U.S. Election Assistance Commission
Activities
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
1201 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
www.eac.gov
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
i
Contents
Introduction
........................................................................................................................................................................1
Operations
............................................................................................................................................................................3
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission .......................................................................................................................3
Executive Director .............................................................................................................................................................3
General Counsel ................................................................................................................................................................3
The Office of Inspector General ........................................................................................................................................3
EAC Federal Advisory Committees ..................................................................................................................................3
Public Meetings .................................................................................................................................................................5
Freedom of Information Act Report ..................................................................................................................................5
Operating Budget ..............................................................................................................................................................6
Federal Financial Assistance To Improve Federal Elections
.......................................................................7
HAVA Funds .....................................................................................................................................................................7
Help America Vote College Program ...............................................................................................................................8
Mock Election Grant Program ..........................................................................................................................................9
The Voting System Pre-Election Logic and Accuracy Testing and Post-Election Audit Initiative..................................9
The Military Heroes Initiative .........................................................................................................................................10
The Accessible Voting Technology Initiative .................................................................................................................10
Voting System Testing and Certification
............................................................................................................11
Voting System Test Laboratory Accreditation ................................................................................................................11
Voting System Certification ............................................................................................................................................11
Voluntary Voting System Guidelines ...............................................................................................................................13
Research, Policy and Programs
...............................................................................................................................15
Research ..........................................................................................................................................................................15
Policy ...............................................................................................................................................................................16
Programs ..........................................................................................................................................................................17
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
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The Office of Inspector General Activities
.........................................................................................................19
Grant Audits ....................................................................................................................................................................19
Reviews of EAC Operations ...........................................................................................................................................19
Management Challenges .................................................................................................................................................20
Improved Outreach ..........................................................................................................................................................20
Communications and Clearinghouse
....................................................................................................................21
Open Government Policy ................................................................................................................................................21
National Clearinghouse for Elections..............................................................................................................................21
Sharing Information About EAC-Certified Voting Systems in the Field .......................................................................22
Focusing on Voters’ Needs .............................................................................................................................................23
Moving Forward
.............................................................................................................................................................25
Appendix
............................................................................................................................................................................27
2001 Tally Votes...............................................................................................................................................................27
Board Rosters ..................................................................................................................................................................30
Commissioners’ Biographies .........................................................................................................................................36
Executive Director’s Biography ......................................................................................................................................38
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
1
Introduction
Since the passage of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
in 2002, election administration has changed dramatically.
Early voting was rare 10 years ago. Absentee ballot
tracking, vote centers and ballots on demand were unheard
of. Live webcasts of the vote tabulation process were not
available. Yet some of these innovations have become
increasingly commonplace.
By providing funds to states to modernize their voting
systems and voter registration databases, HAVA was
a catalyst for many election reforms. For instance, the
HAVA-mandated move to statewide voter registration
databases facilitated the migration from paper poll books
to digital poll books, which makes the voter check-in
process faster and more accurate. Commissioners and staff
of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) have
observed poll workers using the digital poll books and
have heard poll workers comment about how much easier
the voter check-in process has become.
Some of the biggest innovations have taken place on
the Internet, where voters in most states can verify their
voter registration, get directions to their polling place
and download a sample ballot from the Web site of their
elections office.
Jurisdictions are also electronically transmitting registra-
tion materials and blank ballots to military and overseas
voters to help ensure they receive their ballots on time and
to comply with the Military and Overseas Voter Empower-
ment (MOVE) Act, which Congress passed in 2009.
Some areas offer all voters, not just Uniformed and
Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA)
voters the ability to track their absentee ballot. Through
a barcode on the ballot envelope, the ballot is scanned
before it enters the mail system and when it is returned to
the elections office. Voters in some jurisdictions can also
check the status of a provisional ballot on line.
Vote centers offer voters the flexibility to vote at a
designated location that is convenient for them. Digital
poll books made it possible for voter check-in information
to be updated and shared countywide in real time.
Election offices are also opening their election-night
operations to the public. For example, Orange County,
California, which has 1.6 million registered voters, uses
the Internet to increase transparency by providing a
streaming video of election-night operations, including
vote-by-mail ballot procedures and updates of election
results every 30 minutes.
Numerous counties have embraced social media to
communicate with voters and the news media about
polling place hours, wait times and closures. Douglas
County, Kansas, used Twitter during a local election in
2009 to inform voters of a polling place closure because of
a fire. News outlets saw the Twitter feed and rebroadcast
the news within minutes. Broward County, Florida,
and Forsyth County, Georgia, posted early voting wait
times on their Web site so people could avoid long lines.
