You’ve planned for it, you’ve dreaded it, and now it’s finally here. 2016. There’s no going back and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission kicked things off this week with a roundtable discussion of elections officials from nine of the battleground states. “Even though from the public perspective, it may seem like election season is just beginning, for the election officials, we’ve been preparing for a number of months, even a number of years,” said Moderator Merle King of Kennesaw State University. “The election cycle is the apex. The finish line.” The roundtable was held in the Washington, D.C.-area and streamed live on the Internet. The wide-ranging conversation covered everything from social media to emergency contingency planning to technology to media relations to setting standards.
… The panelists all agreed on the importance of keeping the public informed, not just through the traditional media, but also through the use of social media.
“It doesn’t matter how we get there, if the public perceives we are doing something incorrectly or behind the scenes, if the public perceives it, it is so,” said Luanne Cutler, registrar of voters for Washoe County, Nevada. “Make them [the media] our partners to kind of get the word out. We really do know what we’re doing and we’re trying to do the best we can.”
Williams said that it is vital to establish relationships with political reporters before an election. He said it’s important to speak with them and make sure they understand the processes ahead of time because no one has time on election night to explain the nuances of provisional ballots. Reporters are trying to file stories and elections officials are trying to tally the votes.
Full Article: EAC hosts 2016 swing state roundtable | electionlineWeekly.