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As the pandemic has unfolded, technology has proved its value as never before. There is much more to be done, and IT leaders should have a role at the level where the big decisions are made.
It needn't be a November Nightmare, in which many thousands of votes are rejected. State and local election administrators can look to evidence-based science for ways to minimize problems.
A new Rand report explores ideas and practices used by Russia and other hostile states to sow doubts about the election. The insights could help state and local government better understand and respond to the problem.
Jared Maples, director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, commenting on the combination of rising political tensions, national protests and foreign disinformation campaigns across the U.S. that could cause acts of violence leading up to and after the Nov. 3 election. (Reuters — September 29, 2020)
The number of jobs that were lost by mothers with children 12 years old and younger between February and August, approximately three times the amount of lost jobs for fathers of small children. A different study also found that mothers of young children were likely to have lost four to five times the number of work hours than fathers have during the pandemic.
Nearly half of California voters are very pleased with Gov. Newsom’s management of the coronavirus pandemic. However, 55 percent of those same voters think he has done a poor job handling homelessness across the state.
Budget analysts fear the state will continue to lose approximately $450 million a year until 2025. More federal stimulus aid is needed if the state is to avoid devastating cuts to public services.
President Trump continues to attack the vote-by-mail system, claiming it will increase fraud, but Washington state’s mail-in program that has worked well for years might be a perfect counterexample.
Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy left by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg reflects a long history of presidents' efforts to define the Supreme Court, beginning with George Washington.
In a time of an extremely divided America, Bruce Bond works with his team to develop common ground and inspire others to create positive change.
Making public transit free might seem a crazy idea, but it has benefits that can outweigh the costs. It's widespread in Europe, and more American transit agencies should give it a serious look.
Reps. Pramila Jayapal and David Cicilline, writing in a letter to Facebook urging the company to take firmer action against the spread of election and voter misinformation ahead of the 2020 election. (AP News — September 28, 2020)
The positive test rate in North Dakota over the past week, compared to 6 percent for the prior week. South Dakota’s positive test rate has also spiked up to 26 percent, a nine percent increase from the previous week.
Lawmakers and experts warn that the combination of a pandemic, increased numbers of mail-in ballots and a heightened racial tension across the state have created the perfect place for election disinformation to grow.
Last week, the Employment Security Department answered questions about the department’s security glitches, increasing employer taxes and repaying the $576 million lost in the spring’s unemployment fraud.
The state is still down 39 percent in employment since February, the slowest recovery of all the 48 contiguous states since August 2019. Only Hawaii has a worse job decline than New York.
The DMV and at least 80 other agencies across the state use facial recognition technology and investigators say it's an invaluable crime fighting tool. But civil rights advocates say the tech does more harm than good.
In recent years, Republican-led legislatures have been adding state supreme court seats and working to change nominating rules, aiming to bolster conservative majorities.
Dr. Mark Wilson, chief health officer for Birmingham, Ala., and its surrounding county, commenting on the growing lack of trust in the CDC as a reliable source of health information. (PEW — September 25, 2020)
The combined settlement amount that Verizon and AT&T Mobile will pay for allegedly overcharging 300 government customers for wireless services over the past decade.
The state Legislature gave final approval to a bill that allows election clerks to begin processing absentee ballots before Election Day and now it is headed to Gov. Whitmer’s desk.
The city’s police received information on a gun case suspect from another law enforcement agency that used facial recognition to identify the person. The technology has been banned from use since May 2019.
The state’s labor department accidentally overpaid on 30,000 unemployment claims during July, totalling $280 million. To compensate, the state cut workers’ weekly payments until the extra pay was returned.
When the state Legislature restarts in January, it will have to deal with mask requirements, business closures and a projected deficit for 2021-2022 that could match that of the Great Recession’s $27 billion shortfall.
In the last 15 years, scientific studies have overturned common knowledge about the behavior and consequences of wildfires. A leading researcher discusses how it can help guide future efforts to protect both people and forests.
Lots of people no longer feel at home with either the Democratic or Republican parties. They usually hate one of the major parties too much, however, to chance their vote on a third party.
It can maintain distinctive urban character, but excessive mandates also can impede the dynamic evolution that cities need. There are market-driven policy reforms to reduce its negative impacts.
They employ millions of people and buy trillions of dollars in goods and services from the private sector. Congress and the White House should keep these numbers in mind as they debate pandemic aid.
Raising the cap on the federal deduction for state and local taxes while putting a lid on another tax break would benefit more taxpayers and the governments closer to them.
Nick Custodio, deputy city commissioner in Philadelphia, speaking about voters requesting absentee ballots to ensure they can be delivered on time. On-time delivery in Philadelphia has dipped to 79 percent, a 5.5 percent decline, since the U.S. Postal Service’s recent changes. (AP News — September 24, 2020)
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