ElectionLine
National Conference highlights proposals for innovative funding solutions for U.S. election
October 30, 2025
The conference was structured around the presentation of the top ten ideas from the contest. These included (in order of presentation) creating special districts; utilizing unclaimed funds; developing endowments; federal funding for all jurisdictions by charging for ballot real estate for federal races; raising funds with special license plates; using ballot qualification fees; using a portion of the federal Highway Trust Fund for state DMV and registration systems; using a portion of the federal telecommunications access funds to support cybersecurity and infrastructure; creating an election infrastructure checkoff program to fund infrastructure improvements; tying mandatory community service requirements for college student recipients of state grant aid; adding photo ID fees to support local election offices; and creating an election advertising tax to support election administration.
A panel of national experts ranked the presentations, and contest winners included:
5th Place: “Scholarships and Civic Duty: Leveraging State Grant Aid Recipients as Poll Workers” by Lucca Carlson and Melinda Olstad
4th Place: “Restructuring Power: Decision-Making and the Future of Election Funding” by Joseph Anthony
3rd Place: “Funding Election Administration with an Election Advertising Tax: A Policy Proposal to the Auburn Election Funding Competition” by Natalie Friend, Jamie Shew, and Zach Mohr
2nd Place: “The Three Pillars Approach to Broadening the Federal Funding Base for Federal Election Grants” by Caleb J. Hays and Gideon Cohn-Postar
1st Place: “Harnessing Unclaimed Funds for Election Administration” by Derek Clinger
Adam Hinds, an expert panelist and Zach Moore from the University of Kansas. Photo credit: Stew Milne.
Expert panelists included Cathy Darling Allen, Karen Brinson-Bell, Mitchell Brown, Donetta Davidson, Bob Fincher, John Fortier, Matt Germer, Adam Hinds, Pete Lichtenheld, Paul Lopez, Justin Marlowe, John Merrill, Don Palmer, Justin Ross, David Stafford, Charles Stewart, Keely Varvel, Matt Weil, Tom Wilkey, and Kim Wyman.
Four alumni of Pitts¬burg State University will be honored with awards presented by the Alumni Association during a reception on Oct. 10 as part of Home¬coming festivities. The reception will begin at 2 p.m. in the Wilkinson Alumni Center and is open to the campus and community.
Valquíria Vita and James Saltat will be presented the Gorillas of the Last Decade (GOLD) Alumni Award. Caleb Hays and DePrice Taylor will be honored with the Dr. Kenneth K. Bateman Outstanding Alumni Award.
Homecoming Week begins Oct. 6 and runs through Oct. 11. Details: events.pittstate.edu/ homecoming
GOLD Alumni Award
Valquíria Vita
Valquíria Vita (MA ’15, Communication) is the founder and di¬rector of LEGACY Life Stories, a company based in Brazil that specializes in writing biographies for people 80 years of age and old¬er. Since its creation, the company has pub¬lished more than 50 books and employs 10 people.
Vita first came to Pitt State in 2012 as an exchange student from Brazil. She returned in 2014 to pursue her mas-ter’s degree in commu¬nication, graduating in 2015 with Summa Cum Laude honors (4.0 GPA). While here, she earned recognition on the Dean’s Scholastic Honors list, earned both the Global Lead¬ership Certificate and International Knowl¬edge and Experience Certificate, and was named International Graduate Student of the Year. She also made her mark in student media as a re¬porter and managing editor for The Collegio, where she earned 10 awards at the Kansas Collegiate Media Con¬vention.
Vita launched her own column, People of Pittsburg, highlighting stories of local resi¬dents. That column inspired her to launch LEGACY Life Stories, which now gives in¬dividuals a chance to preserve their life stories for future gen¬erations. She’s become a sought-after author and has provided jobs in her community.
She continues to ex¬emplify Gorilla Spirit by sharing her study abroad experience in lec¬tures and at conferences.
James Saltat
James Saltat (BA ’15, Marketing) is the inter¬im associate director for Leadership & Ser¬vice at the University of Missouri.
At Pitt State, Saltat’s participation in student leadership and service prepared him for his eventual career. He was the president of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity and was active in nu¬merous honors groups and student organiza¬tions.
He was also a Home¬coming King candidate, a Golden Gorilla Award recipient, and earned numorous awards and recognitions for student leadership — although he counts marrying fellow Pitt State grad Jessica (Lowery) Saltat among his greatest achievements.
He completed a mas¬ter’s degree in educa¬tional leadership and policy analysis at the University of Missouri, where he received the Culture of Excellence Award for Engagement with his work at the Di¬vision of Advancement.
Saltat continues to be active in student affairs and leadership organizations through both local and national committees. He serves as a member of Miz¬zou’s Student Affairs Leadership Team, the American College Per-sonnel Association, the NASPA Mid-Level Ad¬ministrators Steering Committee, an advisor for Omicron Delta Kap¬pa, and as past regional advisor for Phi Sigma Kappa. He teaches two courses at the Univer¬sity of Missouri, which focuses on the inter¬section of leadership, civic engagement, and service.
