales Manager (West), Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking is highly-motivated and accomplished Regional Sales Manager to work remotely and be based in the Western United States; preferably California. The Regional Sales Manager is responsible for long term sales (3-5 years) of the company’s election products and services in a specified geographic region to governmental agencies. This position uses technical, organizational and customer knowledge to influence customers and assist them in applying the products and services to their needs, resulting in revenue generation. In addition, the position provides input and participates in the marketing, planning and development of products and services. Salary: Negotiable base + commission & benefits. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Sales Engineer, Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a passionate and technically skilled Sales Engineer to be based in either California or Colorado. This position will be responsible for serving Dominion Voting Systems customers by identifying their needs; working with Engineering & Certification on adaptations of existing DVS products, equipment, and services; and this using technical, organizational and customer knowledge to influence customers and assist them in applying our products and services to their needs, resulting in revenue generation. Salary: Negotiable base + bonus target & benefits. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Senior Software Engineer, Clear Ballot, Boston — Clear Ballot is looking for a talented Senior Software Engineer to be responsible for building and enhancing enterprise level web applications using JavaScript to create rich, dynamic and visually appealing experiences. You should have expert knowledge of python, JavaScript and MySQL, as well as experience with various operating systems (Windows 10, Linux Ubuntu). The ideal candidate should have strong technical skills utilizing the latest concepts in front-end development, including responsive techniques, accessibility and client-side frameworks. You will be working with a small team of highly skilled individuals to build a platform that is changing the elections industry. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Senior Technical Trainer, Clear Ballot, Boston, Massachusetts — our small and growing documentation and training team has an immediate need for a new member with intermediate-to-senior experience in: Instructional design, development of learning curricula, production of training materials, and hands-on, customer facing training. Generally, the training department, technical staff, and operations staff provide training at the customer’s site. We need an instructional designer and trainer who can analyze the learners and materials, and establish an appropriately targeted learning program. The opportunity exists to develop computer based training as an enhancement to our learning curriculum. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Systems Engineer, Clear Ballot, Boston, Massachusetts — we are looking for a talented Systems Engineer who has both a technical and services/support background which enables them to quickly assess customer needs and offer value to Clear Ballot’s customers. The Systems Engineer will gain a deep understanding of how Clear Ballot’s products operate and their optimal configuration to build a streamlined installation process of the Clear Vote election system. The ideal candidate for this position can prioritize mission critical tasks and coordinate the implementation and expansion of our systems. They will be able to work directly with customers, display innovation, think conceptually and act tactically to build consensus around system installation and enhancement and meet deadlines. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
VIII. Marketplace
electionline provides no guarantees as to the quality of the items being sold and the accuracy of the information provided about the sale items in the Marketplace. Ads are provided directly by sellers and are not verified by electionline. If you have an ad for Marketplace, please email it to: mmoretti@electionline.org
Diebold TS-RG Voting Machines
The Maryland State Board of Elections is currently auctioning off its legacy Diebold TS-RG voting machines via the GovDeals.com website. The link to the auction is here and the auction closes at various times on May 3, 2017.
IX. Electionline Underwriting
For 15 years, electionline.org has brought you all the election administration reform news and information of the day through electionlineToday and of the week through our weekly newsletter electionlineWeekly.
Because of the generosity of such organizations as The Pew Charitable Trusts, Democracy Fund and the Hewlett Foundation we were able to bring you that news and information for free and free of advertising.
In order to continue providing you with the important news of the day and week we are now offering monthly underwriting for our daily and weekly postings (think more NPR, less local radio and television).
Underwriting will be available for electionlineToday, the weekly email that reaches about 4,800 inboxes each week and the weekly newsletter. Underwriting is available on a per-month basis and costs $2,500 per section per month. The underwriting is available on a first come, first-served basis. Each section will be exclusive to one underwriter per month.
We will accept underwriting from a variety of entities in the elections world, but will not accept political advertising.
Job posting and marketplace listings from elections offices seeking to sell/trade voting equipment will remain free of charge.
Reservations are now available. If you are interested in underwriting a section of election for a month (or more), please email us at mmoretti@electionline.org