This month, the EAC is highlighting
- Recruiting Poll Workers for 2024? April is National Volunteer Month
- New EAC Resources
- 60-Second Security Series - Cybersecurity: Artificial Intelligence
- State Profiles: Elections
- Q1 Election Threat Intel Briefing
- Helpful Resources for 2024
- Communications 101
- Best Practices: Accessible Voter Registration Guide
- Post Election Processes Toolkit
- NCSL Spring Webinar Series with the EAC on U.S. Elections Practice and Policy
- After the Voting Is Over: Counting, Results Reporting, Recounts (and More) - April 12 at 2 p.m. ET
- Standards Board and Board of Advisors Annual Meetings – April 17-19
Poll Worker Recruitment Opportunity - April is National Volunteer Month!
National Volunteer Month provides another great opportunity to get the word out about the need for and importance of poll workers for upcoming elections.
Check out the EAC’s Poll Worker recruitment resources, including customizable graphics that can be used to promote poll worker recruitment in your community this month.
New EAC Resources
60-Second Security Series - Cybersecurity: Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tools have become much more widely available and capable in recent years. AI tools have the potential to benefit society but can also accelerate false information and undermine elections if used inappropriately. While these tools do not necessarily introduce new cybersecurity risks, AI tools may allow existing threats to scale more quickly and effectively.
This document is meant to provide practical and useful resources to election officials to counter information security and cybersecurity threats related to AI in the context of election administration.
In addition to this new resource, the EAC also offers an AI toolkit with additional information on this evolving technology.
Election officials and policymakers at federal, state, and local levels benefit from having better understanding of how elections are run in each state. To aid with that effort in a brief and easy-to-read format, the EAC and NCSL jointly created election administration profiles for each state.
The profiles highlight each state’s policies on elections topics and provide a national comparison point for each. Each state profile includes information on the state election officials and structure, voter registration, voting, post-election processes, and more.
Election Threat Intel Briefing Recap
The EAC and Mandiant hosted the first quarterly Election Threat Intel Briefing for 2024 on Thursday, March 14. This webinar was open to election officials, IT, and cyber staff. 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. This quarterly election cyber threat briefing covered:
- Intelligence Methodology
- The Threat Landscape
- Observed Activity
- Strategic Outlook
You can view the slides from the presentation here. The next quarterly briefing will be held in summer 2024 and more information will be available closer to this event. For additional information, including the slides from the December 7, 2023 security briefing and other election security resources like this visit the EAC's election security preparedness webpage.
Election officials often have a wide range of responsibilities in addition to managing elections, such as communications or public relations manager. Although its application will differ among offices, the EAC created this booklet to help election offices successfully communicate with the public, and plan for challenges that may arise throughout their work. The EAC also created a toolkit to accompany this guide.
Best Practices: Accessible Voter Registration Guide
This guide highlights the primary barriers to accessibility in the voter registration process and provides best practices to help ensure voters with disabilities have equal access to this crucial first step of the voting experience. The checklists and best practices in these guides can be utilized by election officials, policymakers, and advocates.
Additional resources on serving voters with disabilities are available at the EAC’s voting accessibility webpage.
Post Election Processes Toolkit
This toolkit was developed to help election officials create educational materials about pre- and post-voting processes for the public. It includes customizable templates for sharing trusted information, combatting mis- and disinformation, providing information to news media, and providing information to political parties about the post-voting process.
SAVE THE DATE
NCSL Spring Webinar Series: “U.S. Elections Practice and Policy”
The EAC Commissioners are joining the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) webinar series, “U.S. Elections Practice and Policy” to discuss critical topics for this election year.
April 12 at 2 p.m. ET: Vice Chair Donald Palmer will participate in “After the Voting Is Over: Counting, Results Reporting, Recounts (and More)." This will cover how all states address these tasks that ensure accurate and verifiable results.
May 10 at 2 p.m. ET: Commissioner Thomas Hicks will participate in “Focus on the Voters." This will cover questions voters often ask and how states “get out the information” to voters, as well as ensuring the right to vote for people with disabilities and citizens living abroad (military and otherwise).
June 14 at 2 p.m. ET: Commissioner Christy McCormick will participate in “Voter Confidence: What Can Move the Needle." This will cover state policies, processes, and procedures that can increase voter confidence.
March 8: Chairman Ben Hovland participated in “The Election Workforce: The Front Lines of Democracy." This focused on responsibilities and perils of public servants, and the benefits of civic engagement and state policies that support them. Watch the video.
Get more information on the series here.
Standards Board Annual Meeting – April 17 and 18
The EAC’s Standards Board will host its Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri. At this meeting, the board members will discuss artificial intelligence, voter education and communication, and more. This meeting is open to the public. Registration is required to attend and this meeting will not be live streamed. Learn more on the meeting event page.
Board of Advisors Annual Meeting – April 18 and 19
The EAC’s Board of Advisors will host its Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri. At this meeting, the board members will discuss ethical standards for election administration, administering elections in 2024, and more. This meeting is open to the public. Registration is required to attend and this meeting will not be live streamed. Learn more on the meeting event page.