He lives in Colum¬bia, Missouri, with his wife Jessica and their one-year-old daughter Lorelai.
Dr. Kenneth K. Bateman Outstanding
Alumni Award
Caleb J. Hays
Caleb J. Hays (BA ’12, Spanish) serves as chief counsel and principal for Section 4 Strategies, a boutique election law firm based in Alexan¬dria, Virginia, and as chief policy counsel for the Center for Election Confidence, special counsel for elections for the Republican Nation¬al Lawyers Association, and outside general counsel to the Congres¬sional Management Foundation.
During his time at
SEE ALUMNI, 5B
Pitt State, Hays learned leadership skills in numerous honor soci¬eties and was awarded Outstanding Student in Spanish from the Mod¬ern Language Depart¬ment.
Hays earned a mas¬ter’s in business admin¬istration marketing at the University of Kan¬sas and a juris doctor at William & Mary Law School.
Professionally, Hays has held a number of leadership roles in election law and policy. He served as general counsel and deputy staff director for the U.S. House Committee on House Administra¬tion, associate attorney at Holtzman Vogel, and election counsel for the National Republican Congressional Commit¬tee. He has worked for former Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins in both campaign and congres¬sional roles and chaired the Kansas Federation of College Republicans.
Hays lives in Alexan¬dria, Virginia.
DePrice Taylor
With more than a de¬cade of experience driv¬ing youth development, strategic initiatives, and community partner-ships, DePrice Taylor (BS ’10, Social Work, and MS ’12, Sports Man¬agement) now serves as the executive director of community relations for the Kansas City Cur¬rent.
She spearheads the club’s community engagement strategy, builds and sustains meaningful relation¬ships with corporate and nonprofit stake¬holders, and oversees impactful program¬ming and player civic engagement efforts.
At Pitt State, Taylor was a first-generation student and member of the Women’s Basket¬ball team who excelled on and off the court, including earning First Team All-MIAA honors.
She has been rec¬ognized as a Kansas City Business Journal NextGen Leader, Star¬land News Communi¬ty Builder to Watch, Heartland Black Cham¬ber of Commerce MVP, ATHENA Young Pro¬fessional Leadership Award, and alumna of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Centurions Leadership Program.
She serves on the Win for KC Advisory Board, Black Excellence KC Board, Pitt State Alum¬ni Association Board, and as a commissioner for Kansas City Parks & Recreation, appointed by Mayor Quinton Lu¬cas.
Driven by a deep com¬mitment to mentorship, she inspires the next generation to thrive and lead with purpose.
Pittsburg (Kan.) Morning Sun
Four alumni to be honored as part of Homecoming festivities
October 9, 2025
Pittsburg State University
Four Pitt State alumni to be honored during Homecoming Week
September 28, 2025
Four alumni of Pittsburg State University will be honored with awards presented by the Alumni Association during a reception on Oct. 10 as part of Homecoming festivities. The reception will begin at 2 p.m. in the Wilkinson Alumni Center and is open to the campus and community.
Valquíria Vita and James Saltat will be presented the Gorillas of the Last Decade (GOLD) Alumni Award. Caleb Hays and DePrice Taylor will be honored with the Dr. Kenneth K. Bateman Outstanding Alumni Award.
Homecoming Week begins Oct. 6 and runs through Oct. 11. Details: events.pittstate.edu/homecoming
The Center Square
Op-Ed: Election improvements come to Luzerne County
By Caleb Hays | Center for Election Confidence.
Oct 25, 2024
Nearly two years ago, during the 2022 election, the unthinkable happened in Luzerne County – polling places were not supplied with enough ballots. As a result, voters, through no fault of their own, were denied their fundamental right to vote.
This was no accident. It was a direct result of the county’s failure to hire experienced election administrators, failure to train its inexperienced election administrators, and failure to adopt written policies and procedures regarding election administration.
However, because of a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by two disenfranchised voters, William French and Melynda Reese, which was supported by the Center for Election Confidence, changes are being made to the way Luzerne County administers its elections.
Discovery in that litigation revealed a troubling pattern in the county. Employees described a “toxic” work environment that led to high turnover of election staff. Indeed, the county churned through three directors of Election, the person responsible for election administration in the county, in less than three years. The director of Election during the 2022 election was thrust into the job only months before that election. This high turnover rate led the county to hire inexperienced personnel who had little to no experience administering elections. To make matters worse, the county offered its inexperienced staff little to no training on the conduct of elections.
Last week, the federal civil rights litigation against Luzerne County reached a conclusion, when the Luzerne County Council finally agreed to adopt a settlement agreement with the plaintiffs. That agreement is the culmination of nearly two years of litigation and vindicates the constitutional rights of the plaintiffs who were denied the right to vote.
This settlement agreement is a massive win for election integrity and for voter confidence for all Luzerne County voters. As part of the settlement agreement, the county agreed – for the first time – to implement concrete, specific, and impactful election integrity measures to address not only the causes of the 2022 ballot paper shortage but also the way the county administers its elections, all of which must be in place before the November 2024 election.
