In Focus This Week
I. In Focus This Week
Election management in the U.S. is improving
An updated Elections Performance Index from the MIT Election Data & Science Lab evaluates the 2016 election
States’ administration of elections overall improved by 6 percentage points between 2012 and 2016, according to the Elections Performance Index (EPI) released today by the MIT Election Data & Science Lab.
As many readers will know, the index, which was developed and managed by The Pew Charitable Trusts before being transferred to MEDSL in 2017, provides a nonpartisan, objective measure of how well each state is faring in managing national elections. When it launched in 2013, it provided the first comprehensive assessment of election administration in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.; it now includes data from every federal U.S. election since 2008. It’s calculated using 17 indicators that cover the broad scope of issues involved in managing elections, providing specific metrics for election officials, voters, and policymakers to compare their state with its own past performance, as well as the performance of other states.
“The index is an important foundation for the ongoing discussions on election management,” said Charles Stewart III, the Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and MIT Election Lab’s founding director. “The new release of the index helps remind us that election administration is a multi-dimensional challenge. Significant improvements in the 2016 index also illustrate that when election officials commit themselves to a path of improvement, good things can happen.”
Overall, almost all states improved their index scores between the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections, with 22 states improving at a rate greater than the national average. Overall, Vermont showed the most significant improvement from 2012, landing at the top of the index for the first time after expanding the availability of online tools, providing online voter registration, and requiring a postelection audit.
The District of Columbia, West Virginia, and South Carolina also saw significant gains in their scores and rankings. Only six states saw their scores decline from 2012, partly due to an increase in the residual vote rate.
Trends in 2016
A trend that made a positive impact on the index scores of many states in 2016 was the increasing online capacity of state and local election offices, including an increase in the availability of online lookup tools for voting information. These tools make important election information easy to find, and take a significant time burden away from election staff. In 2016, every state and DC had at least one of these tools, whether it was meant to allow voters to check the location of their polling place, their registration status, track the status of their absentee or provisional ballot, or simply look up specific ballot information.
The hefty jump in rank made by states like Vermont—which catapulted to the top of the index in 2016—was in many cases partly due to the states’ development and release of these tools. Likewise, online voter registration played a role in these shifting ranks. In 2008, only Arizona and Washington State offered voters the ability to register to vote entirely online. By 2016, that number had grown to 33 states and DC, with four additional states offering voters the chance to update their existing registration online.
The decline in average wait times at the polls also played a role in improving the average index score in 2016. The effort that state and local officials put into addressing polling place wait times after 2012 paid off, and is reflected in the significant drop in this measure for many of the states that performed worst in 2012. Florida had the longest average wait to vote in 2012, at 45 minutes, but dropped to just 5.5 minutes in 2016. D.C., which in 2012 was second-from-the-bottom, saw 2016 wait times drop from 33.9 to 16.3 minutes. Overall, 7 states had average wait times of more than 20 minutes in 2012. In 2016, that number dropped to zero.
(In the interest of cross-promotion, we should note that MIT, along with the Bipartisan Policy Center, has had a major program to work with election officials to record line lengths and reduce wait times. A report on this effort, entitled “Improving the Voter Experience,” was released in April.)
As noted above, one indicator that stood out in the 2016 update was the residual vote rate, which calculates the number of under- and over-votes cast in an election (as a percentage of voter turnout) to evaluate the performance of voting machines. The 2000 election still holds the record for highest residual vote rate in the last two decades; the nationwide rate in that election was 1.9 percent, with state highs of up to 3.9 percent. In 2016, however, the rate spiked back up to 1.39 percent, after dropping to 0.99 percent in 2012.
Research has shown that the jump is likely due to an increase in voters abstaining from casting a vote in the contentious presidential race, rather than a decline in the performance of voting machines. Interestingly, Nevada, which provides voters with the ballot option “none of these candidates,” saw a historical low in the residual vote rate in 2016.
In store for 2018’s EPI: Time for renewal
As the staff of the MIT Election Lab look ahead to the next federal election, now less than three months away, they’re already planning out their approach for the 2018 EPI. Nearly ten years after the first EPI advisory committee was convened, the Lab will reconvene many of them—plus a few new faces—to revisit the current indicators and discuss whether any might need to be altered or retired.
