New York City Campaign Finance Board’s Post

Early voting is happening (again) this week! This is the second election in May for most Dallas residents. In early May, we voted in the Bond Election, ISD Trustee, and Dallas College Trustee elections. This week is early voting for partisan primary run-off elections for county, state, and federal races. It’s a lot for most residents to track, and our voter turnout numbers in all these elections are dismal. If you think we have too many elections AND want to save the City some money, join me in support of moving municipal elections from May of odd-numbered years to November of odd-numbered years. November elections historically have higher turnout, and we’d save the City approximately $500,000 by having the election overlap with the already planned Constitutional Amendment elections in odd-year Novembers. The Chamber, League of Women Voters of Dallas, and many other civic groups support this, as do many individual residents. Let me know if you’d like to support this initiative to increase turnout and save money! #DallasVotes

Elections don’t belong to private political parties. While private political groups have the right to identify their standard bearers, that doesn’t mean voters should be restricted in deciding who advances to the general election and represents them in office. WA’s Secretary of State Steve Hobbs remains opposed to ranked choice voting: “Ranked-choice voting adds a layer of complexity to voting that threatens to disenfranchise people who aren’t experts at the process." Former California Governor Jerry Brown may have said it best: "In a time when we want to encourage voter participation, we need to keep voting simple. Ranked choice voting is overly complicated and confusing. I believe it deprives voters of genuinely informed choice." Moving to a clean open primary like WA’s Top Two, is a debate worth having. Adopting open primaries, however, need not be tied to the controversy of ranked choice voting. https://lnkd.in/g798tGVe

This week you may have heard that Taylor here conducted a voter registration drive. Here are my thoughts. So what? 30,000 registrations? Big deal. In November, in Dayton alone, more registered voters will stay home than will vote. Your suburban numbers aren't much better. If you compare the number of people voting to the number of people eligible to vote, the percentage gets down to 38-42% participation. Here's the general rule, only 2/3 of eligible voters are registered and only about 2/3 of the registered ones vote in even year elections. Odd year elections where you choose your school board, city council and township trustees, the turnout numbers sometimes never reach 20% of registered voters. Let that sink in. More registered voters, like those 30,000 this week, will stay home than actually cast a ballot in this year's elections.

From rescheduling elections to reviving the political machine, here are four ideas for how New York can fix low voter turnout.

Vote. It's a simple yet powerful word. It's a word that allows us to use our voice to decide how things move forward. It's an action given to those wanting to be part of change. It's something that every American has the right to do. We have been told that many are confused and frustrated that they went out to a local polling location, waited patiently in line, and then were told they 'had nothing on their ballot,' meaning that there was no one to vote for. If you live outside of the incorporated Town of Avon limits, this is true. For many years, we have shared this information to educate the community, but sadly, many still don't know this. There is a plethora of misinformation about how the process works and what you can receive as a resident of the Town of Avon. Voting is one of those benefits. You can vote in municipal elections. You help choose who will drive this community forward. Your voice is heard. - If you would like to learn more about annexing into the Town of Avon and having your voice heard during elections, as well as the Towns continued efforts in helping you achieve that, feel free to visit https://lnkd.in/gwJhvHcg - If you would like to see if your home is within the Town of Avon town limits online before going to the polls, you can do so by visiting avonindiana.gov/townlimits - If you are ready to annex into the Town of Avon so you can vote in municipal elections, as well as other great benefits, please email Town Manager Ryan Cannon at rcannon@avonindiana.gov "Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be." - Sydney J. Harris #OneStrongCommunity #YouShouldBeAbleToVote #GoVote

For the growing Latino population in Texas, voting is more important than ever. Our voices carry weight in shaping policies, representation, and the trajectory of our state. Voting is not just a right; it's a powerful tool to shape the future of our communities and demand accountability from our elected leaders. To ensure that our diverse voices are represented in the decisions that shape our communities, policies, and the future of Texas, get out there and vote today in the primary elections. The primary elections are a vital part of the democratic process, serving as the initial step in selecting candidates for various offices, from local to statewide positions. This phase allows voters to express their preferences within their respective political parties, ultimately shaping the pool of candidates who will compete in the general election. Whether you're a seasoned voter or casting your ballot for the first time, know that your vote matters. Visit votetexas.gov to access essential information on voter registration, candidates, ballot measures, and polling locations. Empower yourself with knowledge and exercise your right to vote. Your vote is your voice. Let it be heard.   #TexasPrimaryElection #VotingMatters #AmericanDream #LatinosAreTheFuture

North Carolina is one of 16 states that holds primary elections on Super Tuesday. Beyond the contest that gets the most attention, there’s a wide range of election choices that affect the people and places of North Carolina – including primaries for our governor, courts, and county boards.   In the lead-up to this primary, and ahead of the North Carolina Local News Workshop + North Carolina Open Government Coalition's Summit later this week, I’m asking questions about what it takes to serve everyone’s election information needs across all 100 counties in NC. Questions like: - How do I vote and where, when? - What does the new voter ID law mean for me? - Who's on the ballot? - And most importantly, what does all of this mean for me?   North Carolina Local News Lab Fund has shared some examples of great work – like from our grant partners Enlace Latino NC and You Can Vote – organizations who take a local angle to get communities across NC the information we need. Not just for big elections, but for participating in everyday democracy. This work, and more of it, is what’s needed to cut through the nationalized political narratives.   The local angle is where organizations can and are working to tell a different story. Tell me: what primary coverage in NC are you boosting? Melanie Sill, Cierra Hinton, Sarah Gustavus Lim, Rashad Mahmood, Keri Mitchell, Joy Mayer, Elaine Díaz Rodríguez, Kathryn Peters, Cole Goins

Elections should be sufficiently funded. Period.

I am choosing to enter the race for Supervisor of Elections in Miami-Dade, because none of the current candidates have experience running any type of technology based organization or business.  I, on the other hand, have over 25 years designing and developing solutions to securely collect, move, and store data by integrating off-the-shelf solutions that are required to be highly secure and always available  My experience working on live remote sports television for ABC, ESPN, and CBS (during which time I was a proud member of the IBEW) taught me the importance of being prepared and hitting deadlines. The broadcast went on the air when it was scheduled to start and not on our time or schedule and any adjustments we needed to make had to  happen in real time without or limiting with full effect, how that impacted the public. While our method of voting on paper must continue (because it gives voters the ultimate level of confidence) we can and must improve the other processes and technology we employ so we can increase the confidence in our vote counting and audit systems. In addition, we can improve the speed with which ALL voters in the county get through election day by taking a fresh look at our early voting hours and how we can enable voters to vote anywhere in the county on election day just as we allow during early voting.  We also need to address the issues of voter registration, party affiliation, and low turnout for primaries by highlighting to all of our voters that while being independent is a cornerstone of what it is to be an American; in the State of Florida being an independent means giving up your right to help decide who will be on the ballot when you show up to vote in November.  By doing this, as well as starting to engage voting age and near voting age eligible High School students to register to vote, we can improve the future of voting in Miami-Dade beyond just the performance of our systems and processes. Clearly, the people of Miami-Dade deserve more bang for their buck when you consider what this job pays. However, this is only possible when you elect someone like me who can actually take on the work of the existing supervisor and bring a vision for voting in Miami-Dade and the Miami-Dade Department of Elections that will increase voter participation and confidence in the safety and integrity of all the processes and systems used to vote. https://arnieweiss.com