Counties also used text messaging to coordinate Election
Day activities with poll workers.
Election officials who implemented these innovations,
such as early voting processes, online customer service
features for voters and digital poll books had to also create
procedures to accompany the new systems. They have
learned valuable lessons after launching these innovations
during an election.
EAC has also facilitated the collection of election admin-
i stration data on a national basis through its Election Ad-
ministration and Voting Survey (EAVS). Election officials
are now assembling and reporting on an array of election
statistics, which helps inform a variety of stakeholders on
the conduct of federal elections. The EAVS is the most
comprehensive federal compilation of election data
available to the public.
As tasked by HAVA to be the national clearinghouse for
elections, EAC has taken the lead in collecting these inno-
vative and modern solutions in elections and in providing
this information to election officials and the general public
in a central location at EAC.gov. EAC will also establish
an online tool that will pair seasoned election officials with
the profession’s newest members, providing an online
exchange of ideas and solutions. Helping election officials
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
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at both the state and local levels connect with each other
improves efficiency, avoids duplication of efforts, saves
money and creates a network of experts who can support
each other and their goal to provide customer service to voters.
Information, data, research and best practices that EAC
program areas produced and collected all become part of
the national clearinghouse for elections. The fiscal year
(FY) 2010 program highlights described below demon-
strate EAC’s modern, inclusive approach to improving
federal elections and providing excellent customer service
to the public and election officials.
Voting Systems Testing and
Certification
Certified a fourth voting system in 8 months at a cost of
less than $1 million.
Issued a report to Congress on progress toward
establishing guidelines for remote electronic voting
systems for absentee voters.
Held a joint workshop with the Federal Voting Assistance
Program (FVAP) and the Commerce Department’s
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
on UOCAVA remote electronic absentee voting systems;
jointly completed a UOCAVA Pilot Program Testable
Requirements document.
Completed a draft revision of the 2005 Voluntary
Voting System Guidelines (VVSG), Version 1.1 that
addresses the comments received during the public
comment period ending September 28, 2009. The
revised version and policy decisions were presented
to the EAC commissioners and discussed at a public
meeting in September 2010.
Communications and Clearinghouse
Launched a new Web site, recently named as one of the
top five government Web sites by Congress.org, with
powerful search and improved navigation tools. Visitors
may customize their experience by choosing automatic
updates by program area and have the option to submit
comments and rate EAC materials and products.
Before the 2010 general election, provided information
to voters about early and absentee voting deadlines in
each state and U.S. territory.
Created a map displaying the location of all EAC-
certified voting systems, along with hyperlinks to
related test reports, correspondence and other informa-
tion about the voting systems.
Grants
Awarded 15 Help America Vote College Program grants
to recruit students to serve as poll workers; awarded
8 Mock Election grants that, in conjunction with the
current grant portfolio, will help educate students about
the electoral process; and awarded a $500,000 Military
Heroes Initiative grant to improve voting accessibility
for recently injured military personnel.
In coordination with the Voting Systems Testing and
Certification division, conducted a roundtable discus-
sion on research, development and implementation
of technologies and other types of assistance to make
voting more accessible.
Research, Policy and Programs
Developed a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
for modifying EAC’s regulations for the National Voter
Registration Act (NVRA) in accordance with HAVA
and published the Notice in the Federal Register.
Issued Election Management Guidelines chapters and
Quick Start Management Guides on Technology in
Elections, Elections Office Administration, Accessibil-
ity, Building Community Partnerships, Canvassing and
Certifying an Election, Communicating with the Public,
Conducting a Recount and Provisional Ballots.
Released the Congressionally mandated report, Free
Postage for the Return of Voted Absentee Ballots.
Translated the National Mail Voter Registration Form
into five Asian languages. Expanded the translated
versions of the Voter’s Guide to Federal Elections to
include four Native American languages.
Partnered with the Office of Citizenship within U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services to make the
Voter’s Guide to Federal Elections available to new
citizens in the U.S. naturalization ceremony packet.
EAC will continue to find new and efficient ways to im-
prove federal election administration. One size does not fit
all in elections, and EAC is uniquely positioned to gather
and share solutions for the many aspects of the United
States’ very diverse and decentralized election administra-
tion landscape—everything from ballot on demand to
voting centers and a wide variety of voting systems.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
3
The U.S. Election Assistance
Commission
EAC is an independent, bipartisan agency created by
HAVA. It assists and provides guidance to state and local
election administrators in improving the administration
of elections for federal office. EAC provides assistance
by disbursing federal funds to states to implement HAVA
requirements, auditing the use of HAVA funds, adopting
the VVSG and serving as a national clearinghouse and
resource of information regarding election administration.
EAC also accredits voting system testing laboratories and
certifies, decertifies and recertifies voting systems.
EAC has two commissioners currently serving, Gineen
Bresso and Donetta Davidson, and two vacancies.
Commissioners, who are nominated by the President
and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, may serve only two
consecutive terms. Commissioners serve staggered terms.
No more than two commissioners may belong to the same
political party. Former Commissioner Gracia Hillman
resigned in December 2010 after serving in a holdover
capacity pursuant to HAVA Section 203(b)(3)B.
Executive Director
Thomas Wilkey was named executive director of EAC in
May 2005 by a unanimous vote of the commissioners and
was unanimously reappointed to the post in June 2009 for
another 4-year term. His duties include managing daily
operations, preparing program goals and long-term plans,
managing VVSG development, reviewing reports and
studies and overseeing EAC staff appointments.
General Counsel
Appointed by the Commission in September, 2010,
EAC General Counsel Mark A. Robbins has 20 years of
experience in public policy, federal administrative law and
executive management. He is the former executive director
of the White House Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight
Board and the former general counsel for the U.S. Office
of Personnel Management (OPM). In accordance with
HAVA, the general counsel is appointed to a 4-year term
and may serve additional terms by a vote of EAC. As
EAC’s chief legal officer, Mr. Robbins provides advice to
commissioners and senior leadership on legal issues affect-
ing EAC’s activities and operations.
The Office of Inspector General
EAC’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducts audits,
investigations and other reviews of EAC’s programs and
operations, which include internal reviews of how EAC
conducts business and reviews of recipients of funds
disbursed by EAC. The OIG’s work is designed to enhance
the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of EAC. The
OIG also works to detect and prevent fraud, waste, abuse
and mismanagement in EAC programs and operations.
OIG reports educate and inform clients (EAC, Congress,
Office of Management and Budget, Government Account-
ability Office, state governments, other federal entities and
the public) of opportunities to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of EAC and its programs.
EAC Federal Advisory Committees
Board of Advisors
EAC’s Board of Advisors includes members appointed by
the following groups, as specified in HAVA (two members
appointed by each): National Governors Association;
National Conference of State Legislatures; National
Association of Secretaries of State; The National Associa-
tion of State Election Directors; National Association
of Counties; National Association of County Recorders,
Election Officials and Clerks; The United States Confer-
ence of Mayors; Election Center; International Association
of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials and Treasurers; the
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; and Architectural and
Transportation Barriers Compliance Board.
Other members include representatives from the U.S.
Department of Justice, Public Integrity Section of the
Criminal Division and the Voting Section of the Civil
Rights Division; the director of the U.S. Department
Operations
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
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of Defense Federal Voting Assistance Program; four
professionals from the field of science and technology, one
each appointed by the Speaker and the Minority Leader
of the U.S. House of Representatives and by the Majority
Leader and Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate; and eight
members representing voter interests, with the chairs
and the ranking minority members of the U.S. House of
Representatives Committee on House Administration and
the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
each appointing two members.
The Board of Advisors elects a chair, vice chair and
secretary from its members. Officers serve for a term of
1 year and may serve no more than two consecutive terms
in any one office.
The Board of Advisors participated in two virtual public
forums. During February 8–19, 2010, board members
provided input about Phase II of the Election Operations
Assessment, which contains threat trees for the seven
types of voting types covered by the Election Operations
Assessment. During April 26–30, 2010, board members
commented on a draft version of the EAC Recounts and
Contests study. The draft version contained information
about the laws and procedures each state uses to govern
recounts, contests and standards for what constitutes a
valid vote. The study included best practices that states use
with respect to recounts and contests.
The Board held its annual meeting June 16–18, 2010,
in Washington, D.C. Agenda items included EAC
program updates, a presentation from NIST regarding
the UOCAVA Voting Systems Threat Analysis and other
administrative matters. The Board passed the following
motions during the June meeting:
Motion 2010-001: Recommendation that EAC begin a
dialogue with voting system manufacturers, state and
local election officials and other relevant parties about
the maintenance and sustainability of voting systems.
Motion 2010-002: Recommendation that Board Chair
Jim Dickson communicate to Congressman Dan Lun-
gren’s office that a discussion was held regarding the
hiring of EAC’s general counsel and that the sentiments
of the Board were shared with EAC.
Motion 2010-003: Recommendation that EAC conduct
a study of the performance of secondary school students
as poll workers in the election process.
