New from the EAC this month:
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2022 Clearinghouse Awards winners announced,
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new simulation video series on polling place interruptions,
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resources for serving military and UOCAVA voters in recognition of Military Appreciation Month,
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and dates announced for the Local Leadership Council Annual Meeting and 2023 Data Summit.
24 state and local election office programs win 2022 Clearinghouse Awards!
Throughout the year, all election officials and offices work hard to serve their voters. To celebrate some of this work, the EAC is excited to announce the winners of the 2022 Clearinghouse Awards (Clearies)! From nearly 100 entries, there are 24 winners and 16 honorable mentions.
The categories include:
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Outstanding Use of HAVA Grants in Elections Modernization
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Outstanding Election Official State Association Program or Local Office
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Election Cybersecurity and Technology
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Improving Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities
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Outstanding Innovations in Elections
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Best Practices in Recruiting, Retaining, and Training Poll Workers
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Creative and Original "I Voted" Stickers
Take a look at the list of winners and their programs.
Thank you to everyone who submitted entries for all your hard work and innovations to better serve your communities. The 2023 Clearinghouse Awards submission period will begin in early 2024. Bookmark EAC.gov/clearies for more information.
NEW RESOURCE
EAC and URI Polling Place Line Interruptions Simulation Video Series
This new simulation video series is intended to help election officials develop strategies for dealing with interruptions to their polling places, specifically delayed openings, and temporary shutdowns. The simulations in this series explore voter wait times and mitigations during these interruptions. Through these video simulations, election officials will be able to visualize how these strategies may work in practice at a voting location.
The EAC partnered with the University of Rhode Island (URI) to use simulation technology to replicate common Election Day issues. More information on this project and for information on the other simulation series on polling place consolidation visit the EAC’s website.
EAC Commissioners recognize 30th anniversary of the National Voter Registration Act
May 20 marked the 30th anniversary of the signing of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which revolutionized the voter registration process for Americans. To mark this occasion, the EAC Commissioners released a joint statement on its importance.
The EAC recognizes Military Appreciation Month
New Blog: Best Practices for Supporting Military and UOCAVA Voters
Over 1.2 million ballots were transmitted to military and overseas voters in 2020 with more than 900,000 returned and submitted for counting. To help election officials better support military and UOCAVA voters, the EAC published a new blog with best practices on topics from ensuring these voters can view election office websites to using standardized addresses when mailing ballots overseas.
These tips were highlighted by federal partners and state and local election officials during the EAC’s recent public meeting on the subject.
(At the EAC Public Meeting in April, Karen Brinson Bell, Executive Director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections; Paul Lux, Supervisor of Elections in Okaloosa County; and Casandra Hockenberry, Program Manager of the Council of State Governments (CSG) discussed how election officials can better serve UOCAVA voters.)
Vote in Honor of a Veteran Program
Election offices across the country offer “Vote in Honor of a Veteran” programs to pay tribute to the contributions and sacrifices of veterans in their communities. With this program, people can engage in voting and show their appreciation to the veterans who have protected their ability to vote.
To bring awareness to this program, EAC Commissioner Don Palmer spoke with Michael Ross, Iowa Deputy Secretary of State and Chief of Staff; Jenni Scutchfield, Kentucky Assistant Secretary of State; and Heather Hardy, Program Officer of the Elections Division, Nevada Secretary of State.
Panelists discussed how they implemented the program in their states, advice for people looking to start this program in their communities, how they promote the program, and how they work with the military.
Read the blog and watch the interview.
Serving Military and UOCAVA Voters Public Meeting Recap
Serving military and UOCAVA voters is a crucial part of elections administration to make certain every citizen is able to vote. These voters often need special support and extra planning time to mitigate the obstacles and complexities involved with voting abroad. In April, the EAC held a public meeting to address the issues involved and
The first panel discussed how federal organizations serve UOCAVA voters and work with voters and election officials, and the systems in place for the upcoming 2024 elections.
The second panel discussed the challenges faced in serving UOCAVA voters, and ideas for how to overcome those challenges to improve the registration, and ballot request and return processes.
The meeting included a presentation on new EAC resources on serving UOCAVA voters. These include:
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a fact sheet for election officials on UOCAVA and federal resources, responsibilities, general considerations for residency, and information on federally prescribed forms, and
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An interactive map showing how state policies differ for various aspects of UOCAVA voting. This can be found at eac.gov/uocava.
If you want to watch it, the live stream recording of the public meeting is available on the EAC’s YouTube channel.
SAVE THE DATE
The Local Leadership Council (LLC) 2023 Annual Meeting will be held on July 20-21
The EAC’s Local Leadership Council (LLC) will hold its 2023 Annual Meeting on July 20-21 in Washington, DC. The public meeting will include discussions on topics such as training and workforce development, looking ahead to 2024, and making the Local Leadership Council an effective advisory board. Throughout the meeting, there will be opportunities for members to ask questions. Additionally, the Board will vote to elect members to executive officer positions.
More information on this meeting will be available on the event page. https://www.eac.gov/events/2023/07/20/2023-eac-local-leadership-council-annual-meeting
Attend the EAC’s EAVS Data Summit – July 19
The Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS) will be released later this month. Make sure you don’t miss this important report on voting in the United States. The 2022 report will be available with previous EAVS reports here.
The 2023 Data Summit will include a review of significant EAVS findings, and discussion on how the EAVS can be utilized by election officials, academics, and other stakeholders to improve elections.
The Data Summit will be held at the EAC offices and live streamed on the EAC’s YouTube page. More information will be posted on the EAC’s website leading up to the event.