At the same time, they’ll face the challenge of evaluating new potential measurements and data sources, and identifying whether they have a place in a redesigned index. Cybersecurity, for example, has been a hot topic in discussions on U.S. election administration, but has proved difficult to include on the EPI because of the dearth of a high-quality measure for it.
All told, the EPI exists to illustrate to the public the many factors that go into running elections, and how changes to election policy can lead to change in election performance. The current nationwide concern with cybersecurity hasn’t changed the fact that election management is a complex web of prosaic processes that determine whether voters can cast ballots conveniently and securely. It will be this understanding of elections that guides the development of the EPI through the 2018 election and beyond.
(The MIT Election Data & Science Lab supports advances in election science by collecting, analyzing, and sharing core data and findings. We aim to build relationships with election officials and others to help apply new scientific research to the practice of democracy in the United States. The MIT Election Data & Science Lab is a grantee of The Democracy Fund.)
electionline Help
II. electionline Help
As electionline closes in on 20 years and we prepare for a new and improved website, we want to hear from you. Whether you’re a long-time reader or new to electionline, let us know, in 200 words or less, what you like about electionline and why you read it every day or every week. One lucky reader might even get to film their comments for our new site. Please send your thoughts to mmoretti@electionline.brinkdev.com by August 15.
Federal-State Updates
III. Federal-State Updates
Last week, the top national security officials presented a united front in the White House briefing room to warn that Russia continues to target the U.S. election system and that the Administration has made combatting the interference a top priority.
“In regards to Russian involvement in the midterm elections, we continue to see a pervasive messaging campaign by Russia to try to weaken and divide the United States,” Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats told the White House press corps in the live-televised briefing according to The Washington Post.
In other news, according to Maine Secretary of State, a Democratic member of President Donald J. Trump’s presidential commission on election integrity, said that the commission found no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
Kobach responded to Dunlap by calling him “willfully blind of the voter fraud in front of his nose” and pointed to two studies seeming to back up his claims, however other experts argue that Kobach was working with flawed data.
Primary Updates
IV. Primary Updates
Hawaii: Hawaii’s primary is next week, but officials are encouraging as many voters to vote early because of an impending hurricane. Although the path of the storm in not certain, an oncoming hurricane is just one more natural disaster that elections officials in the Aloha State have had to factor into this year’s primary.
Kansas: Sen. Oletha Faust Goudou (D-Wichita) and the ranking member of the Senate Elections Committee said that Tuesday’s election was her “worst voting experience ever,” in Sedgwick County. In Johnson County, the states most populous county, voters found problems at the polls early in the morning with some of the county’s new voting machines not working. The early morning delay had a trickle-down effect with some polling places staying open late and delaying the reporting of results. “I’m embarrassed for our county,” Johnson County election commissioner Ronnie Metsker told the Kansas City Star. “Our county is not accustomed to having this kind of event. It’s embarrassing for our office, it’s embarrassing for me, for our team and for the vendor.” In the race for secretary of state, Republican Scott Schwab will face off against Democrat Brian McClendon in November.
Michigan: Many Michigan counties and towns saw the first major roll out of new voting systems and things did not go as planned in some areas. There were ballot shortages on Oakland County and in Grand Rapids. In Jackson County, a millage proposal was left off of some ballots. The power went out in at least 15 Detroit polling places. Also in Detroit, some voters said they were never informed about a polling place relocation. Votes in one Genesse County precinct could not be counted. Results were delayed in Wexford County because of vote-counting issues. Results were also delayed in Monroe County. Officials in Wayne County blamed late results on technical problems with a website created to present vote counts in an interactive map. It was issues with computer modems in various municipalities that delayed the results in Ionia County. In the race to replace embattled Macomb County Clerk Karen Spranger, Democrat Fred Miller will face Lisa Sinclair. According to early numbers, voter turnout exceeded 27 percent, which is the most people to vote in any Michigan primary — midterm or presidential — since 1978.
