Press Releases
U.S. Election Assistance Commission Announces Winners of the 9th Annual Clearinghouse Awards
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) announced the 53 winners of the Clearinghouse Awards out of a record 258 entries, recognizing best practices in election administration. Also known as the “Clearies,” the awards celebrate programs that took place during the 2024 presidential election year. Winning jurisdictions range from counties with less than 25,000 registered voters to states with over 22.9 million.
EAC Chairman Donald Palmer, Vice Chair Thomas Hicks, and Commissioners Christy McCormick and Ben Hovland praised the 2024 Clearie winners in a joint statement:
“This year’s Clearinghouse Award-winning programs truly shined amid the high voter turnout in 2024. They are examples of the outstanding work election officials did to support tens of millions of voters during the presidential election. After nearly a decade, the Clearinghouse Awards continue to grow with a record number of entries received this year. These programs show how state and local election offices are the incubators of innovation. We are pleased to lift their ideas up and celebrate them on a national stage.”
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:
- Communications: Distinguished Voter Education and Communications Initiatives – Small/Medium Jurisdictions
- City of Monroe Clerk-Treasurer’s Office, Michigan – Ready, Set, Vote
- Dubuque County Elections, Iowa – Voting Artwork
- Huron County Board of Elections, Ohio – Boxed Ballot
- Indian River County Supervisor of Elections, Florida - MVP Program (Mobile Voter Program)
- Communications: Distinguished Voter Education and Communications Initiatives – Large Jurisdictions
- Buncombe County Election Services, North Carolina - The NC Together Video Project
- Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections, South Carolina - "Owlbert Learns to Vote"
- Durham County Board of Elections, North Carolina - Durham County DCo Votes Mobile App
- Ottawa County, Michigan Clerk/ROD, Michigan - ”Not a Podcast - Ballots and Banter”
- Thurston County Auditor’s Office, Washington State - Your Neighbors, Your Elections
- Communications: Distinguished Voter Education and Communications Initiatives – State Level
- Nebraska Secretary of State - MY VOTE. MY ID. LET’S BRING IT
- Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Utah - 12 Days of Election Improvements “Votemas” Social Media Campaign
- South Carolina State Election Commission - Prep for the Polls Voter Education Program
- Vermont Secretary of State’s Office - Election Security in Vermont - Video PSA
- Washington Office of the Secretary of State - ”Mark the Ballot” Public Education Campaign
- Security: Innovation and New Tools in Election Security and Technology
- California Secretary of State - De-escalation Training Program for Election Staff
- Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk - Electronic Chain of Custody Solution for Elections
- Pierce County Elections - Securing Democracy’s Inbox: An Air-Gapped Protocol for Processing Voter Email Attachments
- Tazewell County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds, Illinois - Election Judge Badge
- Contingency Planning: Exemplary Contingency Planning and Emergency Response Efforts – Small/Medium Jurisdictions
- Ann Arbor City Clerk’s Office, Michigan - “More Days, More Ways” – Planning for a Safe and Secure Election in Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Coconino County Elections Department, Arizona - Empowering Poll Workers Through Situational Awareness Training: A Model for Collaboration Between Elections and Law Enforcement
- Lexington County Voter Registration, South Carolina - Election Training
- Contingency Planning: Exemplary Contingency Planning and Emergency Response Efforts – Large Jurisdictions
- Buncombe County Election Services, North Carolina - Buncombe County, NC, Helene Disaster Response
- North Carolina State Board of Elections - Voting Through Helene and High Water
- Office of the Idaho Secretary of State - A Proactive and Collaborative Approach to Election Security & Threat Response
- Wake County Board of Elections, North Carolina - Wake County Election Day Emergency Action Plan
- Election Administration: Innovations or New Practices in Election Administration – Small/Medium Jurisdictions
- County of Monterey, Elections Department, California - Books and Ballots Program
- Election Division, City of Flint Clerk’s Office, Michigan - Absent Voter Counting Board reorganization – documentation and communications
- Election Administration: Innovations or New Practices in Election Administration – Large Jurisdictions
- Fairfax County Office of Elections, Virginia - Pollbook Unclear? No Need to Fear! A Worksheet Leads the Way for Processing Nonroutine Voters
- Jefferson County Clerk & Recorder - A Signature Solution: Helping First-Time Voters Make Their Votes Count
- Prince William County Office of Elections, Virginia - Publishing Results Tapes Online
- Election Administration: Innovations or New Practices in Election Administration – State Level
- Arizona Secretary of State - Arizona Election Administration Student Fellowship Program
- Maryland State Board of Elections - Text2Cure
- Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Grants: Outstanding Use of HAVA Grants in Election Modernization
- Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, Florida - Enhancing Election Accessibility and Efficiency with HAVA Grants
- Sutter County Elections, California - Sutter Translate!
