This month, the EAC is highlighting:
- Commissioner Donald Palmer Begins Term as EAC Chairman
- Highlights from the EAC Election Technology Updates Hearing
- Election Worker Recruitment, Training, Retention, and Evaluation Report
- Save the Date: EAC Advisory Board Meetings
Commissioner Donald Palmer Begins Term as EAC Chairman
On February 24, Commissioner Donald Palmer began his year-long tenure as Chairman of the EAC. He will serve alongside now Vice Chair Thomas Hicks and Commissioners Christy McCormick and Ben Hovland.
Chairman Palmer identified the following areas he would like to build on as priorities for the agency in the coming year, including:
- Continuing progress toward voting systems being certified to the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) 2.0 so Americans can see these new systems in their communities in the years to come.
- Establishing professional standards for election audits in different areas of elections to promote transparency and strengthen voter trust and confidence in the electoral process.
- Continuing to research and support states in their efforts to maintain accurate voter registration rolls in compliance with the National Voter Registration Act.
- Prioritizing professional training to advance operational excellence in election administration and empower the next generation of election officials with the knowledge and tools they need to run safe, secure, accurate, and accessible elections.
More information can be found in the EAC’s press release announcing the transition.
EAC Announces First Federally Certified Electronic Poll Book and Highlights Other Agency Election Technology Updates in Hearing
On February 19, 2025, the EAC held the hearing “Case Studies on the New Initiatives in the EAC’s Election Technology Division.” The Commissioners announced that KNOWiNK’s Poll Pad 3.6 was the first electronic poll book to be certified as part of the EAC’s Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Certification Program.
Steele Shippy, KNOWiNK Chief Strategy Officer, Mike Santos, Voting System Test Lab Director of SLI Compliance, and Elizabeth Beatrice, EAC Election Technology Specialist, discussed implementation of the certification process and its development, the benefits of the program, and aspects that were helpful for SLI as the accredited lab and KNOWiNK as a manufacturer.
Mr. Santos said of the program’s structure, “The EAC test campaign has more structure to it than most state campaigns. The EAC provides oversight with weekly meetings and review of any issues that might arise during the test campaign cycle. This helps provide consistency not only throughout that particular project but the program as a whole.”
Mr. Shippy said, about the focus on accessibility, “This experience pushed us to evaluate our poll pad application through an accessibility lens, which was both challenging and rewarding. It forced us to refine our approach, tailoring our documentation and improving how we communicate accessibility features to customers. Now we're better equipped to guide poll workers on operating the system in ways to make it more usable for individuals with disabilities.”
The meeting’s second panel focused on the agency’s Field Services Program, which works directly state and local election jurisdictions in the verification of EAC-certified fielded voting systems to make sure they meet standards so staff can address anomalies. The program provides the agency with insight into how these systems operate in the field and verifies those systems are operating in jurisdictions as the EAC certified them. The EAC recently released two reports on their work with the Hawaii Office of Elections, and the Douglas County, Nebraska Election Commission.
Dan Cox, Manager of the Field Services Program, provided insight into the working of the program and the results of this initial work. He was joined by Wayne Bena, Nebraska Deputy Secretary of State for Elections, and Brian Kruse, Douglas County Election Commissioner, who discussed the benefits of working with the EAC and lessons learned from their experiences.
Mr. Bena said of the added value of the program, “It added an extra layer of testing and proof of what we're trying to communicate to the public... If I can provide another independent source to validate the accuracy of our machines, that helps.”
Mr. Kruse also said of the added value, “When we work with the EAC and the Field Services team, and then the report is put out, and then we have a hearing like this, that lends immense credibility to the findings... It is another tool in the toolbox, and in the climate we're all living in with elections, you can never have too many of those.”
After hearing the updates and feedback, the EAC Commissioners unanimously approved a recommendation that the Field Services Program continue at the agency.
A recording of the meeting is available on the EAC’s YouTube channel.
Election Worker Recruitment, Training, Retention, and Evaluation Report
Poll workers are an essential part of running successful elections. Election officials across the country have methods for recruiting, training, retaining, and evaluating these crucial workers. This EAC report provides an extensive overview of the statutory requirements for serving as a poll worker, along with the various programs utilized by federal agencies, and state and local election offices.
It covers topics including:
- Legal requirements to serve as a poll worker such as voter status, residency, and age requirements, and how it differs by state
- Examples of recruitment efforts and programs
- Best practices and examples for collaborations, partnerships, and community engagement to improve recruitment
- Training requirements by state and examples of training materials and approaches for topics like accessibility, situational-based training for potential scenarios they may face in a voting location, and differences between early and Election Day voting.
To help election officials use this report in their own jurisdictions it features materials, testimonials, and examples directly from state and local election offices. Many of these programs have been recognized by the EAC’s Clearinghouse Awards.
SAVE THE DATE: EAC Advisory Board Meetings
In April, the EAC is holding two advisory board annual meetings in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- The Local Leadership Council will have its Annual Meeting on April 21-22.
- The Standards Board will hold its Annual Meeting on April 24-25.
These meetings are open to the public, but they will not be livestreamed. Registration is required to attend. More information will soon become available on eac.gov/events.