This month, the EAC is highlighting:
- VVSG 2.0 Migration
- Help America Vote College Program
- The new ESTEP E-Poll Book Pilot Report and Virtual Event
- The 2022 EAVS State Briefs and Interactive Data
- Video Series on Cybersecurity and Election Administration
- TGDC Annual Meeting will be held December 5
VVSG 2.0 Migration Reminder
VVSG 2.0 Migration will conclude on November 15th. VVSG 2.0 Migration tools and resources are available to help election officials communicate with the media, the public, and stakeholders. Talking points address what migration means, and how EAC-certified VVSG 1.0 systems are secure and may continue to be used based on state and local law. There are also customizable graphic templates, the Secure Elections Toolkit, and the EAC Testing and Certification Factsheet.
Apply for the Help America Vote College Program Nov. 16-Dec. 18
Applications for the Help America Vote College Program (HAVCP) grant competition will be open from November 16 through December 18. Eligible organizations include accredited colleges (including community colleges) and universities, nonprofit organizations, and local and state election offices. There are two separate grant programs: the two-year HAVCP Poll Worker Grant and the one-year HAVCP Service Day Mini-Grant. These grants are designed to fund civic education, voter engagement efforts, poll worker recruitment, and training for college students.
For more information on these programs, including details, grant award amounts, and document previews, visit the HAVCP’s webpage.
ESTEP E-Poll Book Pilot Report
The EAC’s Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program (ESTEP) released findings from the Voluntary Electronic Poll Book (EPB) Pilot Program. This pilot was conducted by ESTEP to explore establishing baseline requirements for e-poll books. Through analysis of test results, ESTEP found there was not a single requirement that all participants failed. Developers are also capable of meeting 95% of the requirements as currently drafted in the Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Requirements (VEPBR v0.9).
ESTEP’s report identifies noteworthy findings, possible limitations, and plausible solutions to establishing a formal program for EPB certification. ESTEP’s findings indicate that our nation’s e-poll books are ready for use in elections today. The ESTEP Director recommends a formal program for EPB testing and certification at the EAC. This report is accompanied by updates to eac.gov and a video explaining ESTEP’s role and further details regarding the pilot.
Thank you to all the stakeholders who made this pilot possible through their time and talents. Your participation and contributions are greatly appreciated.
Save the Date: November 17 E-Poll Book Pilot Program Virtual Event
The EAC’s ESTEP program will have a live event on November 17 at 2:00 p.m. EST. Tune in to hear more about the E-Poll Book Pilot Program, pilot participants, state and local jurisdictions, and voting system test laboratories. Watch it on the EAC’s YouTube channel.
Additionally, on December 4 at 1:00 p.m. EST, there will be another virtual event to discuss the next steps for the E-Poll Book Pilot Program.
If you have any questions about the program or event, please contact [email protected].
2022 EAVS State Briefs and Interactive Data
The EAC has published data briefs for the individual states, D.C., and territories from the 2022 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS). These cover voter registration, election technology, voter turnout, and more, presented in easily understandable statistics and charts.
This EAVS data has also been consolidated into an interactive data visualization tool. This covers a variety of election aspects, including mail ballot curing, UOCAVA voters, sources of voter registrations, and more. It presents the data with in-depth numbers, broken down into state and county levels.
Find all the briefs and interactive data here.
EAC Video Series: Cybersecurity and Election Administration
To mark Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, the EAC Commissioners spoke with several subject matter experts on the topic and the various ways it applies to election administration.
Commissioner Ben Hovland discussed cybersecurity basics for election officials with Geoff Hale, leader of the Election Security and Resilience team at CISA’s National Risk Management Center. CISA offers a range of resources that may be helpful to election officials, which can be found here.
In recent years, options to cast ballots privately and independently have expanded, including electronic ballot delivery. This method is one that can benefit voters with disabilities. Commissioner Thomas Hicks discussed the importance of accessibility as well as the security of ballot delivery systems with Dr. Sharon Laskowski, a computer scientist and Deputy Division Chief of the Information Access Division at NIST; Dr. Kathryn Summers, a professor at the University of Baltimore; and Dylan Martin, a security specialist for SLI Compliance.
Commissioner Donald Palmer discussed the impact of AI technology and what voters and election officials need to know about this evolving technology. Joining him were Howard Knapp, Executive Director of the South Carolina Elections Commission, Sherry Poland, Director of the Hamilton County, Ohio, Board of Elections, and Steve Daitch, a senior subject matter expert at the EAC.
Chairwoman Christy McCormick discussed the role of the EAC with election security by diving into the work of the agency’s Testing and Certification program and the Field Services program. Jon Panek, the Director of Testing and Certification and Dan Cox, Manager of the Field Services program, talked about how elections are secured and how the EAC supports election officials to secure elections.
Watch the virtual panels on the EAC's YouTube channel.
Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) Highlight: Priority Telecommunications Services
Priority in communications is crucial to continuity of operations when facing adverse conditions such as weather events, mass gatherings, cyber-attacks or events arising from human error. Check out these resources on CISA’s priority telecommunications services that enable essential personnel to communicate when networks are degraded or congested. These services cover GETS (landline phones) and WPS (cell phones) telecom prioritization at all levels of government.
The EAC also has several COOP materials, including a plan template, quick-start guide, a chapter in the Election Management Guidelines, and more.
New EAC Office of the Inspector General Website
The EAC’s Office of the Inspector General debuted a new website, to make information like audit plans and reports, or file a fraud report easier to find. Visit these materials and more on their new website.
Attend the TGDC 2023 Annual Meeting on December 5
The EAC’s Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC) will host an in-person public meeting on December 5, 2023, at the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in Rockville, Maryland.
During the meeting, board members will hold discussions on EAC and NIST program updates, VVSG annual review, lab testing strategies, and more.
The TGDC is composed of 15 members appointed jointly by EAC and the director of NIST.
Registration is required to attend this event in person. Learn more on the meeting event page.