Missouri: A lot of strange and unique things happen on election days and sometimes it seems like we’ve heard them all, but this was a new one for electionline. On Tuesday, a group of GOP poll workers at a polling place in Berkeley left for lunch and got lost and failed to return. When that happened, the Democratic poll workers shut down the polling place and turned away voters. “It was just like a comedy of errors,” St. Louis County’s Democratic Election Director Eric Fey told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It is unclear how many people were turned away during the 45 minutes it took to get more Republican poll workers to the school, which also had three Democratic poll workers on site. Voters in at least one Kansas City polling place reported that when they turned over their two-sided ballot, the back side of the ballot was already complete. There were scattered power outages on election day including in Jackson County, but none of those outages prevented voters from casting their ballots. Voters in Greene County experienced delays of up to 90 minutes while waiting to cast a ballot. The delay was blamed on higher than expected turnout. Although overall reporting was timely, Boone County had some issues getting their absentee vote tallies complete. While there were scattered issues throughout the day, there were no reported problems with the implementation of the state’s voter ID law.
Tennessee: Overall, the August primary went well throughout much of the Volunteer State. There were the usual minor issues, like power outages and bad weather, but some counties like Rutherford and Sullivan saw record turnout. In Cheatham County, results were delayed due to a countywide shut down of the election system. And delayed results in Shelby County brought renewed calls for new voting equipment. In Wilson County, two races for county commissioner ended in a tie. If the races remain tied after the election is certified, the county commission will either choose a winning candidate or make a new election part of the November 6 general. Although it didn’t end in a tie, the race for vice mayor in Nashville was close enough to trigger a runoff, which will cost the city about $750,000.
Washington: Washington, which is all vote-by-mail, had a primary. And that’s all we have to report!
Election News This Week
V. Election News This Week
Special elections are usually low-turnout affairs, but when one is called in Alaska during the summer, it presents its own challenges. Not only, does Anchorage not typically have elections in the summer, but it’s also the nicest time of the year in Alaska so people are often otherwise occupied. “And it’s compounded by the fact that it’s summer in Alaska and people are off camping, fishing, hiking and enjoying all the awesome things Alaskan summers provide,” Carolyn Hall, education and outreach coordinator for the city elections told the Anchorage Daily News. Hall and her staff have been manning a table at local farmer’s market in order to generate attention and they have planned to have food trucks and a kombucha stand at city hall on election day so people can stop by, grab lunch and watch the mail ballots being processed.
Since the second phase of the implementation of automatic voter registration began in July in Illinois, more than 20,000 people have updated their voter registration information or registered to vote for the first time according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. “It’s pretty surprising to me that you have 20,000 new or updated voters,” ISBE spokesman Matt Dietrich told the Illinois News Network. “That shows how, number one, it’s going to bring new people into the system. And number two, it’s going to help the local jurisdictions keep accurate records.”
Voter Registration Efforts: Last week we learned about the Broadway cast of Hamilton doing their part to get voters registered for November and this week, Publisher’s Weekly has a story about voter registration drives at independent book stores. Some bookstores have set up tables with voter registration information and others are handing customers voter registration forms with their change. In New York City, elections officials have launched a voter registration in the city’s jails, including Rikers Island. And officials in Las Cruces have finally come up with a way for third-party groups to conduct voter registration drives at the local farmers market.
Congratulations to the Cape May County, New Jersey board of elections for receiving the 2018 Leadership Award from the Advisory Council of Rutgers Cooperative Extension. According to the Cape May County Herald, the Board received the annual award in recognition of their significant and generous support of the Cape May County 4-H Youth Development Program. For more than 12 years, the Cape May County Board of Elections has donated two voting machines each year to the annual South Jersey 4-H Teen Conference which takes place in various locations throughout southern New Jersey, including transporting and setting up the machines. This generous annual donation enables over 100 South Jersey 4-H youth each year to participate in an election, thereby learning how to use actual voting machines.
Personnel News: Doug Chapin, electionline director emeritus, announced this week that on August 20 he will be joining the Fors Marsh Group as their director of election research. His work at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School will continue. State Sen. Michael Watson has announced his plans to run for Mississippi secretary of state after current Secretary Delbert Hosemann confirmed that he will not seek re-election in 2019. G.L. Pridgen is retiring from the Robeson County, North Carolina board of elections.
