Denver recently held its 2018 primary election, and the Elections Division has provided helpful data on the trends of mail-in ballots. Starting with around 380,000 ballots issued on June 8th, Denver has accepted 143,725 ballots that voters have submitted in the election period ending June 26th. Even though voters had the option to vote in…
This past Tuesday, I was privileged to be invited to visit with election officials from the State of Colorado and Denver County during their primary election day. It was a great opportunity to watch professionals in their environment and see how their work isn’t static–they are constantly seeking improvements in security and efficiency. As many…
Today, by a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court held that Ohio’s supplemental voter list maintenance process is legal under the terms of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Ohio’s process was initiated in the mid-90s and has continued consistently under both Republican and Democratic Secretaries for two decades. In a nutshell, here’s how…
The threat of foreign interference in our elections is real, and we and other experts agree that paper ballots accompanied by robust audits are an important defense against any tampering with our elections. Despite hysteria from some commentators, however, there is good news on this front. According to a recent GAO report, nearly four out…
Minnesota saw a sharp decline in the number of same day registrations and an increase in the total number of ballots cast from 2008 to 2016. While at first the decline in registration may seem alarming, this is actually good news for voters in the state of Minnesota. What likely happened was that ERIC was…
Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Husted v. A. Phillip Randolph Institute, the latest election law case to come before the Court. At issue in the case is whether Ohio’s voter list maintenance process complies with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). In that process, in place…
Wednesday night, the White House announced it was dissolving the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (PACEI), its ill-conceived effort to prop up candidate and President Trump’s false claims about widespread voter fraud. The disbanding of PACEI is a positive development, but much more work will need to be done to correct the damage Mr….
This morning, the Senate Intelligence Committee will hold a hearing on “Russian Interference in the 2016 Elections.” This comes in the context of recent revelations from former FBI Director James Comey, as well as multiple leaks and recent reports in The Intercept, Bloomberg, Politico, and McClatchy, alleging widespread hacking of election systems. Some of these reports have claimed, without much information…
As news continues to trickle out about efforts of other nations to interfere and tamper with American elections, the line between working in U.S. elections and working internationally is blurring, as cyber-security and other issues require us to consider threats that go beyond our borders. It is timely, then, that for the past two days,…
Yesterday, the Intercept reported on a leaked NSA document detailing Russian government efforts to hack election offices and voting technology. There are serious and disturbing claims in this report, most of which aren’t entirely new, but which add details to some concerns surround the 2016 election and deserve to be put into context. WHAT WE KNOW The…
