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#Countdown18 resource highlights broad spectrum of steps officials take to protection elections
Silver Spring, Md. – The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) today released a new short video that details the broad spectrum of steps election officials take to secure elections. The new resource is part of the commission’s #Countdown18 effort to provide election officials with the tools necessary to carry out secure, accessible and efficient elections.
“While jurisdictions across the nation all have unique policies and laws that govern how elections are administered and secured, this new video captures the common threads that run throughout this essential work,” said EAC Chairman Thomas Hicks. “We are proud to provide this invaluable resource to election officials and voters alike. Understanding the steps election administrators use to secure elections bolsters confidence in this essential part of our democracy.”
The EAC’s election security video examines the role registration, physical security, poll workers and voting equipment play in ensuring safe, accurate, fair and accessible elections. The video also explains how the decentralized American election administration system protects election integrity and American voters, and it examines the security measures in place for vote by mail ballots, election night reporting and voting technology overall. In addition, the video highlights ballot handling measures, post-election audits used to further validate results, and the planning most jurisdictions do to ensure election continuity in the face of unexpected events or natural disasters. The video is intended to aid election officials as they engage community and civic groups that are interested in learning more about local election security practices.
“The EAC strives to provide election officials with tools they can use to improve their processes and better serve their voters,” notes EAC Executive Director Brian D. Newby. “We know that election officials are increasingly asked how they secure the vote, so this ‘soup to nuts’ overview of that work will be an excellent jumping off point for more specific conversations about their security efforts at the local level. Ahead of this November’s election, we are pleased to launch this and other new resources for election administrators and voters.”
The EAC’s #Countdown18 initiative has spurred a number of new resources and activities, including an interactive election calendar that chronicles important election deadlines and activities for each U.S. state and territory. In addition, work to put in place the next generation of voting system testing guidelines continues and a series of upcoming events, including gatherings focused on data and language access, are planned. Earlier this year, the commission hosted a summit at The National Press Club in Washington, DC to discuss important issues election officials and voters will face ahead of the 2018 election. For more information about these and other undertakings, visit www.eac.gov.
For more information about today’s release, please contact Brenda Bowser Soder at [email protected] or 202-897-9285.