Motion 2010-004: Recommendation that EAC study the
establishment of the Help America Vote Act Founda-
tion created under Title VI of HAVA.
Motion 2010-005: Recommendation that the Board
create a special committee to work with EAC to
develop recommendations establishing future studies on
the election administration profession.
Motion 2010-006: Recommendation that the chair
appoint a committee to define sustainability issues that
could be studied by EAC and provide advice to the
Board regarding recommended studies.
Motion 2010-007: Recommendation that the Board
recognize the contributions of Terri Hegarty, Craig
Donsanto and other former Board members for their
service.
The Board of Advisors’ motions, meeting minutes and
presentations are available at EAC.gov.
Standards Board
The Standards Board consists of 110 members; 55 are state
election officials selected by their respective chief state
election official and 55 are local election officials selected
through a process supervised by the chief state election
official. HAVA prohibits any 2 members representing the
same state to be members of the same political party.
The Board elects 9 members to serve as an executive
board, of which not more than 5 are state election officials,
not more than 5 are local election officials and not more
than 5 are members of the same political party.
The Standards Board participated in three virtual public
forums in FY 2010 to review and comment on the draft
EAC Recounts and Contests study, three draft chapters
of the Election Management Guidelines and Phase II of
the Election Operations Assessment. The Board held its
annual meeting on July 27, 2010; the executive board met
in person in Washington, D.C., and the other members
participated virtually via WebEx. Agenda items included
EAC program updates, commercial off-the-shelf products
and UOCAVA projects. The following resolutions were
passed at the July meeting:
2010-01: Amended Article X, Section 2, of the bylaws
of the Board, allowing proposed bylaw amendments to
be submitted to the Designated Federal Officer at least
70 days before a Standards Board meeting.
2010-02: Amended Article VIII, Section 2, of the
bylaws of the Board, allowing proxy designations by
electronic means and clarifying that proxies may vote
for all matters outside of elections.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
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2010-03: Amended bylaws to authorize executive board
elections to be conducted by mail-in ballot.
2010-04: Recommended that EAC coordinate the
implementation of its UOCAVA Roadmap with its
advisory boards and NIST to apply the NIST Risk
Management Framework and other methods to identify
security controls and technologies to mitigate security
concerns.
2010-05: Concluded that the Board provide recommen-
dations to NIST and the Technical Guidelines Develop-
ment Committee (TGDC) regarding the definition of
auditability and the development of alternatives to
software independence. Also established a Software
Independence ad hoc committee.
Standards Board resolutions, meeting minutes and
presentations are available at EAC.gov.
Technical Guidelines Development
Committee
HAVA mandates that the TGDC help EAC develop the
VVSG, a task that was completed in May 2005. The
VVSG are not mandatory and each state retains the
prerogative to adopt these guidelines.
By law, the chairperson of the TGDC is the director of
NIST. The TGDC is composed of 14 other members ap-
pointed jointly by EAC and the director of NIST. Members
include representatives from the EAC Standards Board,
EAC Board of Advisors, Architectural and Transportation
Barriers Compliance Board, American National Standards
Institute, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,
The National Association of State Election Directors
(2 representatives) and other individuals with technical and
scientific expertise related to voting systems and voting
equipment.
TGDC meeting minutes, roster, resolutions and other
related material are available at www.vote.nist.gov.
Public Meetings
In FY 2010, EAC held eight public meetings, which
were also available to the public via webcast. Public
meeting topics included military and overseas voters, the
Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE)
Act and EAC’s Quality Monitoring Program for certified
voting systems. EAC also held two public hearings about
proposed changes to NVRA regulations. Public meetings
and hearings are available to the public via archived
webcasts and meeting agendas, minutes and testimony are
posted at EAC.gov.
Freedom of Information Act Report
In FY 2010, EAC received 10 requests under the Freedom
of Information Act (FOIA). Nine requests were processed
and completed. One request was partially completed; EAC
is awaiting clarification from the requestor to complete the
request.
The median processing time was 16 days, and the average
was 14.8 days. The range in number of days for response
was from 3 to 22 days. Of the 10 requests completed in FY
2010, 7 were completed within 20 days, 2 were completed
within 40 days and 1 partial response was provided within
20 days.
In no instances did EAC not comply with a request, no
appeals were made, in no instances did a court review a
decision to withhold, no administrative appeals were made
and EAC received no expedited review requests.
Two EAC employees processed FOIA requests, but neither
employee is solely dedicated to FOIA activities. EAC
spent approximately $17,500 processing FOIA requests in
FY 2010. EAC initiated fee waiver requests on all FOIA
requests. No fee waiver adjudications were initiated.
