Skip to content Skip to search

Republish This Story

* Please read before republishing *

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license as long as you follow our republishing guidelines, which require that you credit The 19th and retain our pixel. See our full guidelines for more information.

To republish, simply copy the HTML at right, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to The 19th. Have questions? Please email [email protected].

— The Editors

Loading...

Modal Gallery

/
Sign up for our newsletter

Menu

  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Search
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships
    • From the Collection

      Changing Child Care

      Illustration of a woman feeding a baby a bottle
      • 1 in 4 parents report being fired for work interruptions due to child care breakdowns

        Chabeli Carrazana · February 2
      • Washington, D.C., offers financial relief to local child care workers

        Orion Rummler · September 20
      • As climate change worsens hurricane season in Louisiana, doulas are ensuring parents can safely feed their babies

        Jessica Kutz · May 5
    • From the Collection

      Next-Gen GOP

      Illustration of a woman riding an elephant
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • A banner year for Republican women

        Amanda Becker · November 11
      • Republican women could double representation in the U.S. House

        Amanda Becker · November 4
    • From the Collection

      On The Rise

      Illustration of three women marching
      • Can Cheri Beasley build a winning coalition in North Carolina?

        Candice Norwood · October 11
      • Los Angeles has never elected a woman mayor. Karen Bass hopes to change that.

        Nadra Nittle · September 8
      • Judge J. Michelle Childs is confirmed to D.C. appeals court

        Candice Norwood · July 20
    • From the Collection

      Pandemic Within a Pandemic

      Illustration of four people marching for Black Lives Matter with coronavirus as the backdrop
      • Some LGBTQ+ people worry that the COVID-19 vaccine will affect HIV medication. It won’t.

        Orion Rummler · November 23
      • Why are more men dying from COVID? It’s a complicated story of nature vs. nurture, researchers say

        Mariel Padilla · September 22
      • Few incarcerated women were released during COVID. The ones who remain have struggled.

        Candice Norwood · August 17
    • From the Collection

      Portraits of a Pandemic

      Illustration of a woman wearing a mask and holding up the coronavirus
      • For family caregivers, COVID is a mental health crisis in the making

        Shefali Luthra · October 8
      • A new database tracks COVID-19’s effects on sex and gender

        Shefali Luthra · September 15
      • Pregnant in a pandemic: The 'perfect storm for a crisis'

        Shefali Luthra · August 25
    • From the Collection

      The 19th Explains

      People walking from many articles to one article where they can get the context they need on an issue.
      • The 19th Explains: What we know about Brittney Griner’s case and what it took to get her home

        Candice Norwood, Katherine Gilyard · December 8
      • The 19th Explains: Why the Respect for Marriage Act doesn’t codify same-sex marriage rights

        Kate Sosin · December 8
      • The 19th Explains: Why baby formula is still hard to find months after the shortage

        Mariel Padilla · December 1
    • From the Collection

      The Electability Myth

      Illustration of three women speaking at podiums
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • Stepping in after tragedy: How political wives became widow lawmakers

        Mariel Padilla · May 24
      • Do term limits help women candidates? New York could be a new testing ground

        Barbara Rodriguez · January 11
    • From the Collection

      The Impact of Aging

      A number of older people walking down a path of information.
      • From ballroom dancing to bloodshed, the older AAPI community grapples with gun control

        Nadra Nittle, Mariel Padilla · January 27
      • 'I'm planning on working until the day I die': Older women voters are worried about the future

        Mariel Padilla · June 3
      • Climate change is forcing care workers to act as first responders

        Jessica Kutz · May 31
    • From the Collection

      Voting Rights

      A series of hands reaching for ballots.
      • Connecticut voters approved early voting. Here’s how their new secretary of state wants to make it happen.

        Barbara Rodriguez · February 13
      • Women lawmakers in Minnesota are in the vanguard of the democracy movement

        Barbara Rodriguez · February 3
      • Election workers believe in our system — and want everyone else to, too

        Barbara Rodriguez, Jennifer Gerson · November 8

    View all collections

  • Explore by Topic

    • 19th Polling
    • Abortion
    • Business & Economy
    • Caregiving
    • Coronavirus
    • Education
    • Election 2020
    • Election 2022
    • Election 2024
    • Environment & Climate
    • Health
    • Immigration
    • Inside The 19th
    • Justice
    • LGBTQ+
    • Military
    • Politics
    • Press Release
    • Race
    • Sports
    • Technology

    View All Topics

Home
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Search
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships

We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy. Read our story.

