Pagemike@standardsmichigan.com, Author at Standards Michigan

Human Factors Using Elevators in Emergency Evacuation

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Can Voters Detect Malicious Manipulation of Ballot Marking Devices?

Matthew Bernhard, et. al

University of Michigan

Abstract: Ballot marking devices (BMDs) allow voters to select candidates on a computer kiosk, which prints a paper ballot that the voter can review before inserting it into a scanner to be tabulated. Unlike paperless voting machines, BMDs provide voters an opportunity to verify an auditable physical record of their choices, and a growing number of U.S. jurisdictions are adopting them for all voters. However, the security of BMDs depends on how reliably voters notice and correct any adversarially induced errors on their printed ballots. In order to measure voters’ error detection abilities, we conducted a large study (N = 241) in a realistic polling place setting using real voting machines that we modified to introduce an error into each printout. Without intervention, only 40% of participants reviewed their printed ballots at all, and only 6.6% told a poll worker something was wrong. We also find that carefully designed interventions can improve verification performance. Verbally instructing voters to review the printouts and providing a written slate of candidates for whom to vote both significantly increased review and reporting rates-although the improvements may not be large enough to provide strong security in close elections, especially when BMDs are used by all voters. Based on these findings, we make several evidence-based recommendations to help better defend BMD-based elections.

IEEE provides this article for public use without charge.

Voting Precincts

Today is an “off-year” federal election but there are many appeals to voters for more money to build new, or expand or maintain educational settlements. We may have to pick through a few bond offerings. We maintain an ongoing concern for the security of polling places; many which are located in schools, colleges and universities.

In the United States, polling places can be located in a variety of public and private facilities, not just in public schools. While public schools are commonly used as polling places due to their widespread distribution and accessibility, they are not necessarily the largest proportion of polling places nationwide. The specific locations of polling places can vary by jurisdiction and are determined by local election officials. Other common polling place locations include community centers, churches, libraries, government buildings, and private residences.

The selection of polling places is based on factors like accessibility, convenience, and the need to accommodate a specific number of voters within a given precinct or district. The goal is to ensure that voters have reasonable access to cast their ballots on election day. The use of public schools as polling places is widespread but not universal, and the distribution of polling places across various types of facilities can vary from one region to another.

2024 International Building Code Appendix E: Supplementary Accessibility Requirements

NFPA 730 Guide to Premises Security: 2026 First Draft Report | Consultation closes January 3, 2025

“Election Day” 1944″ Norman Rockwell

The political party that claims that “democracy is at stake” today’s election is the same political party that seeks to federalize state election laws, pack the Supreme Court, remove the Electoral College, remove US national borders and abolish voter identification will be voting in today’s off-year elections. In other words: it wants to abolish democracy. Its partisans have long since metastasized in education communities where polling places for students, faculty, staff and nearby residents are hosted.

Join us in post-irony America today when we focus only on the safety and environmental condition of these polling places. Where there is closer agreement. Catalogs, titles, chapters, sections and passages that inform best practice on this topic:

Can Voters Detect Malicious Manipulation of Ballot Marking Devices?

International Code Council

International Building Code

A117 Accessible and Useable Buildings and Facilities

National Fire Protection Association

Life Safety Code

Premises Security

ASHRAE International

Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy

Illumination Engineering Society

Designing Lighting for People and Buildings

Security 100

Sacramento County: Polling Place and Vote Center Management

Halloween

Hope College | Holland Michigan

Emmanuel College | Suffolk County Massachusetts

(上海体育学院

Halloween Safety Tips for Kids, Adults, and College Students

National Safety Council: Simple Steps for an Extra Safe Halloween

National Fire Protection Association: Halloween Safety Tips

Monster Culture

Vast and Innumerable Throngs of the Ancient Dead

Festal Choral Evensong for All Saints

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Spooky Specialties

BERKSHIRE COUNTY WEATHER

Net Position FY 2025: $4.409 billion

How much do students know about the people whose accumulated wealth created the beautiful places in which they study? Do they appreciate the irony that institutions whose prevailing politics (a 132:1 ratio of Democrats to Republicans) often differ from those of their benefactors continue to flourish through the generosity of earlier generations?

Provost Financial Plan | Current Capital Projects

@WilliamsEphsFB has four sets of brothers on the team this season! That’s 10.8% of the roster. And the most in the NESCAC. We met up with the siblings to see how well they each know their bro—and who’s the family favorite. https://t.co/NjR0uQT1Z0

— Williams College (@WilliamsCollege) October 21, 2026

Tax-Free Bonds

Current Referenda | Ballotpedia

As the adage goes: “The cure for high prices, is high prices”. Today–ahead of the August primary elections in the United States (when bond referenda appear on ballots — we explore fiscal runaway with particular interest in the instruments that finance construction of the real assets. We recap what we have been doing for 30-odd years placing downward pressure on life-cycle cost.