EAC withheld documents in two instances; one instance
under FOIA exemption 5, and one instance under FOIA
exemption 6. The information withheld included internal
memoranda, personnel files and confidential business
information.
EAC’s FOIA regulations instructions for submitting a
request and the FOIA Reading Room are available to the
public at EAC.gov.
EAC FOIA Policy
(a) The Commission will make the fullest possible
disclosure of records to the public, consistent with
the rights of individuals to privacy, the rights of
individuals and other entities with respect to trade
secrets and commercial or financial information
entitled to privileged and confidential treatment and
the need for the Commission to promote free internal
policy deliberations and to pursue its official activities
without undue disruption.
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
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(b) All Commission records shall be available to the public
unless they are specifically exempt under this part.
(c) In the interest of efficiency and economy, the Commis-
sion’s preference is to furnish records to requesters in
electronic format, when possible.
(d) To carry out this policy, the Commission has desig-
nated a Chief Freedom of Information Act Officer
(Chief FOIA Officer).
Operating Budget
Since 2004, EAC has received funds in three appropriations:
Salaries and Expenses, Election Reform Programs and for
FY 2008 only, Election Data Collection Grants. The purpose
of the Data Collection grants of $2.0 million each to five
states was to measure the costs of improving the collection
of election data at the precinct level during the 2008 federal
election. In FY 2010, the Salaries and Expenses appropria-
tion of $17,959,000 funded the $3.5 million transfer to
NIST; $750,000 for College Poll Worker recruitment and
training grants; $300,000 for Mock Elections for high
school students; and general office expenses including
salaries, travel, rent, and expenses incurred for telecom-
munications, printing, contracts, supplies, and equipment.
During FY 2010, EAC finalized policies and procedures
in the areas of general administration, travel and informa-
tion technology. Also during FY 2010, EAC made
great progress in the program areas, achieving the goals
described in the EAC Strategic Plan, which is based on the
mandates of HAVA.
Internal Controls
EAC is subject to numerous legislative and regulatory
requirements that promote and support effective internal
controls. EAC believes that maintaining integrity and
accountability in its programs and operations is critical for
good government, demonstrates responsible stewardship
over assets and resources, helps ensure high-quality and
responsible leadership, allows for effective delivery of
services to customers and maximizes desired program
outcomes.
EAC has developed and implemented management,
administrative and financial system controls to reasonably
ensure that (1) programs and operations achieve intended
results efficiently and effectively; (2) resources are used in
accordance with the mission of the agency; (3) programs
and resources are protected from waste, fraud and abuse;
(4) program and operations activities comply with laws
and regulations; and (5) reliable, complete and timely data
are maintained and used for making decisions.
EAC used controls that ensure that transactions are executed
in accordance with budgetary and financial laws and other
requirements, consistent with the purposes authorized and
are recorded in accordance with federal accounting stan-
dards. EAC ensures that assets are properly acquired and
used and that they are safeguarded to deter theft, accidental
loss or unauthorized disposition and fraud. EAC is still
collecting programmatic performance data and ensuring
that the data are adequately supported. To this end, EAC
contracted for and received recommendations from an
independent review of (1) its Strategic Plan per formance
measures and systems to collect the data and (2) risk levels
associated with providing inaccurate information for mak-
ing internal decisions. During FY 2011, each manager will
become familiar with internal control requirements and
responsibilities and be able to sign statements of assurance
that controls are in place and functioning.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
7
State
2010
Payment
Required
State Match
Date
Received
State
2010
Payment
Required
State Match
Date
Received
Alaska $500,000 $26,316 3/29/10
Hawaii $500,000 $26,316 3/10/10
Idaho $500,000 $26,316 2/16/10
Illinois $4,193,259 $220,698 8/13/10
Indiana $2,068,525 $108,870 12/17/09
Kansas $916,581 $48,241 9/13/10
Maryland $1,810,987 $95,315 12/22/09
Michigan $3,359,723 $176,828 *****
Minnesota $1,670,911 $87,943 10/8/09
Nebraska $591,388 $31,126 1/29/10
Nevada $694,006 $36,527 6/9/10
New Mexico $613,898 $32,310 2/4/10
North Carolina $2,787,357 $146,703 1/15/10
Oklahoma $1,181,900 $62,205 12/11/09