Legislative Udpates
VI. Legislative Updates
Illinois: Signatures have been submitted to give voters a say in whether or not the Bloomington election commission should be folded into the McLean County clerk’s office. According to The Pantagraph, consolidating elections is broadly popular among local officials as a way to save money and reduce voter confusion, and the ballot question could end a long standoff between those who want to dissolve the BEC and those who favor moving all elections to a countywide election commission. The signatures were submitted by the Republican and Libertarian parties. County Democrats do not support the consolidation.
New Mexico: The Santa Fe city council has approved a charter amendment ballot question that would ask city resident whether to move the city’s elections from the spring to the fall.
Legal Updates
VII. Legal Updates
Indiana: In a court filing this week, Attorney General Curtis Hill said an agreement that Common Cause Indiana and the Indianapolis NAACP reached with Marion County over the location of early voting sites is contrary to Indiana law and the public interest. Secretary of State Connie Lawson has come out in opposition to Hill’s filing.
Iowa: The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on August 9 on whether a lower court acted properly in blocking provisions of the state’s voter ID law.
North Carolina: U.S. District Court Judge Loretta Biggs ruled that elections officials in Cumberland, Moore and Beaufort counties may not purge their voter rolls before the 2018 general election. Biggs also ordered the state board to ensure that all 100 county BOEs must comply with the National Voter Registration Act.
North Dakota: The state Supreme Court has ordered a recount in the race for secretary of state. Libertarian candidate Roland Riemers requested a recount after he fell 53 votes short of making the November ballot. Secretary of State Al Jaeger denied the recount, but the state’s high court said Riemers is entitled to an automatic recount under the “plain language of state law.”
Texas: In a court filing this week, opponents of Texas’ voter ID law told U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos that the case is settled and they would not pursue any other remedies or changes to the law that was first challenged in 2011. According to the Texas Tribune, because neither party in the case asked for rehearing or attempted to kick it up to U.S. Supreme Court, “the substantive merits and remedy phases of this long-standing case are over.”
Tech Thursday
VIII. Tech Thursday
Cybersecurity News: The Information Technology-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IT-ISAC) and the Election Infrastructure Sector Coordinating Council (EI SCC) announce the launch of the Elections Industry Special InterestGroup (EI-SIG), a new cybersecurity information-sharing group for election industry providers to guard their networks and assets against threats. EI-SIG members will include members of organizations that provide voting tabulation, election management, voter registration, electronic pollbook and results reporting technologies that support U.S. election officials in administering the voting process. “The goal of the EI-SIG – or ‘the SIG’– is to scale up the sharing that’s happening through our companies within the private sector to develop a ‘Super-ISAC’ capability,” noted Kay Stimson, Chair of the Election Infrastructure Sector Coordinating Council and Vice President of Government Affairs for Dominion Voting Systems. “This proactive move will help industry understand broader threats to election IT systems and engage in peer-to-peer learning across sectors.”
Georgia: Advocates expressed concerns that the state’s elections website was offline over the weekend for maintenance. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office said the maintenance of the online sites was long-scheduled and that local elections officials were notified in advance. A spokeswoman with the office, Candice Broce, said those platforms needed “routine maintenance” to keep them up to date. “We sent out a notice on Friday morning to all 159 counties at 9 a.m.,” she said, adding they were back online by early Sunday.
Maryland: Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen have asked a U.S. Treasury Department committee to determine whether or not Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin’s financial involvement a state election software contractor, poses a national security threat.
Texas: Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir is finally getting a new voting system. Although it will not be exactly the STAR-Vote system that she worked with voting and cyber experts to develop, it will provide most of the bells and whistles she was looking for. “We think STAR-Vote had a lot to do with moving this market to a place where [a] paper trail was certified,” she said during Tuesday’s meeting. “We think we helped influence the market there.” The new paper-trail system will be provided by ES&S. The county has approved $9.7 million for the purchase and implementation of the new system.
Opinions This Week
IX. Opinions This Week
National Opinions: Election security, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X | Cybersecurity funds | Voter purges | Voting Rights Act, II, III, IV | Electronic voting | Paper ballots | United States Postal Service | SCOTUS nomination | Voter fraud
Arizona: Secretary of state race, II
California: Special elections
Colorado: Bungled ballots
Florida: Campus early voting sites, II, III | Vote-by-mail | Ex-felon voting rights, II | Polk County
Iowa: Voting rights
Kansas: Johnson County, II | Kris Kobach, II, III | Recounts
Kentucky: Ex-felon voting rights
Louisiana: Secretary of state race
Massachusetts: Secretary of state race | Election dates | Ranked choice voting
Michigan: Polling place problems
Minnesota: Secretary of state race | Rice County
Nevada: Ranked choice voting
North Carolina: Voter ID | Early voting
Pennsylvania: Paper trails
Tennessee: Rutherford County | Voting Rights Act
Texas: Young voters | Voting system
Washington: Polling places
West Virginia: Election security
Wisconsin: Election security, II
Upcoming Events
X. Upcoming Events
Election Center 34th Annual National Conference — Attendees will be inspired and energized as we head into the final stretch of the mid-term election year. We will share substantive elections issues including crucial critical infrastructure information, new updates from the investing in elections project, elections in review, information on new voting systems, the vendor exhibit area where you can learn about new and innovative voting system support and much more! We will honor and celebrate the winners of the Election Center’s acclaimed Professional Practices Papers’ Program. It is also a platform in which election officials can share their successful practices. Award Winners will be announced at a session on Monday afternoon and you will take home all the best practices submitted on your own DVD. When: Aug. 27-28. Where: New Orleans.
National Election Security Summit — National, state and local election authorities will join officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Elections Infrastructure — Information Sharing and Analysis Center, security professionals, election experts, and other industry leaders to learn and share tangible best practices. These security discussions will provide attendees useable steps to mitigate threats and vulnerabilities as election authorities gear up for the 2018 mid-term elections. This is an event designed for election officials and is not open to the public and space is limited. When: September 10-11. Where: St. Louis, Missouri.
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.
Certification Manager (Denver, CO) – Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a Certification Manager to join our team in Denver, CO! This position is a cross -functional leader playing a key role in managing certification efforts for Dominion Voting products. In this role, you will act as a representative of the company with State and Federal certification officials, test labs, and other key internal and external stakeholders throughout the certification process. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Customer Relations Manager (Phoenix, AZ) – Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a Customer Relations Manager to join our team in Phoenix, AZ! This position will be responsible for effectively and proactively managing the day-to-day relationship, administration and technical/product support of one or more assigned customer accounts. Additionally, the CRM will serve as project manager for specialized projects such as pre- and postelection day support, new product implementations, and/or product upgrades/updates. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Cybersecurity Program Manager, National Association of Secretaries of State — cybersecurity Program Manager works directly under the supervision of the Executive Director. General job description includes: Serve as a liaison between the NASS members, federal agencies (US Department of Homeland Security, US Election Assistance Commission, et al.) and Congress on all cybersecurity related issues, policy, legislation, and practices. Staff new NASS Cybersecurity Committee. Maintain current, accurate contact lists for all Secretary of State cyber staff, federal agencies and congressional offices. Monitor and participate in cybersecurity related forums (both public and private sector) in order to provide information and resources to NASS members. Monitor state cybersecurity programs and practices to assist communications director, research director and executive director in developing fact sheets, talking points and white papers. Organize cybersecurity workshops at NASS conferences and semi-annual Tech Talk Forums. Provide assistance with speaker selection for association meetings. Develop and maintain relationships with cybersecurity stakeholders to include private sector, academics, non-profits and advocacy organizations. Assist Executive Director and Director of Research with tracking and analyzing federal, state and congressional activity related to the work of NASS members. Provide IT technical support for NASS office. This is a new position, thus additional duties will be added as position and related work is more established. Application: Please send resume, salary requirements and references to reynolds@sso.org.