Perspective:

- The largest school bond referendum on ballots in November 2025 is the $1.4 billion package for Richardson Independent School District (ISD) in Texas.
- University of Michigan’s 2025 $2 billion general revenue bonds
- New York University’s 2025 $2.18 billion bonds through the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York
- The largest school bond referendum on ballots in November 2024 was Measure US for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in California, totaling $9 billion.
- In the November 2022 elections, a significant number of school bond referenda were presented to voters across the United States. For example, in Wisconsin alone, there were 57 successful capital referenda amounting to nearly $2.1 billion in authorized debt (Wisconsin Policy Forum)
- In Texas, Central Texas schools had a total of $4.24 billion in bonds on the ballot, covering various propositions for school facilities, technology improvements, and athletic facilities (Fox 7 Austin)
- In California and Arkansas, bond measures totaling $74 million — including school choice — were aimed at addressing school facility improvements (The74Million)
- Voters in 16 North Carolina counties approved bond issues totaling $4.27 billion, with $3.08 billion dedicated to K-12 public school construction and improvements (EducationNC)

“The cure for high prices, is high prices” — They say.

Today we explore fiscal runaway in the US education “industry” with particular interest in the financing instruments for building the real assets that are the beating heart of culture in neighborhoods, cities, counties and states. We steer clear of social and political issues. The marketing of these projects — and how the loans are paid off — provides insight into the costs and benefits of this $100+ billion industry; the largest non-residential building construction market in the United States.

Educational Settlement Finance

We cannot do much to stop the hyperbolically rising cost of administrative functionaries but we can force the incumbents we describe in our ABOUT to work a little harder to reduce un-used (or un-useable) space and reduce maintenance cost. Sometimes simple questions result in obvious answers that result in significant savings.

More recently hybrid teaching and learning space, owing the the circumstances of the pandemic, opens new possibilities for placing downward pressure on cost.

What the University of Michigan has done to reduce the life cycle cost of the real assets of educational settlements

Gallery: School Bond Referenda

Regulation or Money-Laundering?

Every school building begins twice: first in the bond market, and later on the construction site. After Architect-Engineers and Building Construction Contractors (many of whom finance election advocacy enterprises) the following organizations are involved in placing a bond on the open market:

School Districts: Individual school districts issue bonds to fund construction or renovation of school facilities, purchase equipment, or cover other educational expenses. Each school district is responsible for managing its own bond issuances.
Colleges and Universities: Higher education institutions, such as universities and colleges, issue bonds to finance campus expansions, construction of new academic buildings, dormitories, research facilities, and other capital projects.
State-Level Agencies: Many states have agencies responsible for overseeing and coordinating bond issuances for schools and universities. These agencies may facilitate bond sales, help ensure compliance with state regulations, and provide financial assistance to educational institutions.
Municipal Finance Authorities: Municipal finance authorities at the state or local level often play a role in facilitating bond transactions for educational entities. They may act as intermediaries in the bond issuance process.
Investment Banks and Underwriters: Investment banks and underwriters assist educational institutions in structuring and selling their bonds to investors. They help determine bond terms, market the bonds, and manage the offering.
Bond Counsel: Bond counsel, typically law firms, provide legal advice to educational institutions on bond issuances. They help ensure that the bond issuance complies with all legal requirements and regulations.
Rating Agencies: Rating agencies, such as Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, and Fitch Ratings, assess the creditworthiness of the bonds and assign credit ratings. These ratings influence the interest rates at which the bonds can be issued.
Investors: Various institutional and individual investors, including mutual funds, pension funds, and individual bond buyers, purchase school and university bonds as part of their investment portfolios.
Financial Advisors: Financial advisory firms provide guidance to educational institutions on bond issuances, helping them make informed financial decisions related to borrowing and debt management.
Regulatory Authorities: Federal and state regulatory authorities, such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and state-specific agencies, oversee and regulate the issuance of bonds to ensure compliance with securities laws and financial regulations.

These organizations collectively contribute to the process of issuing, selling, and managing school and university bonds in the United States, allowing educational institutions to raise the necessary funds for their capital projects and operations. The specific entities involved may vary depending on the size and location of the educational institution and the nature of the bond issuance.

Bond issuances affect local property values.

Lights Out

Schenkingen

“The secret of great fortunes without apparent cause

is a crime forgotten, for it was properly done.”