Pennsylvania $4,277,466 $225,130 2/1/10
Puerto Rico $1,240,015 $65,264 *****
Rhode Island $500,000 $26,316 11/27/09
Texas $6,829,389 $359,442 12/23/09
West Virginia $657,360 $34,598 4/14/10
Wisconsin $1,835,843 $96,623 2/4/10
Total $36,728,608 $1,933,085
Alaska $350,000 $18,421 3/29/10
Arizona $1,211,411 $63,759 8/16/10
Arkansas $647,217 $34,064 5/17/10
California $7,857,562 $413,560 *****
Idaho $350,000 $18,421 4/8/10
Illinois $2,935,281 $154,490 8/13/10
Indiana $1,447,967 $76,210 9/13/10
Iowa $710,834 $37,413 3/29/10
Kansas $641,607 $33,769 9/13/10
Kentucky $983,033 $51,739 3/19/10
Michigan $2,351,806 $123,781 *****
Minnesota $1,169,637 $61,560 6/23/10
Mississippi $671,573 $35,346 7/22/10
Montana $350,000 $18,421 5/3/10
Nevada $485,804 $25,569 9/24/10
New York $4,564,310 $240,229 3/12/10
North Carolina $1,951,150 $102,693 8/13/10
North Dakota $350,000 $18,421 4/8/10
Pennsylvania $2,994,226 $157,592 9/24/10
Puerto Rico $868,011 $45,685 *****
Rhode Island $350,000 $18,421 6/15/10
South Carolina $968,829 $50,991 5/25/10
South Dakota $350,000 $18,421 9/13/10
Texas $4,780,572 $251,612 9/13/10
Washington $1,407,879 $74,100 9/13/10
Total $40,748,710 $2,144,690
*****Indicates funds have been requested and disbursement is being processed.
*****Indicates funds have been requested and disbursement is being processed.
EAC’s Grants Management Division distributes and moni-
tors HAVA funds, provides technical assistance to states
and grantees on the use of funds and reports on require-
ments payments and discretionary grants to improve the
administration of elections for federal office. The division
also negotiates indirect cost rates with grantees and
resolves audit findings on the use of HAVA funds.
HAVA Funds
In FY 2010, Public Law 111-117 included $70 million for
HAVA Section 251 payments. The funds are distributed
according to a formula based on the voting age population
of the state according to the most recent census and the
Federal Financial Assistance To
Improve Federal Elections
total voting age population of all states. To draw the funds,
the states certify that they are in compliance with appli-
cable laws and requirements per HAVA Section 253.
A state may use a requirements payment to carry out
activities to improve the administration of elections for
federal office outside of the activities listed under HAVA
Title III if the state, per Section 251, certifies that it has
implemented the requirements of Title III or that the
amount it will spend on other activities will not exceed an
amount equal to the minimum payment amount applicable
under Section 252. Title III includes voting system
standards, voting information requirements, provisional
voting, statewide voter registration lists and identification
2009 Section 251 Funds Distributed in FY 2010 2010 Section 251 Funds Distributed in FY 2010
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
8
requirements for voters who register by mail. A state
may also use a requirements payment to improve the
administration of federal elections. In November 2009,
EAC provided training via a webinar to states on using the
Standard Form 425 Federal Financial Report. The webinar
is available at EAC.gov.
EAC paid $29.7 million of the $70.0 million awarded
in FY 2010, which represents all funds requested by the
states by September 30, 2010.
Each year, EAC prepares a report for Congress that
describes how the states have spent HAVA funds. On
February 1, 2010, the division released the EAC Annual
Report on Grant Programs as of September 30, 2008. The
report was released along with the FY 2011 Congressional
Budget Justification and FY 2009 Annual Performance
Report. A comprehensive chart detailing all HAVA funds
provided to the states is available at EAC.gov.
To assist state and local governments regarding the proper
use of HAVA funds, EAC established the Funding Advi-
sory Opinion request process, through which any federal
or state government official, any local election official
(provided the local jurisdiction received or anticipates
receiving HAVA funds), or any member of the EAC staff
may request an advisory opinion concerning the use of
HAVA funds. During FY 2010, EAC issued three Funding
Advisory Opinions regarding the use of HAVA funds. All
Funding Advisory Opinions are available at EAC.gov.
Help America Vote College Program
The Help America Vote College Program, established by
HAVA Section 501, provides grants to encourage student
participation as poll workers or assistants, to foster student
interest in the electoral process and to encourage state and
local governments to use students as poll workers.
In FY 2010, EAC awarded $750,000 in College Poll
Worker grants to 14 institutions of higher education and
one nonprofit organization to recruit students to serve
as poll workers in the 2010 federal election. The 2010
grantees were as follows:
Alverno College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: $40,800.