The 19th News(letter)

News from reporters who represent you and your communities.

Please check your email to confirm your subscription!

Submitting...

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Become a member

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

Kathy McGuiness, the Delaware state auditor.
Kathy McGuiness came up with an idea to help tackle COVID-19, not just in Delaware but around the country. (Courtesy of Kathy McGuiness)

Coronavirus

This state auditor is leading a national effort to improve COVID-19 data tracking

Kathy McGuiness, Delaware’s first woman state auditor, has launched a multi-state initiative to collect better data about the coronavirus pandemic. Will it work? She sees no downside in trying.

Barbara Rodriguez

State Politics and Voting Reporter

Barbara Rodriguez portrait

Published

2020-09-09 17:03
5:03
September 9, 2020
pm

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Kathy McGuiness was so excited that she couldn’t stay in her seat.

It was summer 2019, and McGuiness, the state auditor of Delaware, was at one of her first work conferences since being elected the previous year. During a workshop on data analytics, she kept gradually moving up the rows of seats to take better notes.

“I remember them telling me about these scripts and bots and how you can run them for repetitive needs … I started thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I need a bot. This is amazing,’” she said. “I get excited over these things. That means it’s more efficient.”

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

Many people don’t know how computer scripts work and could assume all bots are bad bots (they’re not), but for state auditors like McGuiness, these are tools used for one of the most misunderstood jobs in government. State auditors, who at times have had the public reduce the scope of their work to watching spreadsheets, often have broad power to investigate claims of fraud and mismanagement.

The job has heightened in importance amid the coronavirus pandemic. There have been more than 180,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the United States, and state and public health officials have struggled to collect and share clear data on the pandemic. State auditors are among those tracking some of the incoming information about cases, and McGuiness, one of the few women state auditors in the country, is also trying to figure out how to share best practices that can benefit others in her field.  

McGuiness was thinking about efficiency when she came up with an idea to help tackle COVID-19, not just in Delaware but around the country: standardizing a set of questions for state auditors everywhere to collect better information about the virus.

In July, McGuiness announced that she and a task force of four other state auditors — from Florida, Mississippi, Ohio and Pennsylvania — had developed a template of COVID-19 data tracking questions for other states to use.

“I think now more than ever, Americans are looking for trusted and accurate information,” McGuiness said. “And I think there’s a huge value in information sharing.”

In Texas, officials have acknowledged a backlog of coronavirus test results. There have been data glitches reported on Iowa’s main public health website. And in North Carolina, officials have had to address information gaps in some of their records on COVID-19 cases.

McGuiness believes sharing consistent data among officials in different parts of the country will be critical to better responding to a virus that spreads beyond state lines. States “seem to be operating as isolated islands,” McGuiness said, when “we’re all fighting the same fight.” Her efforts, she hopes, will improve communications between states.

“Why duplicate efforts? Why should 5, 10, 15, 20 other states take their time and resources and limited staff to try and get to the same endpoint?” McGuiness said.

The template, which is optional for state auditors to use, includes specific inquiries about how a state is collecting data about its coronavirus testing, its treatment of COVID-19 patients and how it’s monitoring cases.

Additional auditors have since pledged to participate. Officials in Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Tennessee, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are either already using the template or plan to. Officials in three additional states are also participating, but McGuiness’ office did not identify them.

McGuiness holds weekly meetings with state auditors and their staff about the data collecting. The participating auditors expect to release individual reports, and McGuiness intends to release a separate report on the collective effort.

The 53-year-old Democrat acknowledges that there may be challenges to the data collecting. Some auditors may return with limited data points, which could complicate potential efforts to compare state responses. But McGuiness sees no downside to trying, especially as auditors release reports that could shed light on methods and procedures that may be useful elsewhere.

“You can’t go wrong … it’s a start,” she said. “There’s only a way to learn from each other.” 

The role of state auditor is often a mystery, said Daryl Purpera, the state auditor of Louisiana and president of the National State Auditors Association. It’s a subdivision of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers.

“To a certain extent, citizens and legislators often believe the state auditors are bean counters,” Purpera said. “That they’re just looking at the numbers and it’s really not important. But I would completely say state auditors are the eyes and ears of the legislature, and these agencies, and these departments and local governments.”

