This month, the EAC is highlighting:
- The 2023 Annual Report is now available
- Help America Vote Day was a success!
- 2024 Elections Summit Recap
- Election Threat Intel Briefing on March 14
- Deadline to apply to the Clearinghouse Awards is March 1
- EAC Commissioners Visited Guam and Northern Mariana Islands Election Offices
- 2024 Local Leadership Council Annual Meeting Summary
EAC FY 2023 Annual Report Highlights
On January 31, the EAC’s FY 2023 Annual Report has been released and features the wide range of work of the EAC Commissioners and staff – from new programs and events to Clearinghouse products and financial reporting.
Highlights from the report include:
- The EAC Grants department distributed $75 million in federal dollars to states and territories to improve the administration of federal elections.
- The expansion of the EAC to better fulfill the agency’s mission, including forming two new teams under Testing and Certification- the Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program (ESTEP) and the Field Services Program.
- A summary of the over 50 new Clearinghouse resources the EAC created to support election officials in administering elections and the 16 in-person and virtual events the agency held during the fiscal year.
- An overview of the 32 states, 3 territories, and DC the EAC Commissioners traveled to meet with stakeholders.
- Results from the 2022 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS), what the data means, and how it can be utilized in future elections.
- Study on voting accessibility, the EAC and Rutgers report “Disability and Voting Accessibility in the 2022 Elections,” and what further steps can be taken to make voting more accessible to all.
Read the full report on the EAC’s website.
Help America Vote Day was January 30
To better assist state and local election officials with the recruitment of poll workers throughout 2024, Help America Vote Day is a day of action to raise awareness of the ongoing need for poll workers and opportunity to share voting information on how to register and cast a ballot.
Thank you to the 23 state election offices, plus Guam and the District of Columbia, and the many local offices that participated on social media for making it a success!
The EAC wants to make sure the lookup tool on HelpAmericaVote.gov includes updated information for local jurisdictions. Please visit this site to make sure the information for your jurisdiction is correct. If you have any updates, please email [email protected].
Save the date for National Poll Worker Recruitment Day on August 1.
The 2024 Elections Summit Featured Best Practices and Lessons Learned from Election Officials Across the Country
(Chairwoman McCormick moderates the panel ”Confidence in Elections and Election Security,” with Brendan Donahue, Christina Adkins, Sherry Poland, and Mark Earley.)
On January 30th, the EAC and the University of Maryland's Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement (CDCE) hosted the 2024 Elections Summit. This event, which took place on Help America Vote Day, highlighted key topics to help prepare election officials for the upcoming election season.
The summit kicked off with remarks from Representative Steny Hoyer, Representative Laurel Lee, University of Maryland President Darryll Pines, and Antoine Banks, the University’s Department Chair of Government and Politics. They were joined by EAC Chairwoman Christy McCormick, who set the tone of the day by stating how it is the job of each of us to help our neighbors, friends, and family know how to vote and confidently participate in the process.
The EAC Commissioners held in-depth panel discussions with three secretaries of state, the Assistant Inspector in Charge for the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), election officials, and subject matter experts. Panel topics included election communications, serving all voters, challenges for new election officials, and confidence in elections and election security. Attendees also heard a presentation on professional sports stadiums and arenas as polling places from Dr. Michael Hanmer, CDCE Director and Professor in the Department of Government and Politics.
If you missed it, you can watch the entire event on demand and view the digital program for the full list of participants.
Election Threat Intel Briefing on March 14
The EAC with Mandiant is hosting the second quarterly Election Threat Intel Briefing on Thursday, March 14, from noon to 1:30 p.m. ET. This webinar is open to election officials and colleagues who may benefit from this briefing, such as IT or cyber staff. Registration is required to receive the Webex meeting link.
Cyber-enabled threat actors across a wide spectrum of intrinsic motivations and geographical origin continue to target U.S. elections infrastructure with malicious operations designed to influence, manipulate, monitor, or disrupt elections, or enable intelligence collection efforts.
The briefing will include a strategic outlook and provide some recommendations to help harden your election operations. There will also be an opportunity for participants to ask questions.
Submit Your Entries for the 2023 Clearinghouse Awards by March 1!
The submission period for the 2023 National Clearinghouse Awards competition, also known as the Clearies is open!
Jurisdictions of all sizes are encouraged to submit their work. The entries will be judged based on innovation, sustainability, outreach, cost-effectiveness, replicability, and the generation of positive results. More information on the 2022 Clearies winners can be found here.
The submission period ends on March 1, so make sure to get your entries in on time!
Please send any questions you may have to [email protected].
EAC Commissioners Visit Guam and Northern Mariana Islands
(Commissioner Thomas Hicks at the Northern Mariana Islands Office of the Mayor.)
Recently, Commissioners Thomas Hicks and Donald Palmer visited Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
In December, Commissioner Hicks visited election offices in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands with Maria Pangelinan, Executive Director of the Guam Election Commission (GEC), Kayla Igitol, Executive Director of the Commonwealth Election Commission (CEC), as well as a few of their election board members in meetings with their respective Governors, congressional delegations, and legislatures. Discussions focused on the work of the Commissions, how to improve the voting process for Americans living on the islands, and some of the difficulties in getting ballots to remote islands in the archipelago and back. Read Commissioner Thomas Hicks’ blog post about his experience.
In January, Commissioner Palmer, along with staff members of the U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives and Committee on House Administration, spent a week visiting the U.S. territories of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands (CNMI).
They learned first-hand how the voting process works on those islands, as well as the relationship the election departments have with other government agencies. The government agencies visited were comprised of the elected leadership of Guam and CNMI and included election officials, mayors, territorial legislative leaders, U.S. representatives to the House and military leadership.
(Commissioner Donald Palmer at the Guam Elections Office.)
Commissioner Palmer also attended meetings with the Guam Election Commission, the University of Guam, and volunteer organizations promoting service in various ways throughout the community. It was an invaluable learning opportunity that provided insight into how elections work in Pacific communities. Particularly eye-opening were the transportation methods used by CNMI to deliver ballots to the various islands, some of which have very limited infrastructure and only a few voting residents.
Local Leadership Council Held Its 2024 Annual Meeting
(LLC members at the 2024 Annual Meeting.)
On January 8th and 9th, election officials from across the country gathered in Arlington, Virginia for the EAC’s Local Leadership Council (LLC) 2024 Annual Meeting.
The meeting included moderated discussions on EAC updates and upcoming programs, election technology, preparing for the 2024 elections, communications, and continuity of operations planning. One of the highlights of the meeting included breakout sessions based on members’ geographic regions. These smaller meetings provided election officials the opportunity to discuss more localized issues from election security to poll worker recruitment and voter engagement efforts.
Members also heard from Cait Conley, Senior Advisor to the Director of the Cybersecurity Infrastructure & Security Agency (CISA), and Brendan Donahue, Assistant Inspector in Charge for the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), during the Federal Partners Panel. This session examined how election officials can safeguard themselves and their staff from physical and cyber threats, such as the increase in dangerous substances being sent through the mail to election offices.
As leaders and officials who work firsthand to administer elections at the local level, the LLC provides recommendations and direct feedback to the EAC on a range of topics. This federal advisory board currently comprises 89 appointed members. Learn more about the LLC.