WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) announced the release of the “Enhancing Election Security Through Public Communications Guide,” a guide for state, local, tribal, and territorial election officials who are the primary sources of official information about elections. Election officials can mitigate risk to election infrastructure and operations by developing a public communications plan that conveys accurate information about how they administer and secure elections and by preparing their teams to communicate effectively.
Open communication with the American people is crucial to maintaining public trust in the security and integrity of our elections process. As the individuals responsible for administering and securing our elections process, state and local election officials around the country are the trusted authoritative sources for any election information. Election officials frequently engage in public communications and answer questions from the media and the public on a wide range of topics such as election dates and deadlines, voter registration, candidate filings, voting locations, election worker recruitment, security measures, and the publication of results.
To help election officials with this critical function, CISA and the EAC developed this guide to provide a framework and practical tools for developing and implementing a year-round communications plan. The guide highlights how officials can tailor their communications plan to meet the unique needs of their jurisdiction while operating within the resources available and provides worksheets to help election officials develop core plan components.
“The ability for election officials to be transparent about the elections process and communicate quickly and effectively with the American people is crucial for building and maintaining their trust in the security and integrity of our elections process,” said CISA Senior Advisor Cait Conley. “This guide is about providing election officials with resources and tools that help them do that as they work tirelessly to meet the unique needs of their state and local jurisdictions.”
“Election officials are the trusted sources of election information. This resource supports election officials to successfully deliver accurate communication to voters with the critical information they need before and after Election Day,” said EAC Chairman Ben Hovland, Vice Chair Donald Palmer, Commissioner Thomas Hicks, and Commissioner Christy McCormick jointly. “Effective and transparent communication not only helps eligible Americans to cast their ballot and instill confidence in the voting process but is essential to trusting the security of our elections, and the accuracy of the results.”
To learn more, visit “Enhancing Election Security Through Public Communications Guide,” on EAC.gov.
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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.