Under the Settlement Agreement, the county, for the first time, will:
Adopt written policies concerning election procedures that comply with state and federal law;
Stock sufficient ballot paper of the appropriate weight, as recommended by the voting equipment manufacturer;
Train county election employees on an annual basis with respect to election administration practices and procedures;
Provide orientation for all newly hired Bureau of Elections employees, which must include training on state and federal election laws, the Bureau of Elections policies and procedures manual, procedures for procuring sufficient supplies to administer an election, including ballot paper, and the standard operating procedures at polling places, including how to troubleshoot common issues that may arise; and
Hire a qualified, outside elections attorney that can assist the County in navigating the Pennsylvania Election Code and federal election law.
Furthermore, the county has agreed to transparency with the terms of the settlement agreement to be posted publicly on the county’s website so that all Luzerne County residents may see.
The terms of this agreement are not specialized, difficult, or onerous. Rather, they are a model set of rules and basic commonsense principles that every county election board and administration should follow. They reflect basic best practices for election administration employed by local elections officials across the country.
In America, the right to vote is fundamental for qualified American citizens. While Mr. French and Ms. Reese cannot get back their right to vote that Luzerne County denied in 2022, the county’s acknowledgement that reforms are needed is an important step toward correcting the mistakes of the past and ensuring they don’t happen again. And that’s a win for all of us.
White House Press Release
Bill Signed: H.R. 6513
On Friday, October 4, 2024, the President signed into law:
H.R. 6513, the “Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act of 2024” or the “COCOA Act of 2024,” which requires States to provide designated congressional election observers with full access to observe all elements of the administration of congressional elections.
Thank you to Representatives Carey, Morelle, and Steil for their leadership.
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WisPolitics.com
Caleb Hays: Election clerks should handle drop boxes with care and put security first
By Caleb Hays | Center for Election Confidence
The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.
The recent eleventh-hour ruling by the Wisconsin State Supreme Court to give local election clerks the option to reintroduce ballot drop boxes has injected extraordinary uncertainty into Wisconsin’s elections.
Local clerks in Wisconsin face the Herculean task of determining whether drop boxes make sense for their voters, and—if so—developing and implementing new security protocols with barely three months until election day and only weeks until the August primary election. Considering this enormous challenge, elections officials who choose to offer drop boxes must make their security their top priority. Anything less risks undermining public confidence in the elections . . .
POLITICO
Coverage of Section 4 Strategies Launch
Week of June 8, 2024
Former House GOP Lead Strategist for Election Policy Launches
Section 4 Strategies
June 3, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alexandria, Va.—Today, former Committee on House Administration General Counsel, Deputy Staff Director, and Subcommittee on Elections Staff Director Caleb Hays announced the launch of Section 4 Strategies, a boutique law firm based in Alexandria focused on continuing the work to build long-term, Constitutionally sound solutions for the key election integrity issues of today—Americans’ confidence in our elections processes and outcomes, federalism, and the rule of law.
During his tenure with the U.S. House, Hays led House Republicans’ election policy efforts, which saw development of the Faith in Elections Project and culminated in the American Confidence in Elections (ACE) Act. The ACE Act is a comprehensive bill intended to bolster Americans’ confidence in our elections processes and outcomes by offering voluntary, purpose-built tools to the States to improve election administration, by implementing key election integrity reforms in the District of Columbia, which Congress controls, and by adopting important protections for free speech and donor privacy and reforms to our campaign finance system. Hays also led House Republicans’ successful defense of Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks’ 6-vote victory, which was contested in the House in the most contentious proceedings in nearly 40 years. Hays was also responsible for the relaunch of House Republicans’ participation in the House Observer Program, which trains and deploys congressional observers to districts across the country to observe state administration of congressional elections.
“I’m excited to continue the important work of telling the story about the strength of America’s elections system while working for responsible reforms where necessary,” Hays said. “Not only must our states continue to lead the world in election administration, but we must also ensure that the processes and systems used are trustworthy and understandable by the everyday voter. I’m thankful to my clients and partners who are joining me on this important journey.”
Launching with a strong cadre of Day One clientele, Section 4 Strategies welcomes others interested in joining the fold to visit Section4Strategies.com.
About Section 4 Strategies
Based in Alexandria, Va., Section 4 Strategies is led by Caleb Hays, the former U.S. House Committee on House Administration General Counsel, Deputy Staff Director, and Subcommittee on Elections Staff Director. Section 4 Strategies will focus on bolstering voters’ confidence in American elections processes and outcomes through work to strengthen federalism and the rule of law in the elections space.
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Contact us.
info@Section4Strategies.com
Washington
5646 Governors Pond Cir.
Alexandria, VA 22310
(202) 844-2949 main
(571) 458-7472 fax
Kansas City
9393 West 110th St.
51 Corporate Woods, Ste. 500
Overland Park, KS 66210
(913) 286-4315 main
New York
43 West 43rd St., Ste. 417
New York, NY 10036
(646) 559-6730 main