A voter casts a ballot in Westerville, Ohio. Election officials opened Ohio’s purging process to the public this year for the first time. Matt Rourke/The Associated Press
Trump’s Attacks on Vote-by-Mail Worry Some Election Officials
June 3, 2020
There is growing concern among election officials and experts that the increasingly partisan debate around voting by mail could sow doubt in the results of the presidential election.
States Begin Prep for Mail-In Voting in Presidential Election
March 23, 2020
States have begun reshaping election policies to expand access to mail-in voting.
Coronavirus Could Get U.S. to Vote by Mail
March 13, 2020
Primary season is a lousy time for a global pandemic.
How LA’s Election Innovation Fell Short
March 6, 2020
Local election officials spent one decade and $300 million to design an innovative voting system that many experts thought was the future of elections.
North Dakota Tribes Win Voter ID Fight
February 14, 2020
North Dakota tribes won a major voting rights victory this week when the state agreed to allow Native Americans living on reservations to vote without an ID that shows a street address.
Even Before Iowa, Caucuses Were on Their Way Out
February 10, 2020
Ten states that hosted caucuses in 2016 — Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, Utah and Washington — switched to primaries for this presidential cycle.
Confusion Reigned in Iowa Caucus — Even Before the Chaotic Results
February 5, 2020
While normal Democratic caucuses are standing affairs, every caucusgoer at the Central Iowa Center for Independent Living in Des Moines had a chair in their candidate’s section. When it was time for supporters to give speeches for their candidate, they had a microphone wheeled to them.
For 2020 Election, States Debate Who’s Allowed to Vote
January 27, 2020
The 2020 presidential election is just months away and state legislators, courts and election officials are making final changes to policies governing access to the ballot.
Voting Rights Restoration Gives Felons a Voice in More States
January 3, 2020
Twenty-one years after his drug possession conviction, Rynn Young got his ballot back when newly elected Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order last month restoring voting rights to nonviolent felons after release.
Utah Tests Ranked-Choice Voting’s Conservative Appeal
December 13, 2019
Last year, Utah lawmakers approved a statewide pilot program for ranked-choice voting in municipal elections, welcoming any city that wants to participate. The system allows voters to rank candidates by preference in the hopes of preventing costly runoff elections in crowded races.
The Tumultuous Life of an Independent Redistricting Commissioner
November 26, 2019
Arizona is one of 18 states where independent commissions, instead of legislators, draw congressional and legislative lines. The panels are designed to keep politics out of the process, under the idealized notion that citizens would redraw boundaries without producing gerrymandered maps.
The Messy Politics of Voter Purges
October 25, 2019
For the first time ever, Ohio this year lifted the veil on its voter purging system. It left the state astonished.
Glitches in California Embolden Automatic Voter Registration Foes
October 17, 2019
Across the country, proponents of automatic voter registration often laud its ability to dramatically increase a state’s voter rolls, bringing more people into the political process.
For Some Native Americans, No Home Address Might Mean No Voting
October 4, 2019
Most homes on the Navajo Nation lack street addresses. That means packages must be shipped to businesses or relatives. Emergency responders, given vague home locations, are often delayed. But it is the impact on voting that has many indigenous rights advocates deeply concerned.
Voters With Disabilities Feel Left Behind by Paper Ballot Push
September 18, 2019
Voting machines are the most accessible ballot options for voters with disabilities. But paper ballots are the preferred voting method among election security experts. In this current climate, officials are finding it difficult to balance security and accessibility, especially for voters with disabilities.
Federal Judge Blocks Tennessee’s Restrictive Voter Registration Law
September 12, 2019
A federal judge Thursday blocked a new Tennessee law that would criminalize certain aspects of mass voter registration drives.
Maine Becomes First State to Rank Presidential Candidates
September 9, 2019
Maine will become the first state to allow ranked-choice voting in a presidential election. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills will let a bill the legislature passed last month become law without her signature. The law won’t, however, go into effect in time for the state’s March presidential primary.
Court Stops Georgia From Using ‘Grossly Outdated’ Election Equipment in 2020
August 15, 2019
Georgia must phase out its “unsecure, unreliable and grossly outdated” election equipment before the state’s 2020 elections, a federal judge ruled Thursday.
Tennessee Made It Harder to Register Voters. Activists Consider What’s Next.
August 14, 2019
Less than a year after a coalition of groups conducted a statewide voter registration drive that accumulated 91,000 applications, activists face a daunting obstacle: A new state law that seeks to curb mass voter registration efforts by imposing criminal and financial penalties for turning in error-filled forms or failing to register with the state and undergo training.
Voter Access Matters in 2020, and These Lawmakers Know It
August 1, 2019
As 2020 approaches, it’s becoming clearer that the race for the presidency is going to come down to a few key states. In some of those states, Republican-led legislatures restricted voting access in ways that experts say would disproportionately affect Democratic voters.
Trump Might Not Appear on California Ballot Unless He Releases Tax Returns
July 31, 2019
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom this week signed legislation that requires all presidential and gubernatorial candidates to release five years of income tax returns to the California secretary of state as a condition for appearing on California’s primary ballot starting in 2020.
Voting by Phone Is Easy. But Is It Secure?
July 18, 2019
The Democratic Party announced this month that Iowans and Nevadans in February will be able to opt out of the traditional caucus experience and vote using the keypads on their cellphones or landlines.
Feds Don’t Regulate Election Equipment, So States Are On Their Own
July 10, 2019
Behind nearly every voter registration database, voting machine and county website that posts results on Election Day, there’s an election technology company that has developed those systems and equipment.
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