This month, the EAC is highlighting:
- Security Steps through the Election Process New Video
- Be Election Ready Video Series
- EAC Disaster Recovery Webpage
- 2024 Administrative Dates and Deadlines Data Visualization
- Election Incident Response Contacts at U.S. Federal Agencies
- Election Infrastructure Incident Response Communications Guide
- New EAC Audit Resources
- New CISA Resource on Drop Box Security for Incendiary Devices
- CISA and USPIS Public Service Announcement and Training on Election Mail
- CISA Personal Security Considerations for Election Workers Video
Safe, secure, and accessible elections would not be possible without our nation’s hardworking and professional election officials who have spent months and years preparing for the 2024 election. The EAC applauds their tireless effort and commitment to upholding the highest standards in the administration of elections. State and local officials follow rigorous protocols and procedures to ensure the votes of Americans are accurately counted.
As Election Day approaches, the EAC would like to share our deepest thanks and gratitude to the dedicated election officials serving the country’s voters.
Security Steps through the Election Process New Video
To help aid in communicating to the public that elections are secure throughout the process, the EAC created a new video that outlines security steps for voter registration, voting, voting by mail, voting equipment, and election results and post election processes. The full election security video has also been divided into separate topics for shorter viewing convenience. Of particular relevance at this stage in the election season are Voting Equipment, Voting, and Results.
View all the videos in this playlist.
Be Election Ready Video Series
To help build confidence in elections and provide simple messaging on key parts of our elections, the EAC created a series of videos to help voters be election ready. At this point in the election season, three videos in the series are especially useful. Election officials are encouraged to share the videos and clips or the scripts available on the EAC’s website with their jurisdictions.
- Voting in Person guides a voter through the process, covering everything from determining when and where to vote to what you can expect at the polls.
- Trusted Sources of Information highlights the role of election officials in maintaining up-to-date voter registration, securing ballots and voting equipment, and providing clarity throughout the election process.
- Reporting and Certifying Results explains how U.S. elections are designed with multiple layers of security to ensure that every vote is counted accurately.
All six videos in the series can be viewed in this playlist.
In this new webpage the EAC compiled resources from state election offices, federal agencies, and EAC guidance to help election officials and voters through disaster recovery.
Resources for election officials include:
- EAC Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Template and training
- Presentations from previous disaster recovery group meetings
- Information on making changes to voting locations and safeguarding staff and voters
- Best practices from a variety of states
- FEMA resources
- Grant and funding information for natural disasters
2024 Administrative Dates and Deadlines Data Visualization
The National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) published a visualization of 2024 Election Administration Dates and Deadlines including mail ballot deadlines and state and local certification deadlines. The information can be filtered by state, date range, and milestone. The data was aggregated by the EAC, validated by NASED members and members of the EAC Standards Board. CISA assisted NASED with the visualization.
Election Incident Response Contacts at U.S. Federal Agencies
This list of contact information for federal agencies is a one-page reference for election officials if they encounter incidents of crime, threats, violence and more. As always, if you are in imminent danger or risk of harm, call 911 or contact local law enforcement immediately.
Election Infrastructure Incident Response Communications Guide
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) created this guide to help election officials build an election infrastructure incident communications playbook before an incident occurs. It includes the core components of a resource like this and outlines the key steps election offices can take to communicate effectively during an incident. The guide also includes customizable templates with instructions and considerations for effective communication, maintaining transparency, and ensuring accurate and timely updates during an incident.
New EAC Audit Resources
The EAC has added three new resources to the Resources for Audits and Recounts webpage. These are meant to communicate about the audit process with the public and may also serve to educate election officials new to the process.
Communicating about Audits - This provides quick tips for communicating about election audits with the public, and an activity prompt election officials can use to practice.
Post-Election Tabulation Audits: A Brief Overview - This covers the basics of post-election tabulation audits, including defining an audit, discussing why audits are performed, and describing what is needed to audit.
Sample Handout: Election Audits - This editable 1-pager describes common election audits for a general audience, with placeholders that election officials can fill in to reflect their own processes.
New CISA Resource on Drop Box Security for Incendiary Devices
CISA released Ballot Drop Box Security Best Practices for Incendiary Devices to highlight immediate actions election officials can take to help mitigate risks to drop boxes in their jurisdictions. This includes mitigation recommendations as well as post-incident recovery best practices.
CISA and USPIS Public Service Announcement and Training on Election Mail
CISA and the USPIS have released an Election Mail Security Public Service Announcement (PSA) and a specialized training video for election officials. These resources are designed to address the increasing need for secure handling of election-related mail, particularly in the context of potential physical threats and hazardous materials.
Watch both the PSA and the training video on the CISA and USPIS Election Mail Security Resources webpage.
Personal Security Considerations for Election Workers Video
CISA prepared an on-demand training video to help election workers assess their security and offers practical recommendations and resources to help mitigate potential threats to their personal safety, whether on or off the job.
This video complements the Personal Security Considerations Action Guide, released in June. The guide helps critical infrastructure workers evaluate their personal security and includes similar recommendations for preventing and addressing potential threats.