Stories by experienced reporters you can trust and relate to.

Delivered directly to your inbox every weekday.

Please check your email to confirm your subscription!

Submitting…

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

McGuiness and other state auditors often have subpoena powers to conduct reviews and special investigations. In Missouri, State Auditor Nicole Galloway in 2017 uncovered $90 million in inappropriate lab billings by a hospital. At the time it was considered the largest alleged fraud scheme investigated by the auditor’s office, and it led to federal indictments in a multi-state, $1.4 billion investigation. Galloway, a Democrat, is now running for governor of the state.

More recently, as states receive a surge of federal funding to respond to the virus, auditors are reviewing the response of state agencies to the virus, as well as tracking how money is spent.

In Hawaii, State Auditor Les Kondo last month released a report calling on its education department to release timely and complete data on COVID-19 cases in public schools. Ohio’s State Auditor Keith Faber is seeking public input on coronavirus testing in the state as he checks the accuracy of available data. And in California, State Auditor Elaine Howle announced last month that she would monitor an estimated $71 billion in new coronavirus-related federal money for the state, warning of a “high risk” for waste, fraud and abuse because of the state’s history of mismanagement.

Purpera said many auditors will play an important role in monitoring how states spend such allotted federal money.

“They’re the watchdog of state funds,” Purpera said. “They’re looking at the control processes and procedures, and how those funds are being spent on a daily basis.”

Shad White, the state auditor in Mississippi, maintains a page for the public to track how the state is spending $1.25 billion in federal money tied to COVID-19.

“I think the reason that we are more relevant now, in the age of this pandemic, is that frankly just more money is being spent,” he said, adding: “When you got that amount of money flying around, not only does the temptation for fraud and illegal activity go up, but the opportunity for fraud and illegal activity goes up, too.”

White, a Republican, added that there is a spirit of bipartisanship among state auditors.

“If your real passion is transparency and stopping corruption, stopping waste? Yeah, this is one of the best jobs you can have,” he said. “And so if you get a bunch of people who all care about those things in a room, their opinions about other issues can melt away a little bit.”

McGuiness agrees. “Auditors, we really shouldn’t be political. We should just deal with the data.” 

McGuiness is one of only 10 elected female state auditors in the country, according to the latest tally by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. An additional handful are in the role through appointment, and some hold different titles but conduct the same work as an auditor. Throughout history, there have been only 54 elected female state auditors. The bulk have identified themselves as White.

There are 90 women in statewide elective executive offices in the country, out of 311 available positions. Kelly Dittmar, assistant research professor at CAWP, said there are limitations to the data since some jobs around the country are appointments. She said it’s important to consider statewide office in the discussion over gender parity in politics.

“It’s important that when we examine the influence of women in statewide executive offices, that we apply sort of the same lens and questions about why it matters to have more equal gender and racial representation in these roles,” she said.

McGuiness won an open seat for state auditor — in Delaware it’s called auditor of accounts — in 2018. It was previously held by a Republican man who was in the role for nearly 30 years.

The former city commissioner said she went to work immediately after she entered office, filling 20 funded positions. She simplified an audit reporting template (a one-pager that she calls the “the hot sheet”). She launched an app for the public to more easily report suspected fraud. She also started attending more events around the state to add visibility to the job.

“This office needed a strong female with a fresh set of eyes and perspective,” she said. “Who wasn’t afraid. Who’s had years of being yelled at or chastised or ignored or left out of the room on purpose … to be able to come in and go, ‘This office is more important now than ever. Because this office touches every form of government in the state, and every agency.”

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

The 19th News(letter)

News from reporters who represent you and your communities.

Please check your email to confirm your subscription!

Submitting...

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Become a member

Up Next

Lara Center, dressed in a red hoodie and holding a sign that says HONK in all caps above her head, protests in Denver to protect public schools from budget cuts.

Business & Economy

Public sector job loss is coming. Women will be hit hardest

Women have already lost more than 800,000 public sector jobs. That number could grow as state and local governments face budget shortfalls.

Read the Story

The 19th
The 19th is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Our stories are free to republish in accordance with these guidelines.

  • Donate
  • Newsletter
  • Events
  • Search
  • Jobs
  • Fellowships
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Community Guidelines
  • Membership
  • Membership FAQ
  • Major Gifts
  • Sponsorship
  • Privacy
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram