In Focus This Week
I. In Focus This Week
Harvard Kennedy School Hosts Event on “Getting to 80 Percent”
All-day gathering focuses on “moonshot” of improving voter participation
By Doug Chapin
Many(!) years ago, I worked on a statewide campaign in my home state of Virginia – and as part of preparations for Election Day, I met a local activist in Farmville to discuss GOTV.
As the conversation started, he asked me, “do you know what GOTV means?”
Now, I’m no political expert (fact check: I’m still not), but I felt pretty confident about this one – I answered, “it means Get Out The Vote.”
He said, “That’s what it stands for. What does it mean?” Seeing my blank face (fact check: I still have that, too), he smiled and explained “GOTV is the process of turning peoples’ GET-OUT into a VOTE.”
In other words, he went on, GOTV is the process of turning all that enthusiasm that’s been generated during a campaign – for your candidate, against your opponent, whatever – into an actual vote on Election Day.
I thought about that conversation a lot last week when I had the good fortune to join a meeting at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government focused on improving voter turnout – to unprecedented levels. Entitled “Getting to 80 Percent” and sponsored by HKG’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School; and the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, the meeting brought together folks from across the country to talk about what it would take for the country to undertake what organizers called a “moonshot” goal of 80 percent participation – which is especially significant given survey data showing the strong recent uptick in interest in elections among many sectors of the American public.
Here’s the overview from the meeting page:
A persistent and deeply troubling problem of American democracy is low voter participation. The US ranks 28th out 35 OECD countries in voting turnout–55 percent of voting age population in 2016. On the presumption that this is unacceptable, and we want the widest possible participation in American democracy, what would it take to seriously move the needle on this issue, to have 80 percent of Americans voting? What policies could really work? What cultural shifts do we need to make? How can new technologies and platforms be best utilized? How can young people become a new civic generation?
During a one-day intensive session at the Harvard Kennedy School, journalists and media, technologists, business leaders, elected officials, scholars, and grassroots advocates and organizers–all passionate about American democracy– will convene to talk about pushing the envelope and sparking the cultural and policy shifts we will need to increase voter participation in a major way for our country’s future.
The day was organized around a series of sessions where participants had an opportunity to discuss different aspects of the participation challenge:
Reimagining Participation: Creating a Culture Shift
We are entering a new era of civic engagement where influencers are creating new ways to inspire voters. How can we continue to shift the way voting is perceived throughout sectors of society, from business leaders incorporating voting as a social responsibility to cultural influencers raising the profile of civic duty?
Leading the Way: Technology and Social Media as Participation Innovators
Innovations in technology and social media have revolutionized the way citizens are informed and participate in democracy. How can we lift up what’s working and conceptualize ways for new technologies and social media platforms to encourage more voter participation?
The Change Generation: Young Americans and Participation
We know that people become life-long voters when engaged in civic duty early in life. Students are building momentum in turning their peers into voters. How can we build on the momentum across college campuses and elsewhere in registering voters and how do we support their power to organize and achieve higher participation?
States at the Cutting Edge
Some states have adopted multiple policies to encourage voting, others lag way behind. Can we lift up the examples of states who have achieved significant voter participation increases, looking at the technologies employed, the policies adopted, and the political and cultural conditions that made voter increases possible?
Closing the Participation Gap: Mobilizing Non-Voters
Do we know who is not voting and do we know why? What strategies have been successful in engaging these voters and increasing their representation at the polls?
The Policy Landscape: Universal Registration, Universal Voting
In addition to taking down the current barriers to voting, can we advance the conversation around policies to make voter registration truly universal? Can we explore possibilities for putting the idea of universal voting into the public debate?
It was an incredibly lively day of discussion – and here’s what I got as the top-level takeaways:
- Improving participation to 80 percent isn’t an immediate or short-term goal – but it’s still important as an antidote to cynicism and a way of thinking about engaging more Americans in the democratic process;
- One of the most effective things anyone can do to encourage voting is simply to ask – and reach beyond so-called “high-propensity voters” to those to rarely vote or never have before.