- Accessibility: Best Practices for Improving Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities
- Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections, South Carolina - Voter Accessibility Advisory Committee
- Floyd County Elections, Georgia - Voter Accessibility Town Hall
- Salt Lake County Clerk Election Division, Utah - Try Before You Vote: Accessible Voter Outreach
- South Carolina State Election Commission - Voter Education Videos with American Sign Language Subtitles
- Washington Office of the Secretary of State - Elections Division - Partnering with our community to add ASL into the visual Video Voters' Guide
- Poll Workers: Best Practices in Recruiting, Retaining, and Training Poll Workers – Small/Medium Jurisdictions
- Guam Election Commission - 2024 Guam College Poll Worker Program
- Porter County Elections & Registration, Indiana – Improving Poll Worker Support
- Washington County Board of Elections, Maryland - Election Judge Recruitment Open House
- Poll Workers: Best Practices in Recruiting, Retaining, and Training Poll Workers – Large Jurisdictions
- City of Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services, Minnesota - Student Election Judge Interpreter Training
- Fairfax County Office of Elections, Virginia - No More Waits, No Misplaced Tapes: Closing the Polls Faster on Election Night
- Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, California - Multilingual Election Worker Recruitment Tool
- Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office - Poll Worker Recruitment Card
- Pima County Elections Department, Arizona - Pima County Elections Training Program
- “I Voted” Stickers: Creative and Original “I Voted” Stickers – Small/Medium Jurisdictions
- Currituck County Board of Elections, North Carolina – “I Voted” Sticker Contest
- Harrison Township Clerk, Michigan – Boat Town “I Voted” Sticker
- Mesa County Elections Department, Colorado – Mesa County Elections 2024 Sticker Contest
- “I Voted” Stickers: Creative and Original “I Voted” Stickers – Large Jurisdictions
- Board of Elections, City of New York, New York – Battle of the Boroughs
- Division of Elections, Alaska – Alaska Celebrates Five Regions- One State
- Supervisor of Elections Office, Palm Beach County, Florida – Two Unique Accessible Braille Stickers for Voters
In addition to the Clearie winners, 44 programs were recognized with Clearie Honorable Mentions.
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:
- Donna Barber, Acting Director, Division of Elections, NJ
- Nancy Boren, Director, Elections and Voter Registration, Muscogee County, GA
- Andrew Buller, Assistant Deputy for Elections, Secretary of State, NE
- Jennifer Doinoff, Election Administrator, Hays County, TX
- Tonia Fernandez, Director of Elections, Elections and Voter Registration Office, Erie County, PA
- Kellie Harris Hopkins, Director of Elections, Board of Elections, Beaufort County, NC
- Ricky Hatch, Clerk/Auditor, Weber County, UT
- Barry Jackson, Director, Board of Elections, Washington County, MD
- Shelly Jackson, Deputy Director of Elections, State Lt. Governor's Office, UT
- Thomas John Oliva, Finance Officer, Hughes County, SD
- Donna Johnston, Registrar of Voters, Sutter County, CA
- Matthew R. Katra, Registrar of Voters, CT
- Brad King, Co-Director, Election Division, IN
- Ruie LaVoie, Elections Director, Baltimore County, MD
- Angela Maniglia-Turner, General Registrar and Director of Elections, City of Alexandria, VA
- Maria Pangelinan, Executive Director, Election Commission, Guam
- Patricia Piecuch, Director of Elections, Secretary of State's Office, NH
- Sherry Poland, Director, Board of Elections, Hamilton County, OH
- Ryan Ronco, Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters, Placer County, CA
- Jamie Shew, County Clerk, Douglas County, KS
- Michael Stalberger, Property and Environmental Resources Director, Blue Earth County, MN
- Tim Tsujii, Elections Director, Board of Elections, Forsyth County, NC
- Rene Warner, Chief Deputy, Clerk and Recorder’s Office, Delta County, CO
- Doris Young, Director, Department of Elections, Kent County, DE
More information on the Clearies and each awardee is available on the EAC’s website.