U.S. Election Assistance Commission

WASHINGTON- The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) today announced that Alice P. Miller will join the EAC as its chief operating officer, effective June 2, 2008. Ms. Miller currently is in charge of elections in the District of Columbia, where she serves its 340,000 active voters and manages a $5.2 million budget.

“We are very pleased to have someone with Alice’s unique experience, both as a manager and an election official,” said EAC Chair Rosemary Rodriguez. “The EAC has a lot of work ahead, and I am confident that she will help us make sure election officials have the tools they need to conduct accessible, accurate and secure elections.”

Ms. Miller will oversee the day-to-day operations at the EAC in six program areas: Voting Systems Testing and Certification, HAVA Funding, Election Administration Improvement Programs, Research, Administration and Human Resources. Her leadership role will also figure centrally as the agency focuses on developing and integrating policies and procedures aimed at improving efficiency and transparency.

Ms. Miller is the executive director of the District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. During her 12 years in this role, she has been responsible for overseeing and managing all aspects of elections, from voter registration to ballot access for candidates and measures. She also has directed the management of voter rolls and supervised the recruitment, training and deployment of 2,500 poll workers.

In addition to her duties as chief elections official for the District of Columbia, Ms. Miller also served in 2003 as president of the National Association of State Election Directors. She holds a juris doctor degree from Northeastern University School of Law and a bachelor of arts from Boston College.

The EAC is an independent bipartisan commission created by the Help America Vote Act. 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; Gracia Hillman; and Donetta Davidson.