- Voters need a reason to vote beyond simple exhortations to exercise their rights – making the connection between elections and public issues of importance (education, taxes, immigration, public safety, etc.) helps establish that voting is an opportunity and not just a duty;
- States and localities are creating more opportunities for people to cast a ballot on and before Election Day and are developing tools to let them learn about the process – and thus everyone can help individuals manage their own voter’s journey by encouraging them to “be a voter” and be ready for Election Day.
Thanks to everyone at Harvard for organizing the event. It was a fantastic day; obviously, “getting to 80” is a huge goal but it’s worth it. It’s no secret that levels of energy (i.e., “get out”) are higher than ever before – all that’s left is for the community to come together and turn it into votes.
(Doug Chapin is the director emeritus of electionline.brinkdev.com. He currently runs the Election Academy at the Humphry School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.)
Federal-State Updates
II. Federal-State Updates
President Donald J. Trump recently met with members of his administration including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to discuss election security. According to The Hill, the president received an update about current federal election security-related efforts, including information sharing and best practices like using paper ballots, issuing security clearances and conducing security assessments. A full read out of the meeting can be found here.
The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee has concluded that Russia was preparing to undermine confidence in the United States’ voting process when hackers surveilled around 20 state election systems. According to The New York Times, the committee said it saw no evidence that the Russians had ultimately changed vote tallies or voter registration information.
“These activities began at least as early as 2014, continued through Election Day 2016, and included traditional information-gathering efforts as well as operations likely aimed at preparing to discredit the integrity of the U.S. voting process and election results,” the senators wrote.
Primary Updates
III. Primary Updates
Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia all held primary elections this week and overall, things went well although there were a few reports of scattered problems in each state.
In Indiana, in Dearborn County, most of the counties ballot scanning machines were disabled by dead batteries. The county tested the machines a few weeks before the election and found no problems and the year-old batteries were supposed to have five-year lifespan. In Lake County, a kerfuffle broke out between poll workers as they were returning to the county government center. A sheriff’s deputy was called. Several counties, including Putnam and Hendricks, rolled out vote centers for the first time and feedback from elections officials and poll workers was positive. In Clark County, voters and elections workers both sung the praises of the county’s new e-poll books.
In North Carolina there were some issues and one polling place had to be kept open later, but overall things went well especially considering that many county boards of elections had not been fully staffed until recently. Voting was extended in one precinct until 7:45pm in Hoke County because the precinct opened late. In Robeson County, voting was extended until 8:15 pm after an accident outside the polling place delayed voters. A polling place in Franklin County was put on lockdown for a brief period of time due to a nearby shootout. Voting time was not extended. An issue with poll workers found some voters in Halifax County being turned away when the poll worker could not find their information in the e-poll book. Results were delayed in Wake County, but that was totally on purpose. The county put in place a new results reporting procedure this year in order to guard against cyberattacks.
In Ohio there were some reported problems with voting machines in Toledo and Highland County. Poll workers and voters in Stark County were pleased with the roll out of e-poll books during the election. Only minor problems, chalked up to voter error and input errors, were reported in Tuscarawas County. And in the secretary of state race, Democrat Kathleen Clyde will face Republican Frank LaRose in November.
And in West Virginia, there were not reported issues with the implementation of the state’s new voter ID law, although there were some problems about which ballots unaffiliated voters were supposed to use during the primary. “We’ve had a few isolated incidents in Mingo, Logan and Kanawha counties,” Steven Adams, assistant communications director for the Secretary of State’s Office told WVNews. “We’ve had issues with poll workers telling unaffiliated voters who asked for a party ballot, whether Republican or Democrat party ballot, that they can’t do that. So we’ve had to obviously make contact with those county clerks to try and get word to those precincts that you absolutely can.”
Election News This Week
IV. Election News This Week
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Georgia secretary of state’s office has launched an investigation into irregularities during the December runoff election for mayor in Atlanta. The probe involves irregularities over absentee ballots and investigators have requested records to conduct a forensic review.
