Older Election Administration news:
2008 Nov - Dec


Dec 30: Conn. man sentenced for illegal ballot here

HAMILTON COUNTY --"A man admitted Monday that he lived out of state when he voted in Hamilton County in this fall's general election.... Hamilton County elections officials said shortly after the election that there were only two problem votes out of more than 400,000 votes cast. The two situations they noted were Duffy's case and an inmate who voted twice from jail. Earlier this year, Ohio lawmakers sent a bill to Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland that would eliminate the 'golden week' and no longer allow citizens to register to vote and vote in the same week. Strickland, though, has said he will veto it because it was rushed to him and needs work," Kimball Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer.

Dec 30: What to tell an electoral elf

elf with gift COLUMBUS --"The country is asking President-elect Obama to play Santa and spend our way out of the economic mess we’re in. One hears talk of an $850 billion stimulus package, and it’s hard for a non-numbers person like me to fathom what that magnitude means. But I do know that there are some election-related projects that would be worth spending federal dollars for, which appropriately would be characterized as 'infrastructure improvements,' analogous to the new digital superhighway that is being considering as part of the stimulus. Thus, if Santa has one of his elves working on possible election-related items to add his list, here are three things I would wish for," Edward B. Foley, Election Law @ Moritz. Posted Dec 23.

Dec 18: Blog: The wrong approach to election reform

COLUMBUS --"The Ohio legislature yesterday approved a bill (SB 380) that would eliminate the window for early registration and absentee voting, among other things. Here's a snippet from my testimony in opposition to the bill last week, which draws upon the 'Moneyball Approach to Election Reform' that I've advocated in the past: In considering election reform proposals, it is vital that legislative bodies take a careful, studied, and deliberative approach, one that collects and considers all the relevant evidence and data from this state and other states on how existing election administration works and what if anything is likely to improve it. That has not been done in this case. What we have learned over the past eight years is that the worst way to do election reform is to rush through a bill with a party-line vote, without taking the time to collect data on existing practices and proposed reforms. Yet that, unfortunately, is precisely the faulty process that is being followed here. For this reason, I urge that the bill be rejected in its entirety. The bill now heads to the Governor.
(Disclosures: I was an attorney for plaintiffs and amici in litigation seeking to preserve the window for simultaneous registration and absentee voting. My wife works in the Governor's office, though not on election matters)," Election Law @ Moritz.

Dec 18: Ohio House shrinks early voting period

COLUMBUS --"The Republican-led Ohio House approved a bill today [Sub Senate Bill 380] to shrink a newly instituted early voting period that drew long lines of voters in the 2008 election. The proposal passed 53-41, largely along party lines. It reduces the start of in-person early voting from 35 days before Election Day to 20 days. It also eliminates a window during which voters could both register and vote on the same day...Ohio election watchers are still working to compile data on how many, if any, cases of fraud from the fall election were referred to prosecutors, said Ohio Citizen Action’s Catherine Turcer," Associated Press. Posted Dec 16.

Ohio Republicans pass bill to shorten time period for early voting
Aaron Marshall, Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Dec 16: Editorial: Scrap messy election bill

COLUMBUS --"in the Ohio General Assembly are spinning their partisan wheels as they try to ram an unnecessary election bill through the legislature during the waning days of its lame-duck session. The GOP goal is to eliminate the five-day period prior to an election during which Ohioans can register to vote for the first time, then immediately cast a ballot. The procedure, written into state law by these same Republican lawmakers in 2005, was used without significant problems during the run-up to the Nov. 4 presidential election. Now, in the name of political posturing, the GOP lawmakers have come up with a hastily proposed alternative that would only throw more obstacles in the path of Ohioans trying to exercise their right to vote," Toledo Blade. Posted Dec 13.

Dec 12: More testify before the Ohio House State Government & Elections Committee on Sub Senate Bill 380










  Dan Tokaji

COLUMBUS --"It takes time to digest major changes and develop good public policy. We need thorough analysis before we change current law.' Said Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action in her testimony. Dan Tokaji, Associate Professor of Law at The Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law and the Associate Director of Election Law @ Moritz, said in his testimony 'It is for this reason that I have called for a different approach, which I call the Moneyball approach to election reform, after the book of the same name. The book, as baseball fans know, is about how an underfunded team, the Oakland A's adopted a research-driven approach that relied heavily on empirical analysis of player performance. This allowed them to look behind the conventional wisdom and assess what practices were most likely to lead to success on the field. When Beane and the A's carefully scrutinized the numbers, it turned out that many of the intuitions upon which their hard-bitten, tobacco-spitting scouts had relied for years were just plain wrong. By adopting a research-driven approach to baseball, Beane was able to build a franchise that has competed for pennants year after year, while spending a fraction of what other teams spend. We need the same Moneyball approach in election reform: a reliance on research, rather than intuition about what works and what doesn't. This requires us to collect data that has not been collected, much less analyzed, from this election season, on how various practices – such as absentee voting – really worked.'" Ohio Citizen Action.

Dec 10: Democrats object to elections bill; other spats mark lame-duck session
Democrats object to elections bill; other spats mark lame-duck session

COLUMBUS --"A bill that eliminates 'Golden Week' by shortening the time in which Ohioans can cast absentee ballots passed the Senate yesterday over objections from Democrats, including Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. Moments after the bill passed the Senate 19-11, Brunner's office blasted the measure as "another example of hastily written legislation that will create administrative problems for county elections boards and invite litigation." The debate is one of many as the legislature scrambles through the last two weeks of the 127th General Assembly," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch.

State Senate Republicans vote to close voting 'window'
Associated Press.

Dec 9: Blog: UPDATED: Election bill gets some changes

COLUMBUS --" Changes in an elections law bill that is expected to pass the Senate today would shorten the time allowed for in-person absentee voting from 35 days to 20 days prior to the election, while allowing counties to open up to three absentee polling sites. The full Senate is expected to vote on the new version of the controversial bill this afternoon after the Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee approved the bill 6-3, with all Democrats on the panel objecting. They argued the bill should not be rushed. Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, said the changes address both logistical and legal concerns with his original bill, which would have required absentee voters to register 65 days before Election Day, in an attempt to eliminate “Golden Week,” the five-day period where voters could register and vote on the same day," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch.

Senator Seitz's testimony in the Ohio House State Elections Committee.

Nov 24: Several questionable provisional ballots tossed out

COLUMBUS --"The Franklin County Board of Elections trudged onward today through a pile of questionable ballots with some races still undecided. The board determined that 11 provisional ballots still sealed in their envelopes were invalid. Board members also tried to decode voter intent on 33 absentee ballots sporting such oddities as too many boxes checked, highlighter marks, coffee stains and notes that included 'no vote' and 'oops.' Those ballots prompted a few light chuckles and lots of squinting. 'There's an inconsistency within the consistency on that one,' said board Chairman Douglas J. Preisse as he reviewed a ballot with check marks in the margins," Elizabeth Gibson, Columbus Dispatch. Posted Nov 23

Nov 18: Registration, voting overlap would end under GOP bill

COLUMBUS --"Legislative Republicans say they want to put an end to 'Golden Week,' the period that allowed Ohioans to register to vote and cast a ballot at the same time this fall. Hoping to shut off what Republicans have argued is a recipe for election fraud, a bill that should be introduced today would require that anyone who wants to vote early must be registered at least 30 days before the start of absentee voting... Daniel Tokaji, assistant director of Ohio State University's election law center, questions whether the bill would violate federal law, which says registration must not end earlier than 30 days before an election. He also said there is no good reason to stop Golden Week, which, he said, improves voter participation," Jim Siegel, Columbus Dispatch.

Nov 18: Ballot fight staying in federal court
Ruling on provisional votes Thursday

COLUMBUS --"Disputed provisional ballots that could help decide the 15th Congressional District race will not be counted until at least Friday, giving a federal judge time to make a ruling, the parties agreed yesterday. U.S. District Court Judge Algenon L. Marbley said he plans to rule by 5 p.m. Thursday after both sides in the dispute file their legal arguments by the end of the day today. Thus far, none of the 27,000 provisional ballots cast in Franklin County on Election Day has been counted," Mark Niquette and Jodi Andes, Columbus Dispatch.

Nov 12: Ohio election officials consider expanding early voting system

CLEVELAND --"Ohio elections officials are considering expanding early-voting opportunities -- possibly for the 2010 governor's race -- after the massive turnout of early voters propelled the state to a crisis-free presidential election last week. The success of early voting gives Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner a chance to resurrect her plan to let counties open four locations each for voters in the 35 days before an election. Ohio now allows only one early-voting center per county. Brunner would need a change in state law to implement the plan. She said she will gauge interest at a bipartisan election summit next month," Joe Guillen, Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Nov 12: Candidates urge voters to fix problem ballots

COLUMBUS --"If you're one of 1,667 Franklin County voters, the election is not yet over. Lucky you, the candidates are still phoning, polling and prodding. "Who did you vote for?" voters say they've been asked. "Do you need a ride to the board of elections?" "Make sure your vote is counted." This small pool of absentee voters forgot to sign their ballot envelopes or supply driver's license or Social Security numbers. Franklin County previously disregarded the ballots, but Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said these voters should get a second chance. They have until Friday to appear at the board, 280 E. Broad St., and fix the oversights," Barbara Carmen, Columbus Dispatch.

Nov 11: Voting next time—and in 2020

COLUMBUS -- "Election reform should embrace a long-term perspective and include non-partisan administration of the voting process. Meanwhile, eliminating unconscionably long lines at the polls is a short-term imperative, as is the need for more data on which to base long-term reform. It is too soon after the casting of ballots this year for any definitive pronouncements on exactly what reforms the new Congress should adopt in order to improve the voting process. Many of these ballots still remain to be counted. Although there already are calls for legislation that would revamp voter registration, for example, we are likely to learn much more over the next month about the way voter registration actually worked in 2008," Edward Foley, Election Law @ Moritz.