Election Administration
Presidential Commission Backs Early Voting, Standardized Elections
Voters stand in line at a polling place in Fort Myers, Fla., in 2012. A new report recommends expanded early voting and other measures to cut down on waiting times. (AP) Local elections officials across the U.S. should expand early voting, allow online registration and do a better job enforcing federal election laws, according to […]
Pennsylvania Voter ID Law Found Unconstitutional
A Pennsylvania state judge struck down the state’s voter ID law Friday, bringing an end to an 18-month legal battle that prevented the law from ever being enforced during an election. Commonwealth Judge Bernard McGinley found requiring a voter to show photo identification before casting a ballot unconstitutional because the state failed to offer a […]
Despite Governor’s Push, Voting Rights for Felons Fails in Virginia
Despite a strong push by the governor, nonviolent felons in Virginia who have completed their sentences must still seek a pardon from the governor to regain rights to vote and serve on a jury. A House subcommittee on Monday (February 11) chose not to take up legislation approved by the Senate that would have amended […]
After Obama Vow, Washington Weighs Role in Election Management
Voters wait to cast their ballots at precinct 697 in Miami-Dade County, Florida, on November 6. (Getty) Call it the sentence that spawned a thousand ideas for election reform. When President Obama stood on stage in Chicago last month delivering his victory speech, he thanked the millions of Americans who cast their ballots on Election […]
In Some States, Election Season Could Linger Long After Tuesday
Election Day’s passage will bring an end to the din of stump speech sound bites and robocalls, but voters in some states may need to wait much longer to receive the ultimate campaign season closure: the final vote tally. That’s largely because of two storms – a politically-motivated legal storm, and an actual one named […]
New Jersey Officials: Displaced Sandy Victims May Vote By Email
New Jersey voters displaced by Hurricane Sandy may cast their ballots using fax or email, state officials announced Saturday (November 3). It’s one of several changes to state voting procedures meant to accommodate New Jerseyians still struggling to pick up the pieces from last week’s superstorm. “Despite the widespread damage Hurricane Sandy has caused, New […]
Judge Allows Election Day Campaigning in North Dakota
A federal judge has barred North Dakota officials from enforcing a century-old state law that makes campaigning on Election Day illegal, calling it a violation of free speech. “There is no valid justification for the law in modern day society, nor any compelling state interest offered to support its continued existence,” Judge Daniel Hovland wrote […]