WASHINGTON, DC — We hopped off the campaign trail for a night and headed down to DC, but have no fear, we’re on our way back to New Hampshire to cover today’s primary and the voter turnout there. If you haven’t seen it already, click here (video) for our look back at record turnout in Iowa (which didn’t break 17% of eligible voters), and our look ahead at what might happen in New Hampshire today.

Yesterday in the New York Times, reporter Ian Urbina detailed the back story to the Indiana voter ID case that is headed to the Supreme Court January 9th. We’ve been following it here for quite some time. At the heart of the matter is whether or not Indiana’s restrictive voter ID laws will stand. But the case has significance far beyond Indiana. Urbina writes:

How the court applies that test in this case could set the standard for challenges to election rules across the country. The decision could affect a range of other voting-related rules being imposed by states, including ones involving the handling of provisional ballots, new restrictions on voter registration and the methods states can use to purge voters from registration rolls.

For the full article, click here.

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Posted in Election Reform, Voter ID requirements, Election administration | Comments Off

Today is the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, Election Day 2007.

Ian Urbina breaks down who is voting this year, and where, in today’s New York Times. Do you know why we’re voting today, a day smack in the middle of the work week?

If not, you’re not alone. We’ve asked politicians from Main Steet to the Washington, and most don’t have a clue. Isn’t it time for an upgrade? Psst… here’s the answer.

“I voted” sticker courtesy of aperture lag on flickr.

Posted in Election Reform, Election 2007, Election administration, Existing laws | Comments Off

Our friends at electionline.org, the Pew project, noted that the U.S. Government is asking for your input about voluntary voting guidelines. How to participate, after the jump. (more…)

Posted in Election Reform, Election administration | Comments Off

Remember the moment some years ago when the CEOs of Big Tobacco were called before Congress to be sworn under oath and forced to testify about what they knew concerning the health effects of their product? Today, there is another industry that could meet the same fate: the voting systems industry. This time, the products in question affect the health of our democracy.

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Posted in Election Reform, Election administration, California, Electronic voting | Comments Off

It was a busy week for us behind the scenes at Why Tuesday?, and in the world of election reform. What is election reform exactly? And who is the guy in the photo? Get the answers, and much more election reform news, by clicking below. Photo by Cheryl Senter for the New York Times.

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Posted in New Hampshire, Indiana, Michigan, Colorado, Arkansas, Election Reform, West Virginia, Election Day registration, Election 2006, Audits, Roundups, Existing laws, Legislation, Iowa, Election 2008, Election administration, Electronic voting | Comments Off

That quote appeared in yesterday’s New York Times and comes from the Democratic secretary of state of Maine, where election officials are appointed by the State Legislature, not elected alongside other statewide officeholders.

The Times continues its focus on election reform this week, with a front page story about new efforts to limit corruption and partisanship in election administration. Discussion of how an election could be “stolen” by election officials or voting machine companies in the United States is by some immediately filed in the same category as UFO sightings. But reporter Ian Urbina explains why and how it’s possible and how talk of how to prevent election administration corruption - or even the appearance of conflict - is now becoming more mainstream.
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Posted in Election Reform, Election administration, Maine | Comments Off