FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Silver Spring, Md. – As polls open for Election Day 2018, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) commends the tremendous work of state and local election officials, who spend each day working to ensure secure, accessible and efficient elections. The EAC is proud to stand with them in the work to help America vote.
In recognition of this important partnership and the EAC’s unique mandate, EAC Chairman Thomas Hicks and Vice Chair Christy McCormick issued the following statement:
“The U.S. Election Assistance Commission takes great pride in its work to help state and local election administrators prepare for every election, including today’s midterm vote. The EAC works to provide state and local election officials with access to valuable support from across the federal government and it works to ensure these resources are shaped by election officials’ needs.
“Since 2016, the EAC has led the effort to guarantee state and local election leaders played a prominent role in crafting the policies and Government Coordinating Council associated with establishing election systems as critical infrastructure. Today will be the first Federal Election since that development. The EAC commends election administrators from across the nation and our federal partners for the tremendous progress that has been made to further secure U.S. elections and strengthen invaluable lines of communication at all levels.
“In addition, we commend the EAC’s staff for their steadfast work to support state and local election leaders. For example, when Congress entrusted the EAC to distribute $380 million in newly appropriated HAVA Funds, the Commission distributed the funding swiftly and responsibly. The majority of this new funding is going toward security upgrades and the purchase of new voting equipment across the nation, including equipment tested and certified by the EAC. In addition, the commission’s team has helped state and local election leaders tackle election security issues, as well as many other aspects of their work, such as examining options for post-election audits, improving voter accessibility, using election data to better serve voters, expanding language access, and much more.
“The EAC is proud to be the only federal bipartisan agency focused on election administration. Our responsibility is to assist election officials with every aspect of their job to administer federal elections, as well as to assist voters with resources that help America vote. We are committed to continuing to provide this vital service and we encourage all eligible voters to cast their ballots in today’s election.”
For more information, please contact Brenda Bowser Soder at [email protected] or 202-897-9285.