Benedictine University, Lisle, Illinois: $55,385.
Central Connecticut State University, Hartford, Con-
necticut: $32,107.
College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita, California:
$59,200.
Harris-Stowe State University, St. Louis, Missouri:
$43,433.
Keystone College, La Plume, Pennsylvania: $39,996.
Kids Voting of Central Ohio, Columbus, Ohio: $84,000.
Kutztown University, Kutztown, Pennsylvania:
$58,868.
Lourdes College, Sylvania, Ohio: $34,783.
Marshall-Wythe Law School Foundation, Williams-
burg, Virginia: $63,700.
Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia: $38,037.
Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah: $46,480.
Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts: $30,211.
University of Rochester, Rochester, New York:
$62,000.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee:
$61,000.
The 2010 grantees developed creative ways of engaging
students in the electoral process, and many set up measures
to ensure continuation of their programs. The University
of Tennessee, for example, offered online training videos
as an option for students to complete their poll worker
training. They also plan to offer a 4-credit-hour class for
students who participated in the program to review data
and study advanced election issues and to hold a followup
symposium to talk about the experience with students,
election officials and the media. Professors at Southern
Utah University created pre- and post-assessments to find
out how students’ understanding of the political process
had changed.
The Help America Vote College Poll Worker grants
help relieve poll worker shortages across the country and
provide election officials with technically proficient poll
workers. According to EAC’s 2008 Election Administra-
tion and Voting Survey, nearly one-half of the jurisdictions
reported experiencing difficulties recruiting poll workers.
Thanks to these grants, many grantees reported having an
adequate number of poll workers, some for the first time.
As of FY 2010, EAC had awarded 89 grants totaling $3.1
million to recruit and train college poll workers since 2004.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
9
Mock Election Grant Program
The Mock Election Grant Program, authorized under
HAVA Section 295, encourages youth participation and
civic engagement by enabling students to participate in
simulated elections with voting equipment, ballots and poll
workers. The grants enable students to become familiar
with voting processes and technologies so that when they
become eligible to vote they will be more comfortable
with their civic responsibilities.
In FY 2010, EAC awarded eight Mock Election Program
grants totaling $300,000 to six government agencies, one
civic group and one nonprofit organization. The grants
were intended to be used for high school students to oper-
ate programs of simulated elections, complete with voting
equipment, ballots and poll workers.
The 2010 winners, chosen from a highly competitive pool
of 34 applicants, used a wide range of creative approaches
to engage high school students, particularly those in rural
areas, including American Indian reservations, and urban
locations. The 2010 grantees include the following:
Seminole County Supervisor of Elections in Sanford,
Florida. To partner with Crooms Academy of Informa-
tion Technology to hold debates in which candidates,
voters and community leaders discuss issues before the
students and to train students to serve as poll workers
on Election Day: $15,441.
Polk County Auditor’s Office in Des Moines, Iowa. To
educate students using computer simulations of com-
mon and lesser known aspects of the voting process,
from establishing eligibility and operating voting
equipment to casting a provisional ballot and assisting
voters who have special needs: $49,293.
Office of the Secretary of State of the Commonwealth
of Kentucky. To engage a large population of
students—30,940 students in underserved counties
throughout the state—in mock elections and related
educational activities through partnerships with the
Kentucky Department of Education and the NewCities
Institute: $44,553.
Michigan Government Television in Lansing. To
partner with Leland Public Schools to recruit 100,000
students in rural and urban areas to participate in
educational election activities leading up to the National
Student/Parent Mock Election: $42,000.
State of Montana Secretary of State. To partner with
the School Administrators of Montana and the Office
of Public Instruction to educate students living on
American Indian reservations about the election
process through a customizable election curriculum
that incorporates a variety of multimedia platforms:
$30,000.
League of Women Voters of Oregon Education Fund.
To partner with the Governor’s Office, the secretary of
state, the Oregon Department of Education, the Oregon
School Board Association and the Oregon Associa-
tion of Student Councils to reach 80,000 students in
350 schools to participate in a simulated election of
the state’s vote-by-mail system and election-related
educational and leadership development activities:
$41,413.
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
To partner with the Rhode Island Board of Elections,
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education and Roger Williams University to develop
and implement a statewide voter education project that
will reach at least one-half of the state’s high school
population of 46,000 and target urban and immigrant
communities: $37,300.
Office of the Washington Secretary of State. To provide
students in 100 schools with opportunities to participate
in online voting, election-related educational activities
and two televised segments cosponsored by TVW,
Washington’s public affairs broadcast network, on the
mock election that will feature interviews with students
and teachers and a forum in which student audience
members engage with panelists on national and local
issues: $40,000.