Election Security Lead, Wisconsin Elections Commission — the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) develops and maintains several significant IT applications to assist in the administration of Wisconsin elections, including the statewide voter registration system known as WisVote, the Canvass Reporting System, and electronic poll book software known as Badger Book, as well as public websites such as MyVote Wisconsin and BADGER Voters. Protecting the security of these applications is crucial to ensuring accurate elections and maintaining public confidence in the integrity of Wisconsin elections. This position serves as the point person for developing and implementing the agency’s overall elections security plan. It is responsible for ensuring the implementation of cyber security best practices in the Commission’s technical applications including WisVote. This position will research and maintain the agency’s knowledge base regarding cybersecurity infrastructure, resources and practice. This position will also liaise with other State agencies and Federal entities regarding potential cyber threats against the Commission’s applications. Salary: $51,398-$80,621. Deadline: Open until filled. Application. For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Elections/Voter Registration Manager, Monongalia County, West Virginia — the Elections/Voter Registration Manager, at the general direction of the County Clerk will prepare and coordinate the functions of the Elections and Voter Registration Department within the County Clerk’s Office. Duties will include but are not limited to:Oversee department operations and staffing schedules; Data entry of voter registration information for DMV, OVR and paper registrations and issue voter registration cards; Processing on a daily basis all official mail; Absentee Ballot processing; Voter Outreach; Customer service by phone or in person; Election equipment management and preparation; Election Official (Poll Worker) recruitment and training; Prepares election supplies for all precincts; Candidate filing and campaign finance reporting; Verify petition signatures; Ballot preparation and proofing; Testing of election equipment; Coordinates election day operations and ENR; Oversee canvass procedures; Coordinates with and assists other County Clerk Office Departments as needed; Coordination of Early Voting locations and staffing; Coordinates all election equipment delivery; Work with GIS and mapping software to maintain precinct boundaries; Maintains street and addressing listing; Oversee re-districting process; Oversee NCOA and ERIC processes; Maintain statistics for voter history and registration; Maintain and update web page with voter registration and election information; Maintain election center/warehouse in safe, clean and organized manner; and All other duties as assigned. Deadline: August 10. Application: Cover letter and resume to: Carye L. Blaney, County Clerk, cblaney@monongaliacountyclerk.com
Elections Supervisor, Pinal County, Arizona— performs professional and administrative work in planning, organizing and directing strategic and daily goals and objectives, operations and activities of the Elections Department. Work is performed under the general administrative direction of the Elections Director. The employee is expected to exercise initiative, independent judgment and discretion. Salary: $49,647-$56,473. 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 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.
Inside Sales Representative, Runbeck — to support our desired growth and market expansion, we continue to hire outstanding talent in multiple departments. We are looking for highly motivated, dedicated and talented individuals who will be able to contribute significantly to the success of the company while receiving great opportunities for professional growth and financial benefits. Responsibilities include: Contact potential or existing customers to inform them about a product or service; ability to present solution and its value to a prospect over the phone; answer questions about products or the company; ask questions to understand customer requirements and close sales; enter and update customer information in the database; keep records of calls and sale and note useful information in the CRM; process orders in an accurate manner; and go the “extra mile” to meet sales quota and facilitate future sales. Application: In order to apply, please send a resume to Tammy White: twhite@runbeck.net.
Project Manager (San Leandro, CA or Sacramento, CA) – Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking an experienced Project Manager to join our team in either San Leandro, CA or Sacramento, CA! This position will be responsible for the effective technical project management of assigned projects which includes but not limited to, business, functional, and risk analysis as well as implementation of new processes, equipment and systems. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Python Developer, Clear Ballot — Clear Ballot seeks a talented python developer in the Boston area to assume responsibility for an existing suite of python scripts to create files for use with ClearVote(TM) digital voting system. Job responsibilities: Maintain and enhance existing python scripts that read PDF formatted ballot styles and produce the files needed by ClearVote (TM) digital voting system to tabulate said ballot; Run existing python scripts to generate marked test ballots for use in testing ClearVote(TM); Develop and execute test plans to guarantee ClearVote tabulates marked ballots correctly; Expand PDF parsing capabilities as new customer’s ballot styles are introduced; Leverage analytics you gather to improve performance through script and/or hardware changes; Must perform these duties within aggressive timelines that often require working outside of normal business hours. Application: For the complete listing and to apply, click here.