This week, Orange County, California launched 30 Days of Data, an initiative that will give users the ability to visualize key topics through maps, charts, narratives and graphs that will reveal connections between voters, demographics and other forms of data. A new storyboard is released every day. “Access to voter data — and ways to make sense of that information — is essential to understanding elections and how they function in the 5th largest voting jurisdiction in the country,” said Registrar Neal Kelley. “30 Days of Data sets a new standard for election data, bringing to life the rich stories that our data can tell.”
Every elementary school teacher in America is nodding their head yes over this one. It recently took Bridgewater, Massachusetts a couple of days to correctly and officially declare the winner in the race for library trustee because the handwriting on tally sheets was so bad, it initially could not be determined who the precinct warden had written in on the tally sheet. As a result, the wrong winner was initially announced. “We were horrified,” Clerk Marilee Kenney Hunt told WCVB. Hunt said everyone involved feels terrible about the error and she has already spoken to all the election workers to make sure nothing like this happens again.
Congratulations to the Collier County, Florida Supervisor of Elections Office for winning the Image Award and Judges Award from the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association. The awards recognized the office’s outstanding efforts during the fifth annual High School Voter Registration Challenge, which was postponed due to Hurricane Irma. Through planning and coordinating with the Collier County Public Schools, the elections office was able to continue the challenge post-Irma and saw the highest voter registration numbers in the competition’s history – nearly doubling the number of student registrations from the prior year.
Personnel News: Escanaba, Michigan City Clerk Bob Richards is retiring after 25 years at the city’s clerk. Molly Fitzpatrick will be the new Boulder County, Colorado clerk and recorder. Fitzpatrick is running unopposed in the Democratic primary and there are no Republican candidates running. Kathy Smith has been named the interim clerk in Macomb County, Michigan. Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos has filed paperwork to run for re-election. Kyle Ardoin has officially taken over as the Louisiana secretary of state.
Research and Report Summaries
V. Research and Report Summaries
electionline provides brief summaries of recent research and reports in the field of election administration. The summaries are courtesy of Sean Greene, director of research for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
Improving the Voter Experience, Bipartisan Policy Center, April 2018: This report focuses on progress made on studying lines at polling places and tools can be used to measure and mitigate them. Recent research shows:
- Long lines are not the norm for most voters. There are a fraction of polling places where voters wait longer than the 30 minutes and a smaller group polling places where lines are over one hour.
- Lines can be caused by a variety of issues, some unique to a particular polling place or others by more general problems related to chronic capacity shortages.
- Lines are longest on the morning of Election Day.
- Longer lines tend to occur more in larger precincts, in precincts unable to handle early morning lines, and in precincts that are more urban, dense, and have higher minority populations.
Legislative Updates
VI. Legislative Updates
Connecticut: The House spent about an hour debating a bill that would have restored the voting rights to ex-felons who have been released from incarceration, but are still serving parole or probation. Following the debate, the bill was tabled.
Minnesota: Under House File 3502, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources would be required to voter registration information to anyone who purchases a hunting, fishing or trapping license online.
New York: Sen. Terrence Murphy (R-Putnam) has introduced a bill that would require voters in the Empire State to show a government-issued photo ID in order to cast a ballot.
Washington: The King County council has approved legislation that will provide all King County voters with a prepaid postage envelope along with their vote-by-mail ballots this year. Elections Director Julie Wise had requested $381,000 to cover the costs.
Legal Updates
VII. Legal Updates
Arizona: Coconino County has reached an agreement with the Justice Department to make county polling places accessible to people with mobility and vision impairments. Under the agreement, the county will start remediating polling places in time for the next election and will ensure that all of its polling place are accessible during elections to people with disabilities by no later than the November 2020 election.
Also in Arizona, U.S District Judge Douglas L. Rayes has ruled that restrictions on Arizona voting purportedly aimed at reducing voter fraud—eliminating ballot harvesting and provisional ballots—do not impose an undue burden on minorities and were not intended to. The suit was originally brought by the Democratic National Committee and the Arizona Democratic Party.
California: Los Angeles County is being sued by two registered sex offenders for the right to become poll workers. Their lawsuit says that state law doesn’t bar registered sex offenders from serving as poll workers and so they are suing the county for violating the state constitution.
