U.S. Election Assistance Commission National Award Commemorates Best Practices in Election Administration

Silver Spring, Md. – The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) today announced that Florida’s Indian River County won a national competition recognizing best practices in election administration. The county was selected for its excellence in election innovations. Born of the commission’s mandate to serve as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration, the annual “Clearie” awards recognize outstanding election innovations that can serve as examples to other officials and jurisdictions.

“These awards celebrate the very best in election practices across the nation,” said EAC Chairman Matthew Masterson. “As we travel throughout the country, our commission sees first-hand the innovation and commitment to excellence that election officials and their partners bring to their work. These awards acknowledge that work and highlight best practices that other election administrations can emulate.”

Indian River County received the award for a new voter outreach program. “Post the Vote” utilized storefront concrete posts, also called “bollards,” to promote countywide voter awareness and participation for the 2016 federal election. Sixty bollard covers were delivered to 24 publicly funded schools, four McDonald’s, two libraries, four county offices, two municipalities, two recreation centers, a food bank, two local businesses and one state college. Each bollard promoted the “3 Ways to Vote” in Indian River County: Early Voting, Vote by Mail and Voting on Election Day, with a URL where voters could find additional information. Images of the bollards were also promoted on social media.

Clearies entries were judged based on each initiative’s efficacy, innovation, sustainability, outreach efforts, cost-effectiveness and replicability.

For more information about the “Clearies” or to speak with Chairman Masterson, please contact Brenda Bowser Soder at [email protected] or 202-897-9285.

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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. 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.