Senior Level Software Developer, BPro — We are a well-established small business that has been developing requirements and producing software for the needs of state governments since 1985 and continue to maintain and upgrade many of those systems. We have offices in Pierre, South Dakota, Fargo, North Dakota, Minnesota & Virginia. We’re currently looking for an energetic and intelligent .Net Developer to join our growing team. Our ideal candidate is one who loves to learn, enjoys working as a team, and who can multitask and meet deadlines. Skills required: .NET, VB, VBA, ASP, SQL, HTML, and JavaScript. A four-year college degree is the minimum educational requirement. All applicants must have excellent written and verbal communications skills. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Senior Software Developer, Runbeck— Runbeck Election Services is looking for full stack enthusiasts who are comfortable tackling end-to-end and enjoy building products that solve big problems and delight customers. We’re a collaborative team who knows how to get things done (Lone Rangers need not apply). We believe that small teams focused on shipping software move the fastest and make the most impact. The ideal candidate for this position has extensive back end skills (C#, MVC, ASP.Net, SQL Server) paired with solid web and desktop skills (IIS, JavaScript, HTML 5, CSS, jQuery, WPF, Win Forms). Must have a solid grasp of our basic toolset (Jira, Visual Studio). Willing to learn new plug-ins and IDE enhancements in order to boost your productivity and are excited to introduce us to new tooling experiences that have worked for you in the past. You bring discipline and care about implementation practices. You are familiar with Agile/Scrum processes, practice common design patterns, embrace clean coding principles, and employ many other techniques in an effort to bring a high level of software craftsmanship to your finished product. Application: In order to apply, please send a resume to Tammy White: twhite@runbeck.net.
Software Developer II (Toronto, ON) – Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking an experienced Software Developer to join our team in Toronto! This position will be responsible for providing high-level technical expertise to the design, development, coding, testing and debugging of new software products and/or significant enhancements to existing software products. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Software Product Specialist II (Denver, CO) – Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a Software Product Specialist II to join our team in Denver, Colorado! This position will be responsible for delivering a wide variety of technical and non-technical customer support services related to the implementation, operation, repair, maintenance and upgrades of Dominion Voting Systems technology products. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Software Product Specialist II (Reno, NV) – Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a Software Product Specialist II to join our team in Reno, NV! This position will be responsible for delivering a wide variety of technical and non-technical customer support services related to the implementation, operation, repair, maintenance and upgrades of Dominion Voting Systems technology products. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Software Product Specialist II (Phoenix, AZ) – Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a Software Product Specialist II to join our team in Phoenix, AZ! This position will be responsible for delivering a wide variety of technical and non-technical customer support services related to the implementation, operation, repair, maintenance and upgrades of Dominion Voting Systems technology products. Application: For the complete job listing and to apply, click here.
Software Product Specialist II (San Leandro, CA) – Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion Voting Systems is seeking a Software Product Specialist II to join our team in San Leandro, CA! This position will be responsible for delivering a wide variety of technical and non-technical customer support services related to the implementation, operation, repair, maintenance and upgrades of Dominion Voting Systems technology products. 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.
Voter Registration Clerk, Monongalia County, West Virginia — the Voter Registration Clerk, under the supervision of the Elections/Voter Registration Manager and at the general direction of the County Clerk, will support the functions of the Elections and Voter Registration Department within the County Clerk’s Office. This is a full-time non-exempt employee position with benefits including health care, retirement and more. Salary negotiable based experience and qualifications. Deadline: August 10. Application: Cover letter and resume to: Carye L. Blaney, County Clerk, cblaney@monongaliacountyclerk.com
Marketplace
XII. Marketplace
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Voting Booths
Each aluminum briefcase contains the following: aluminum legs, privacy shield, writing base, light assembly. All units are in great shape dimensions are 22”x 18”x 3“. MFG: ESL. Election supplies Limited, Napa California. Quantity: 400 Price per unit is $50. Contact Greg Larson 408.569.1004