November 2012

The mere mention of e-mail voting conjures nightmares in which supporters manipulate outcomes by misrepresenting themselves as multiple personas or casting votes on behalf of nonsupporters, but in New Jersey, where post-hurricane digital voting is sanctioned, fraudsters likely will not dent the presidential results.

The nonswing state may be better off, on principle, by postponing the vote count to ensure each resident is represented, some election security experts say. “In general, email and fax voting is probably the most vulnerable to interception, to changing,” said Joseph Lorenzo Hall, senior staff technologist at the Center for Democracy and Technology, a civil liberties group. “E-mails are glorified postcards.” New Jersey law requires residents to mail in paper duplicates of their e-ballots by Nov. 19, as an anti-fraud safeguard. It is unclear, however, if the state will wait until officials have cross-checked paper and digital votes to call the election. “People don’t necessarily understand that delayed voting results are a good thing,” said Hall. “By definition, if they don’t match they do not count.” Less than a week before Election Day, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno permitted voters displaced by Hurricane Sandy to request last-minute absentee ballots by fax or email. Polling stations on Tuesday are transmitting digital ballots and residents have until 8:00 p.m. to send in their votes electronically.

Federal funds continue to benefit health-care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of electronic health records. As of September, incentive programs have distributed more than $3.9 billion through Medicare, $3.5 billion through Medicaid, according to figures provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Providers in 16 states had received more than $151 million in incentive payments (as of Aug. 31): California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. A number of states had received less than $50 million during that time period: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming. Florida, which has a large retiree population, led the way in Medicare payments at $307.5 million, as of Sept. 30. Alaska, which ranks 47th out of 50 states in population, was at the bottom, with only $1.99 million in Medicare incentive payments as of Sept. 30. In terms of combined Medicare and Medicaid payments, California leads all states, with $637.6 million in total payments, according to CMS. Florida is second in the combined total, at $525.8 million – far outpacing No. 3 Illinois, with $258.8 million in payments. Idaho had $15.1 million in combined incentive payments, least among states. Its Medicaid incentive payment has been active since summer.

Just as mobile operators start to get their networks back up in most areas affected by Hurricane Sandy last week, another storm is heading for the region that was hardest hit. Carriers are preparing to keep their regular cell sites and emergency mobile rigs online in case of heavy weather and will temporarily pull some public phone-charging stations out of service as a storm approaches the Northeast U.S. from the Atlantic Ocean. The new storm, a so-called nor'easter, is expected to hit Tuesday and last through Thursday and bring high winds, snow, freezing rain and sleet. But the nor'easter is not in the same class as Sandy, which brought historic levels of damage to the New York City area, New Jersey, and other parts of the Northeast. The service providers didn't detail any lessons from Sandy that may help them withstand the next storm but said their ongoing mobilization may help.

The 26th meeting of the National Museum and Library Services Board (NMLSB) will focus on the role of libraries and museums in early learning. President Obama has made early childhood learning a priority and IMLS is promoting policies, analyzing data and making grants to help integrate libraries and museums into community-wide early learning strategies. The board will hear from foundation, government, library and museum experts to help inform future IMLS activities in this area.

IMLS anticipates that eight new NMLSB members, nominated by President Obama, will be officially appointed by the time of the board meeting:

• Charles Benton, chairman and CEO of the Benton Foundation
• Christie Pearson Brandau, retired state Librarian and adjunct professor at the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University
• Bert Castro, president and CEO of the Arizona Zoological Society/Phoenix Zoo
• Paula Gangopadhyay, chief learning officer at The Henry Ford
• Luis Herrera, city librarian of the San Francisco Public Library
• Dr. Eric J. Jolly, president of the Science Museum of Minnesota
• Susana Torruella Leval, director emerita of El Museo del Barrio
• Suzanne E. Thorin, dean of Libraries and University Librarian at Syracuse University