Local Leadership Council, Standards Board, and Board of Advisors members meet for 2025 annual meetings
WASHINGTON, DC— On May 5 and 6, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) convened the Board of Advisors 2025 Annual Meeting at its DC office. The meeting featured 28 board members representing various election-related organizations, federal government agencies, and Congress. It was the third annual federal advisory board meeting the agency held with agency stakeholders within two weeks.
The meeting followed the Local Leadership Council and Standards Board 2025 annual meetings in Charlotte, North Carolina the week of April 21. These meetings, which gathered about 150 state and local election officials from across the country, provided opportunities for EAC Commissioners and staff to discuss key election administration topics following the 2024 elections.
The Board of Advisors meeting included remarks from Senator Alex Padilla, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and Representative Stephanie Bice, a member of the Committee on House Administration. Both serve on congressional oversight committees of the EAC.
All three meetings included conversations on the Executive Order to Protect the Integrity of American Elections, audit standards, voter list maintenance, and featured elections for board leadership positions. The Standards Board also heard from winners of the EAC’s Clearinghouse Awards on their innovative programs implemented during 2024.
EAC Chairman Donald Palmer, Vice Chair Thomas Hicks, Commissioner Christy McCormick, and Commissioner Ben Hovland issued the following joint statement:
“Through these meetings, we heard from election officials from every region of our country on the most important issues they face in their states and jurisdictions. The feedback emphasized the necessity for more training opportunities, continued communication on updates to the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines 2.0, as well as concern for consistent funding of elections, especially to drive planning for necessary upgrades to election equipment. These comments will be shared with our staff and factored into future programs and resources."
“These in-person interactions with our advisory boards are invaluable to ensure the EAC is meeting its mission to serve election administrators and voters.”
The Local Leadership Council consists of 100 members. The EAC appoints two members from each state after soliciting nominations from each state’s election official professional association. More information and a roster of members can be found here.
The new Local Leadership Council Executive Officers are:
- Chair - Thomas Hicks, Local Leadership Council Designated Federal Officer, EAC Vice Chair
- Vice Chair - Carly Koppes, Weld County (CO) Clerk and Recorder
- Secretary - Tammy Smith, Wilson County (TN) Administrator of Elections
The Standards Board is made up of 110 state and local election officials from the 50 states, four territories, and the District of Columbia. The board consists of 55 state election officials selected by their respective chief state election official, and 55 local election officials chosen through a process supervised by the chief state election official. HAVA prohibits any two members representing the same state to be members of the same political party. More information and a roster of members can be found here.
The new Standards Board Executive Officers are:
- Chair - Maria Pangelinan, Guam Election Commission Executive Director
- Vice Chair - Dwight Shellman, County Regulation & Support Manager, Elections Division of the Colorado Department of State
- Secretary - J. Bradley King, Co-Director, Indiana Elections Division
The Board of Advisors is a 35-member board composed of representatives from various EAC stakeholder associations, federal government agencies, and Congress. More information and a roster of members can be found here.
The new Board of Advisors Executive Officers are:
- Chair - Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Kansas
- Chair-Elect - Christine Walker, Jackson County (OR) Clerk
- Secretary - Eric Fey, Director of Elections, St. Louis County (MO) Election Board
More information about these meetings is available on eac.gov/events. A transcript of each meeting is available upon request by emailing [email protected].
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The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). It is an independent, bipartisan commission charged with ensuring secure, accurate, and accessible elections by developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration. The EAC also accredits testing laboratories and certifies voting systems, as well as administers the use of HAVA funds. For more information, visit www.eac.gov.