With legal action pending or recently decided, but certainly not settled and with the clock ticking until the November 8 general election — and some primaries yet to happen — elections officials in several states are faced with some looming known unknowns. For example, in Texas and Wisconsin, it’s voter ID. In Virginia it’s voting rights restoration. In Ohio it’s voter purges. In Kansas it’s a dual-system for voters with proof-of-citizenship and those without. And in North Carolina, it’s a bit of everything — ID, same-day registration, early voting. “The nature of our job is to adapt to constant change,” said Sharon Wolters, Smith County, Kansas clerk and current president of the Kansas County Clerks and Elections Officials Association. “We expect it and work together to give ideas that will facilitate the changes in the most efficient way possible.”
While all the elections officials we spoke with are confident in their ability to conduct upcoming elections not matter what the courts throw at them, they all did express concerns about the impact these changes and possibly last minute changes could have on poll workers and the voters.
Recently in Wisconsin, Judge Lynn Adelman ruled that the state must allow voters without the proper ID to submit an affidavit testifying to their identity. Attorney General Brad Schimel has filed an appeal with U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.
“We are awaiting the legal process and hope that it is quick,” said Scott McDonnel, Dane County, Wisconsin Clerk Scott McDonnell. “The Wisconsin Elections Commission is working on the affidavit form now with advice for clerks. I think it will be pretty easy to implement. There may be some scenarios we way need to work through.”
Full Article: electionlineWeekly.