— Honoré de Balzac’

CASE FAQ for Standards: Definition of Educational Philanthropy

Are they hedge funds with a side hustle in teaching, research and building construction? Are they tricked out memorial gardens for philanthropists? In either case leaders of educational settlements are expected to act in the best interests of both their institution and their donors, and to maintain high standards of transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct when accepting charitable gifts.

University endowments are comprised of money or other financial assets that are donated to academic institutions. Charitable donations are the primary source of funds for endowments. Endowment funds support the teaching, research, and public service missions of colleges and universities.

In the case of endowment funds for academic institutions, the income generated is intended to finance a portion of the operating or capital requirements of the institution. In addition to a general university endowment fund, institutions may also maintain a number of restricted endowments that are intended to fund specific areas within the institution, including professorships, scholarships, and fellowships.

More

Council on Foundations

2021 NACUBO-TIAA Study of Endowments

University of Michigan: Policy Guidelines for Naming of Facilities, Spaces and Streets

University of Buffalo: Naming University Properties, Facilities, and Academic and Non-Academic Programs

Northern Arizona University: Naming of Facilities, Programmatic Units, or Fund for Individuals or Organizations

Dematerialization

Digital Campus

Dartmouth University Endowment Report 2023

https://www.dartmouth.edu/investments/docs/dartmouthendowmentreport2023.pdf

The largest philanthropic gift ever given to a United States college or university is the donation of $9.6 billion made by MacKenzie Scott to various organizations, including several universities, in 2020. Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, made the donation as part of her commitment to give away the majority of her wealth to charitable causes. The universities that received donations from Scott include historically black colleges and universities, community colleges, and research universities such as the University of California, San Diego, and Johns Hopkins University. The donation was considered significant not only for its size but also for its focus on supporting organizations that serve underrepresented and marginalized communities.

There are several standards and best practices that are generally followed by universities and colleges when accepting charitable gifts. These standards are designed to ensure that the gift is used effectively and that the interests of both the donor and the institution are protected. Some of the key standards include:

Transparency and accountability: Universities and colleges are expected to be transparent about how gifts are used and to provide regular reports to donors on the impact of their gifts.
Due diligence: Universities and colleges are expected to conduct due diligence on potential donors to ensure that their gifts do not create conflicts of interest or ethical concerns.
Gift acceptance policies: Many universities and colleges have established gift acceptance policies that outline the types of gifts that will be accepted and the procedures for accepting them.
Donor recognition: Universities and colleges are expected to recognize donors in an appropriate and meaningful way, while avoiding actions that could be seen as an endorsement of the donor’s business or political interests.
Ethical fundraising: Universities and colleges are expected to follow ethical fundraising practices, including avoiding pressure tactics or misleading information, and ensuring that donors are aware of any tax implications of their gifts.

Overall, universities and colleges are expected to act in the best interests of both their institution and their donors, and to maintain high standards of transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct when accepting charitable gifts.

Infotech 300

An Expanded Study of School Bond Elections in Michigan

November 3, 2026

Dearborn Public Schools: A proposed $1.51 billion bond for new buildings, renovations, career education and infrastructure.

Birmingham Public Schools: A proposed $240 million bond

Chippewa Hills School District: A revised $29.9 million bond following rejection of a larger proposal in 2025.

Gallery: School Bond Referenda

As of January 2022, there were a few municipalities in the United States that allowed non-citizens to vote in local elections, but no entire states. These municipalities included:

San Francisco, California: Non-citizens are allowed to vote in school board elections.
Chicago, Illinois: Non-citizens are allowed to vote in school board elections.
Takoma Park, Maryland: Non-citizens are allowed to vote in local elections.

It’s worth noting that these policies may change over time as local governments make decisions regarding voting rights. For the most up-to-date information, it’s best to consult the specific laws and regulations of each municipality or state.

“Election Day, 1944” | Norman Rockwell for the Saturday Evening Post

School bond elections — either at county or district level — are processes through which communities vote to authorize the issuance of bonds to fund various projects and improvements in their local school districts. The elections determine the quality of educational settlements –new school buildings, renovating existing facilities, upgrading technology, and improving safety measures. The outcomes of these elections directly affect the quality of education and learning environments for students within the county. Successful bond measures can stimulate economic growth by creating jobs and attracting families to the area.

Community involvement and voter turnout are essential in determining the allocation of resources and shaping the quality of life for its citizens. In recent years, however, voter ambivalence about the education “industry” in general, the rise of home schooling and other cultural factors, complicate choices presented to voters.