Florida: The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal has tentatively scheduled oral arguments in the state’s fight against restoring the voting rights to ex-felons for the week of July 23.
Hawaii: The Hawaii Supreme Court overturned the dismissal of a defamation lawsuit filed by county Elections Administrator Pat Nakamoto and a former elections clerk against Hawaii County, former Councilman Dominic Yagong and a private investigator. The 48-page clears former County Clerk Jamae Kawauchi, saying the comments attributed to her in a 2012 newspaper article weren’t defamatory because they were true.
Indiana: According to the Chicago Tribune, lawyers representing the Indiana State Conference of the NAACP and group of Lake County voters have asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that would force the state to consolidate small voting precincts in Lake County.
Kansas: The ACLU has asked U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson to order Secretary of State Kris Kobach to pay more than $50,000 in attorney fees and other damages as punishment for violating a court order.
Louisiana: Plaintiffs in a suit challenging Louisiana’s 1976 law that prohibits ex-felons from voting are asking the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals for a rehearing after the court affirmed a lower court ruling that upheld the law. The Appeals court, on Wednesday, chose not to rehear the case.
Maine: The Maine Republican Party has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block the secretary of state from implementing ranked-choice voting for the party’s June 12 primary. According to the Press Herald, the suit seeks a quick injunction against Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap that would prohibit him from proceeding with a retabulation of the ballots cast in the Republican primary as called for under the ranked-choice voting law if a candidate does not win a majority in the first count of ballots. Arguments have been set for May 23.
New Hampshire: The Attorney General’s office has asked the state’s Supreme Court to block a lower court’s ruling that the state’s entire voter registration databased be turned over to parties challenging a 2017 law that tightened vote requirements. The attorney general’s office argued in a motion to the high court that the database information for nearly 1 million active New Hampshire voters is private under state law and that the Superior Court judge is requiring state officials to “commit a crime in order to release this information to the plaintiffs.”
Also in New Hampshire, Judge Charles Temple has recused himself from the suit against Senate Bill 3 because the state has hired an outside attorney who Temple considers a close friend.
North Dakota: U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Miller has granted a request from attorneys for several members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa for a settlement conference with the state of North Dakota over the state’s voter ID law. The judge set the conference for May 29 at the federal courthouse in Bismarck.
Oklahoma: The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s voter-approved 2010 voter ID law is constitutional. “The Oklahoma Voter ID Act is a reasonable procedural regulation to ensure that voters meet identity and residency qualifications to vote and does not cause an undue burden,” according to the opinion.
Pennsylvania: Thurman George, 57 of Philadelphia has pleaded guilty to election fraud during the 2017 House special election. George, along with three other election workers, was accused of harassment and intimidation against voters who wanted to vote for candidates of their choice, but not the candidate being pushed by the city’s Democratic Party.
Tech Thursday
VIII. Tech Thursday
Alaska: According to documents released by Gov. Bill Walker, in 2016, a hacker gained unauthorized access to the server that hosts the state’s public elections website. The documents, obtained by the Anchorage Daily News through a public records request, outline an incident that drew the attention of federal law enforcement but had not been publicly revealed by Alaska election officials.
Maine: The Maine Secretary of State’s Office has updated its website to include information about ranked choice voting in the upcoming June primary. The site includes a FAQs section, a printable fact sheet, an implementation plan, draft rules and sample ballots.
Mississippi: Harrison County has joined a growing list of localities and states relying on texting to keep in touch with voters. Harrison County Circuit Clerk Connie Ladner old WXXV the ‘Reach A Voter’ texting tool will make communication stronger between the county and residents who want to make a difference. “It’s to help increase voter registration and voter participation. It’s so simple to register to vote, but you have to be educated, make the effort to go out to the polls and cast your ballot because your voice is your vote and that’s the ultimate goal, to get people out to the polls June 5th.”
