U.S. Election Assistance Commission

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is now accepting applications for two competitive grant programs aimed at recruiting the next generation of poll workers and promoting student engagement in elections.

The EAC is seeking applications under the Help America Vote College Program (College Program) for programs that will encourage college students to serve as poll workers. The EAC will award a total of $750,000 under the College Program. The Help America Vote Mock Election Program (Mock Election Program) will issue at least $200,000 to support mock election programs for students of secondary education programs. Between both programs, the EAC will award up to 85 grants of at least $10,000 each.

How and When to Apply 
Applications are due before 4:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 7, 2008, and must be mailed or hand delivered to the EAC. Grant applications for both programs can be downloaded at www.eac.gov/grants.

Questions regarding the College Program can be directed to Juliana Milhofer or Edgardo Cortés by sending an e-mail to HAVACollegeProgram@eac.gov. For questions about the Mock Election Program, contact Julie Ruder or Edgardo Cortés at MockElections@eac.gov. They can also be reached by calling (866) 747–1471 toll-free.

Eligibility Requirements
Private and public postsecondary institutions, community colleges, nonpartisan student organizations, and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for the College Program grants. State election offices and nonprofit organizations with experience holding mock elections are eligible to apply for the Mock Election Program grants.

Grant Restrictions
Funds cannot be used to support any partisan, voter registration or get-out-the-vote (GOTV) activities.

Background
The College Program grants are authorized under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). The EAC awarded $950,000 to colleges and nonprofits under this program in 2004 and 2006.

In addition to fostering student interest in the elections process, the College Program also aims to relieve poll worker shortages. A 2005 EAC report found that during the last presidential election, 5.8 percent of polling places and 4 percent of precincts did not have the minimum number of required poll workers. The College Program will also leverage the technology skills of a tech-savvy generation as well as build a poll worker recruiting base for future elections.

Grants for the Mock Election Program are authorized under the 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 (Public Law 110-161). The Mock Election Program seeks to promote voter participation in U.S. elections, expand community involvement in the elections process, and stimulate students’ interest in civics.

The EAC is an independent bipartisan commission created by HAVA. The EAC serves as a national clearinghouse and resource of information regarding election administration. It is charged with administering payments to states and developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and accrediting voting system test laboratories and certifying voting equipment. It is also charged with developing and maintaining a national mail voter registration form. The four EAC commissioners are Rosemary Rodriguez, chair; Caroline Hunter, vice chair; Donetta Davidson; and Gracia Hillman.