NCSL Election Technology Toolkit

The “impending crisis” in voting technology identified by the Presidential Commission on Election Administration (PCEA) two years ago is well-known in the election community, and starting to get noticed in other circles as well.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) have been having conversations with there constituents, State legislators, and Legislative staff, on this topic for the last two years.

NCSL continues to work with Legislatures on how they might be able to assist their local election officials as part of our Elections 2020 Project.

As part of the project they are bringing together Legislators, Legislative staff, and State and Local election officials for a daylong meeting in a given state to discuss the topic of election technology.

The “impending crisis” is here now, and we’re seeing more and more Election jurisdictions replacing their aging equipment.

NCSL has developed an Elections Technology Toolkit to help explain what technology is used at each stage of the election process. The toolkit is a primer for legislators who want to learn more, but local election officials might also be able to use to it explain why running an election is not just a “work one day every two years” gig. Election administration is complicated, legislators set the rules of the game in the form of voting system requirements, how the state votes, and the nitty-gritty of how many poll workers and voting machines need to be at a given polling place. But it’s local officials who have to put it all those pieces together, and truly understand the ins and outs.

In addition, NCSL provides a variety of information intended for Legislators, but also for Election Officials seeking to engage with them.

Check out the Election Technology Overview page for research on everything from online voter registration to post-election audits, as well as articles, blogs, interviews and conference materials.

Also visit the Elections Legislation Database to see what’s percolating in State Legislatures this year.











NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

SC and NY Consider Refugee Registries

Registration bills are being proposed in New York and South Carolina, where if refugees commit an act of terrorism, their sponsors, under the bill, could be held liable.

The South Carolina lawmakers say they are less concerned about a possible constitutional challenge than a possible terrorist threat coming to the state.

Opponents, however, say the measure is out of character for a state that often espouses the importance of Christian hospitality and loving your neighbor.

"I want us to be who we have always been — a welcoming people," said Sen. Kevin Johnson, D-Manning, who is helping lead the fight against the bill.

Sponsoring Sen. Kevin Bryant said the bill has three components:

- A registry of all refugees.

- Civil liability for sponsors of refugees from counties considered state sponsors of terror by the Federal government, currently Iran, Sudan and Syria, for crimes committed by refugees.

- A prohibition on the state spending any money on refugees and their families.

Bryant said the goal of the bill is to protect people's safety. Nearly 850 refugees from a number of countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East have come to South Carolina since 2010, with 87 arriving since last summer. The Anderson Republican said if only one of them were to conduct a terrorist attack it would be devastating.

Instead, he said people in South Carolina can show their compassion by giving to relief organizations that help refugees elsewhere. "Why should we bring one refugee here when we could spend the same money and help 10 in their part of the world?" Bryant said.

A challenge to the South Carolina law is likely because the law singles people out by county of origin and seems bent toward discriminating against Muslims, said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "If it is not illegal, it is at least un-American," Hooper said.

Bryant is talking to Democrats about tweaking the proposal to allow some state money to be spent on refugee families, like for public education.

The New York bill was introduced by State Sen. Terrence Murphy, a Republican who represents a district in the lower Hudson Valley.

It requires:

- Refugees to register with the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.

- Be fingerprinted and have the office monitor their activities for a year or until they become permanent residents, whichever happens first.

"While the state may lack the ability to block refugees from coming here, we do have the authority and responsibility to begin tracking who these people are, where they are coming from and to monitor the situation for potential threats," Murphy said when he introduced the bill.

But the New York Immigration Coalition, comprised of almost 200 groups that work with immigrants and refugees, has called on other senators to kill the measure, calling it a "heinous bill that treats refugees who are fleeing from violence and conflict like criminals."

Mike Bullock, a spokesman for the National Conference of State Legislatures, says there are no state registration laws on the books and the South Carolina and New York measures are the only two now proposed.











NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

The Facts on 10 Common Election Misconceptions

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)'s, The Canvass is a compilation of election returns and validation of the outcome that forms the basis of the official results by a political subdivision.

In keeping with the season, it’s a good time to look at the myths, urban legends, and scary stories that people think of when it comes to elections.

Below are a few of the misconceptions about elections that are reviewed it their detail report:

- Dead people vote.
- You can’t vote twice.
- Your voter registration is automatically updated when you move.
- Elections happen in the fall of even-numbered years.
- Running elections is a part-time job.
- Provisional and absentee ballots aren’t counted unless the race is close.
- Ballots are thrown away.
- You can’t vote via the Internet.
- Elections are priceless.
- Elections don’t matter.

CLICK HERE to read the detail report.











NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker