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Zach Patton

Executive Editor

Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism for his GOVERNING story on economic cutbacks in Colorado Springs. He has served as an editor since 2010, and as Executive Editor since 2012.

Latest News
Report: Kentucky's Proposed Pension 'Reforms' Could Make Everything Worse
Sweeping changes recommended for Kentucky's public pension systems would cost taxpayers and public employees more money while making public employment far less attractive to future generations, according to a report released Monday.
October 17, 2017
 · Zach Patton
Latest News
New Paper Ballot Machines Roll Out in Georgia — and So Far, So Good
The program for now is a one-off effort meant to demonstrate how Georgia could get past its current system, which is almost entirely electronic and has no paper trail.
October 17, 2017
 · Zach Patton
Archive
Maine Lawmakers Take Another Stab at Implementing Ranked Choice Voting
The Maine Legislature is again wrestling with how to implement, delay or repeal a law passed by voters last November that made Maine the first in the nation to approve a statewide ranked choice voting system for the Legislature, the governor's office and members of Congress.
October 17, 2017
 · Zach Patton
Archive
No Social Security Number? No Lights
Dozens of cities and counties around the country require anyone who wants to open a public utility account — lights, gas, water, phone — to provide a Social Security number, government-issued ID or some form of proof they are in the country legally.
October 17, 2017
 · Zach Patton
Archive
Florida Gov. Declares State of Emergency in Advance of Alt-right Visit
In advance of Thursday's appearance by alt-right leader Richard Spencer on the University of Florida campus, Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency for Alachua County.
October 17, 2017
 · Zach Patton
Latest News
Cleanup From California Fires Poses Environmental and Health Risks
Public health officials and environmental cleanup experts are starting to think about the next chapter of the disaster: the huge amount of debris and ash that will be left behind.
October 17, 2017
 · Zach Patton
News in Numbers
5,700
Number of buildings destroyed by wildfires in California in the past week. One blaze alone, the Tubbs fire, has incinerated more than 5,100 structures, making it the single most destructive fire in state history.
October 16, 2017
 · Zach Patton
Who Said That
Just because something is popular doesn’t mean we should just automatically jump on the bandwagon.
Utah Board of Education member Lisa Cummins, objecting to the board's endorsement last week of the Hamilton Education Program, which will provide 2,300 high school juniors in mostly rural and low-income parts of the state $10 tickets to a special matinee showing of the Broadway musical "Hamilton" when it tours in Salt Lack City next year. Cummins objected to the musical's "vulgarity" and what she said was an inaccurate portrayal of the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton.
October 16, 2017
 · Zach Patton
Archive
Will Massive Equifax Breach Spur State Regulation?
The massive data breach could also lead to a state regulatory crackdown on credit reporting agencies, which aren’t currently subject to some of the requirements imposed on other businesses that manage sensitive consumer data, and possibly to tighter controls on that larger universe of businesses as well.
October 16, 2017
 · Zach Patton
Archive
Wary of Hackers, States Move to Upgrade Voting Systems
State election officials, worried about the integrity of their voting systems, are pressing to make them more secure ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
October 16, 2017
 · Zach Patton
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