Opinions This Week
IX. Opinions This Week
National Opinions: National popular vote | Cybersecurity
Arkansas: Voter ID
California: Secretary of state | Election security | Future of voting
Colorado: Ranked choice voting, II
Florida: Ex-felon voting rights | Pasco County
Indiana: High school voters | Vigo County
Iowa: Barriers to voting
Kansas: Sedgwick County
Louisiana: Ex-felon voting rights | Secretary of state
Maine: Ranked choice voting
Massachusetts: Automatic voter registration
New York: Ex-felon voting rights, II, III
Ohio: Clinton County
Oregon: Election security
Pennsylvania: Voting system, II, III
Rhode Island: Getting elections right
Tennessee: Ranked choice voting
Texas: Special election cost | Voter ID
Virginia: Voter apathy
Washington: Prepaid postage, II, III, IV
West Virginia: Military/overseas voters
Wisconsin: Election security
Upcoming Events
X. Upcoming Events
New Voter Forum— Hosted by the National Association of Secretaries of State, this forum will focus on voter outreach, education and best practices geared towards young people, minorities, active duty military and the disabled communities. Secretaries of State/Lieutenant Governors, senior state staff and private sector representatives will convene to hold bipartisan discussions on these important topics. Where: Washington, DC. When: May 21.
Cybersecurity Online Training Series — The Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL) is partnering with the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) to deliver a new cybersecurity training series designed for election officials this July. The series will include 3 courses that will empower your election office to manage cyber threats and communicate with the public about cybersecurity. After completing the series, you’ll have more confidence to safeguard against and respond to cyber threats in your election office. When: July 10, July 24 and July 31. Where: Online.
NASS 2018 Summer Conference — Mark your calendars now for the National Association of Secretaries of State 2018 summer conference in the City of Brotherly Love. Check back soon for more information about the agenda. When: July 13-16. Where: Philadelphia.
2018 NASED Summer Meeting — Mark your calendars now for the National Association of State Election Directors’ 2018 summer meeting in the City of Brotherly Love. Check back soon for more information about the agenda. When: July 13-16. Where: Philadelphia.
NACo Annual Conference and Exposition — Mark your calendars now for the National Association of Counties Annual Conference and Exposition in Music City. Check back soon for more information about the agenda. When: July 13-16. Where: Nashville, Tennessee.
2018 iGo Annual Conference — Mark your calendars now for the International Association of Government Officials 2018 Annual Conference in The Biggest Little City in the World! Check back soon for more information about the agenda. When: July 16-21. Where: Reno, Nevada.
Election Sciences Reform and Administration (ESRA) — The conference brings together political scientists and other experts in election administration to develop rigorous empirical approaches to the study of how law and administrative procedures affect the quality of elections in the United States. Participants will identify major questions in the field, share new insights, foster collaboration between election administrators and election scientists, and connect senior and junior scholars. When: July 26 and 27. Where: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Job Postings This Week
XI. 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.brinkdev.com. 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.
Clerk-Recorder Services Technician, Contra Costa County, California— the Clerk-Recorder Services Technician is a technical position assigned to one of the specialized units of the Clerk-Recorder Division: Recording, Clerk Services, Imaging/Indexing and Archive/Warehouse Services. This position performs technical and complex data entry and clerical that may include: fictitious business name, general clerk filings, notary, passport, marriage license application processing and marriage ceremonies, real property and other general document recordings, document indexing and/or general index verification, customer service desk and phone support, and perform database management in one or more database systems; and perform related work as required. Salary: $44,018-$53,505. Deadline: May 11. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Customer Support Consultant, Hart InterCivic— Hart InterCivic is looking to add a Customer Support Consultant to our team. A Hart Customer Support Consultant is a great listener and communicator who responds to requests for assistance from Hart InterCivic customers for all Hart InterCivic products. The primary responsibilities for this position are to answer, resolve and route customer queries (usually by phone or email), work with customers in a professional manner and read and interpret documents such as user guides and training manuals and translate the information to the customer in a manner which they can understand. We are looking for individuals who have technical skills, have been in support roles in the past and, preferably, have elections experience. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Data Manager, The New York City Campaign Finance Board — the New York City Campaign Finance Board seeks a Data Manager to collect and maintain data related to voter participation, election administration, and campaign finance and serve as the agency’s Open Data Coordinator. This position will report to the Deputy Director of Public Affairs. Responsibilities include: Maintain and document data management policies and practices for Public Affairs; Serve as the agency’s Open Data Coordinator and ensure compliance with the NYC Open Data Law; Manage acquisition and collection of data both internally and from external sources; Evaluate federal, state, local, and community data sources to incorporate into internal data research; Oversee data entry with the Document Processing Unit and ensure quality assurance of all internally-collected voting data; Create visualizations and dashboards from campaign finance and voting data; Work with Public Affairs and agency staff to supply data for decision-making or project needs; Assist in developing an overall data strategy. Salary: $65,000-$75,000. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Elections Management Analyst, New Mexico Secretary of State — this position will serve as a liaison to the county clerks for election related issues and support. This position performs complex research and analysis regarding best practices in regards to the administration and implementation of the election code, develops guidelines, documentation and training material. Position will led efforts related to election specific projects and maintain operational guides. This position must demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills and will be required to communicate project status, interface with public officials and conduct trainings. Salary: $31,782-$55,307. Deadline: May 21. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Elections and Voter Services Manager, Montana Secretary of State’s Office — this position serves as the Manager of the Elections and Voter Services Division and reports to the Elections and Voter Services Director for the Office of the Secretary of State. This position is responsible for ensuring the integrity of elections, aligning resources with the strategic direction of the Elections and Voter Services Division, interpreting state election laws and ensuring implementation uniformly throughout the state, and interpreting, analyzing, drawing conclusions, identifying trends, and presenting voting data. This position supervises three positions within the Division and is responsible for all aspects of performance management. Salary: $75,000. Deadline: Open until filled: Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Embedded System Software Engineer, Clear Ballot — Clear Ballot is looking for a talented Software Engineer who wants to bring their technical skills to bear on a hugely consequential problem. The successful candidate will build and enhance full software stack of highly available applications using primarily Python that interface with front-end web applications implemented in JavaScript and HTML5. The application software deploys on OEM based hardware, with optical scanner, battery backup, and full touchscreen UI, running a custom configured version of Linux OS. The ideal candidate should have strong technical skills, solid understanding of developing for embedded systems, a good working knowledge of the Linux architecture, and software integration with OEM hardware devices. You will be working with a small team of highly skilled individuals to build and enhance a platform that is changing the elections industry. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Field Sales Director, Hart InterCivic — the Field Sales Director works primarily on the road and from a home office when he/she is not on business travel. The Field Sales Director is responsible for creating news sales with prospects and existing clients in a defined region. Today, this role is a single contributor and does not directly manage people. This position will report to the VP of Sales. Application: For the complete job listing an to apply, click here.
Field Support Engineer (Ohio), Clear Ballot — Oversee and perform installation, configuration and maintenance of Ubuntu servers and Windows desktop and laptop machines, local area network, related equipment and devices; become expert at installation and configuration of Clear Ballot Group software; respond to end user reported incidents, create and track incidents in a ticketing system; daily interaction with both local and remote users for needs gathering and problem analysis; provides technical leadership on a variety of highly specialized project-related activities requiring expertise in specific scientific/technical areas for digital voting systems. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Full Stack Principal Software Engineer, Clear Ballot— Clear Ballot is looking for an accomplished Principal Software Engineer who wants to bring their technical and leadership skills to bear on a hugely consequential problem: Bringing transparency to democratic elections. The successful candidate will have the ability to look at the bigger picture and deal with complex and competing requirements to design effective solutions. Extensive knowledge of and experience with large data structures and algorithms will be key. The backend implemented in Python and uses a SQL data base. The front end is implemented in JavaScript, Node.js and HTML5. The ideal candidate should have strong technical and leadership skills and a good working knowledge of the latest concepts in security, performance, and resilience. You will be working with a small team of highly skilled individuals to build and enhance a platform that is changing the elections industry. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Full Stack Software Developer, Clear Ballot— Clear Ballot is looking for a talented Software Engineer who wants to bring their technical skills to bear on a hugely consequential problem. The successful candidate will build and enhance enterprise-level, highly available applications using primarily Python and MySQL that interface with frontend web applications implemented in JavaScript, Node.js and HTML5. The ideal candidate should have strong technical skills and a good working knowledge of the latest concepts in performance, security and resilience. One of the hallmarks of our system is its emphasis on new visualization techniques made possible by sophisticated data structures that enable high-performance in a multi-user environment. You will be working with a small team of highly skilled individuals to build and enhance a platform that is changing the elections industry. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Full-Stack Software Engineer, Clear Ballot — Clear Ballot is looking for a talented Software Engineer who wants to bring their technical skills to bear on a hugely consequential problem – to modernize America’s voting systems and to bring transparency to democratic elections. The successful candidate will build and enhance enterprise-level, highly available applications using primarily Python and MySQL that interface with frontend web applications implemented in JavaScript, Node.js and HTML5. The ideal candidate should have strong technical skills and a good working knowledge of the latest concepts in performance, security and resilience. One of the hallmarks of our system is its emphasis on new visualization techniques made possible by sophisticated data structures that enable high-performance in a multi-user environment. You will be working with a small team of highly skilled individuals to build and enhance a platform that is changing the elections industry. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Operations Technician, Clear Ballot — the Operations Technician’s primary duty is preparing, installing software, staging, and shipping equipment to customers. Additionally, the position manages an internal IT network and maintains inventory of company equipment. The successful candidate has all or some combination of experience with hands on hardware and software integration, IT, project management, procurement, logistics, and inventory management. This position reports to the Director of Field Operations. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Product Manager, Clear Ballot — the Product Manager position is a member of the Clear Ballot Product team. At Clear Ballot, the Product team is the hub around which all other functions orbit. The team manages the company’s product planning and feedback cycle, interacting and collaborating regularly with Customer Success, Engineering, Business Development, Compliance/Certification, Field Operations, and Executive Management. Clear Ballot Product Managers work on a multi-disciplinary product team which is assigned one of more of Clear Ballot products. As the customer representative on the product team, the Product Manager creates, prioritizes and represents product requirements to the product team. The Product Manager also the product team’s representative to stakeholders inside and outside of the organization. The Product Manager is often working with prospects and clients to gain insight, vet ideas, and present solutions. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Research Associate, Center for Election Innovation & Research — the Research Associate will conduct original research and provide written quantitative and qualitative analyses. The Research Associate will work full-time in the Washington, DC Metro Area, usually in CEIR’s office, although sometimes working from home may be possible. Job Duties include: Conduct original research covering a variety of election-related issues pertinent to CEIR’s mission; Draft papers, blog posts, and other writings, to be published by CEIR and/or other outlets; Attend convenings, hearings, and other meetings; and Interact with election officials and other election experts. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Senior Manager, Technical Product Support (Denver, CO) – Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a tech-savvy, passionate Senior Manager, Technical Product Support to join our team in Denver, CO! This position is responsible for strategically leading and developing a multi-state team of election technology software and hardware Product Specialists through a number of critical projects throughout the Western United States. Salary: Negotiable base + bonus & benefits. Deadline: Open until filled. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Senior Technical Trainer, Clear Ballot — training courses and learning materials support users whose skills range the technical spectrum and include laypersons (pollworkers), election officials, and system administrators. 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; 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. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
State Election Technology Associate, Clear Ballot— our growing team has an immediate need for a new member to manage testing, approval and certification campaigns of election technology in new states. This position works directly with State Government to test and approve voting systems. Certification and approval is key to success in the election systems domain. Diplomacy and empathy alongside professional and tactful communications are key contributors to smooth state certification campaigns of new election technology. All voting system components (ballot layout, in-person voting, absentee voting, results reporting and audit) and their associated documentation are certified by state agencies; evaluation is performed by demanding government laboratories. Requirements vary across the States; and these requirements are found in statute, Rule, by written and oral tradition, and sometimes are ambiguous and even unwritten. Attention to detail is paramount to success. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Systems Engineer, Clear Ballot — 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. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Marketplace
XII. 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.brinkdev.com
