U.S. Election Assistance Commission Announces Winners of 8th Annual Clearinghouse Awards
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) announced the 32 winners of the Clearinghouse Awards, recognizing best practices in election administration. Also known as the “Clearies,” the awards program celebrates the hard work of election offices across the country for programs that took place in 2023. Winning jurisdictions range from counties with 25,000 registered voters to states with over 7 million.
“We’re in the middle of a busy election year, but 2023 was an opportunity for election officials to implement new programs and test their effectiveness before the increased turnout of the presidential election. We hope these winning programs inspire election officials to replicate them in their jurisdiction, and we want to recognize all the winners and those who applied across the country,” said EAC Chairman Ben Hovland, Vice Chair Donald Palmer, Commissioner Thomas Hicks, and Commissioner Christy McCormick in a joint statement. “With the rise of artificial intelligence and the increased need for reliable election information, we are pleased to introduce the Distinguished Voter Education and Communications Initiatives award category for small and large jurisdictions. Effective and innovative communications is critical, and we hope the winners in this new category can provide useful best practices for 2024 and beyond.”
The Clearies play an essential role in fulfilling the EAC’s mission to serve as a clearinghouse for election administration information under the Help America Vote Act. Submissions were judged on innovation, sustainability, outreach, cost-effectiveness, replicability, and the generation of positive results. This year’s award categories and winners include:
- Outstanding Use of HAVA Grants in Elections Modernization
- Lake County Board of Elections and Registration, Indiana – Election Education and Quick Guide
- North Carolina State Board of Elections – Attack Response Kits (ARKs)
- Distinguished Voter Education and Communications Initiatives – Large Jurisdictions
- Coalition of Bay Area Election Officials, California – Coalition of Bay Area Election Officials
- Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, Florida – The VoteHillsborough Video Series
- Office of the Iowa Secretary of State – Carrie Chapman Catt Award Program
- Maricopa County Elections and Department of the Board of Supervisors, Arizona – Voter Education and Communications Program
- Snohomish County Elections, A Division of the Auditor's Office, Washington – Unleashing the Storytelling Power of Comic Book Art to Engage and Inform Voters
- Distinguished Voter Education and Communications Initiatives – Small/Medium Jurisdictions
- Alexander County Board of Elections, North Carolina – Inside Election Administration Article Series
- Beaufort County Board of Elections, North Carolina – Bringing Local Government to Your Classroom
- Brunswick County Board of Elections, North Carolina – Election Education Series
- Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder, Colorado – Building Bridges, Igniting Votes: A Collaborative Campaign for Increased Turnout
- Nassau County Supervisor of Elections Office, Florida – Early Voting and Election Day Mass Text Messages to Voters
- Improving Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities
- Knox County Clerk, Indiana – Electronic Sample Ballots
- Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Elections – American Sign Language (ASL) Video Project
- Outstanding Innovations in Election Cybersecurity and Technology
- Arizona Secretary of State – AI TTX
- Knox County Clerk, Indiana – ePoll Book Encoder Stabilizer Bracket
- Outstanding Innovations in Elections – Large Jurisdictions
- Pierce County Elections, Washington – Cure Envelope Redesign
- Pierce County Elections, Washington – Drop Box Observer Program
- Salt Lake County Clerk Elections Division, Utah – Stick It To 'Em: Reconciliation Log Stickers for Ballot Batches
- Outstanding Innovations in Elections – Small/Medium Jurisdictions
- City of Minneapolis, Elections & Voter Services, Minnesota – Leveraging Pop-Up Voting to Expand Ballot Access
- Nassau County Supervisor of Elections Office, Florida – Precinct Management App
- Nassau County Supervisor of Elections Office, Florida– Website Chatbot
- Best Practices in Recruiting, Retaining, and Training Poll Workers
- Hamilton County Elections, Ohio – Online Training Video Library
- Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, Florida –VoteHillsborough Training Labs
- Nassau County Supervisor of Elections Office, Florida – ROAR: Recruitment, Orientation, Assignment, Retention
- Salt Lake County Clerk Elections Division, Utah – Custom Dynamic Poll Worker Database
- Solano County Registrar of Voters, California – Poll Worker Electronic Self-Scheduling for Election Day
- Wake County Board of Elections, North Carolina – Interactive Manual Flipbook
- Outstanding Election Official State Association Program
- Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) – ISAC State Election Administration Training
- Creative and Original “I Voted” Stickers
- Denver Elections Division, Colorado – Artful Civic Engagement: "I Voted" Sticker Design Competition in Denver Jails
- Pierce County Elections, Washington – The Mountain of Democracy
- Santa Fe County Clerk's Office, New Mexico – “Future Voter” and “First-Time Voter” Sticker Design Contests
In addition to the Clearie winners, 20 election offices were recognized with Clearie Honorable Mention awards.
Winners were selected by independent panels of current and former election officials, EAC Commissioners, and members of the EAC’s advisory boards. Judges were not eligible to score any entries from their own jurisdictions. Judges included:
- Nancy Boren, Director, Muscogee County Elections and Registration, GA
- Maureen Bugdon, Atlantic County Superintendent of Elections, NJ
- Batina Dodge, County Clerk, Scotland County, MO
- Julie Freese, Fremont County Clerk, WY
- Ricky Hatch, Clerk/Auditor, Weber County, UT
- Barry Jackson, Director, Washington County, Maryland Board of Elections, MD
- Shelly Jackson, Deputy Director of Elections, State Lt. Governor's Office, UT
- Donna Johnston, Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters/Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, Sutter County, CA
- Susan Kiepke, Auditor, Davison County, SD
- Brad King, Co-Director, Election Division, IN
- Howard Knapp, Executive Director, State Election Commission, SC
- Patricia Piecuch, Elections Director, Secretary of State’s Office, NH
- Doreen Pliner, Auditor & Commissioner of Elections, Webster County, IA
- Sherry Poland Director, Board of Elections, Hamilton County, OH
- Dwight Shellman, County Regulation & Support Manager, Secretary of State's Office, CO
- Jamie Shew, County Clerk, Douglas County, KS
- Michael Stalberger, County Elections Official, Blue Earth County, MN
- Christine Walker, County Clerk, Jackson County, OR
- Patty Weeks, County Clerk, Nez Perce County, ID
More information on the Clearies and each awardee is available on the EAC’s website.
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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. The 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.
EAC Contact: Kristen Muthig
Phone: 202-897-9285
Email: [email protected]