The Voting System Pre-Election
Logic and Accuracy Testing and
Post-Election Audit Initiative
This grant will award approximately $2 million to develop
and document processes for coordinating high-quality
and cost-effective voting system pre-election logic and
accuracy (L&A) testing and post-election audits. During
FY 2010, EAC developed the final notice of federal funds
available, which included public comments gathered
during FY 2009. This notice set forth funding parameters,
including the scope of work, eligibility requirements and
qualifications, selection criteria and other related details.
Through this initiative, EAC seeks to capture and test
innovative, high-quality processes and tools, as well as
practices that are cost effective and evidence based for
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
10
performing voting system pre-election L&A testing and
post-election audits by jurisdictions of varying sizes,
locations and equipment configurations. Congress funded
this initiative under the Consolidated Appropriations Act
for FY 2009/2010.
The Military Heroes Initiative
In FY 2010, EAC established and awarded the Military
Heroes Initiative, a $500,000 2-year grant aimed at
advancing voting technology and processes for recently
injured military personnel. The grant seeks to improve
voting technology and processes for military service
members who have sustained disabling injuries in combat
operations. According to the National Council on Dis-
ability, more than 30,800 U.S. service members in recent
years have returned from a combat zone with a range
of disabilities, including loss of limbs, loss of sight and
traumatic brain injury. HAVA disability requirements
(specifically Section 301) and the Military Oversees
Voting Empowerment Act contain provisions aimed at
significantly improving the voting process for people with
disabilities and military personnel.
The winner of the grant competition was the Information
Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), which
is partnering with the Georgia Institute of Technology
Applied Research Corporation, a leading research institute
with extensive experience working with military institu-
tions and conducting accessibility research, and with
Operation Bravo Foundation, a pioneer in developing
voting alternatives for military and overseas citizens.
Funds will support research to better understand the needs
of injured military personnel in major hospital, recovery
and rehabilitation facilities related to election processes,
including (1) documentation of current practices associated
with voting activities at these facilities, (2) identification of
barriers that may prevent this population from voting pri-
vately and independently and (3) reviews and assessments
of new and innovative technologies that assist military
personnel with participating in the electoral process.
Through a study of all aspects of the voting process, ITIF
and its partners will evaluate and offer recommenda-
tions to improve the voting needs of military personnel
with disabilities. In addition to assessing current voting
technologies, services and processes, ITIF will review
alternative ballot delivery and return methods and perform
user-focused studies to identify potential solutions. Their
recommendations will be delivered by early 2012 for
potential use in the 2012 federal election. Through the
Military Heroes Initiative, EAC seeks to foster a better
understanding of the voting needs of injured military
personnel and enhance the military’s processes for sup-
porting the participation of this important constituency in
elections. This initiative is funded under the Consolidated
Appropriations Act for FY 2009/2010.
The Accessible Voting Technology
Initiative
This grant will award $7 million to support research and
development that advances voting accessibility technology
to enable citizens with disabilities to vote privately and
independently. During FY 2010, EAC developed the final
notice of federal funds available, which included public
comments gathered during FY 2009. This notice set forth
funding parameters, including the scope of work, eligibil-
ity requirements and qualifications, selection criteria and
other related details.
In designing the grant, EAC consulted with a variety of
accessibility, technology and election administration
experts during a series of public meetings and roundtable
discussions during a period of several months. This initia-
tive seeks to increase the accessibility of new, existing and
emerging technological solutions in such areas as assistive
technologies, interoperability and voting system design.
This initiative is funded under the Consolidated Appropria-
tions Act for FY 2009/2010.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
11
Voting System Testing and Certification
In FY 2010, EAC’s Testing and Certification Program
staff continued to operate a thorough, rigorous and trans -
parent testing process. While maintaining a consistent
level of scrutiny, they made internal changes to further
streamline the process and reduce the time and cost of
testing. As a result, in FY 2010, EAC certified three voting
systems. Currently, four additional voting systems are in
testing at EAC.
In addition, EAC worked with NIST and the Department
of Defense Federal Voting Assistance Program to develop
Pilot Program Testing Requirements and created a Voting
System Pilot Program Testing & Certification Manual in
FY 2010. EAC cosponsored a number of roundtable events
and discussions with NIST and FVAP in the following
areas: UOCAVA pilot program, UOCAVA remote voting
systems and a review of the 2010 election.
In FY 2010, the division focused on development and
structure of the Quality Monitoring Program outlined in
the Voting System Pilot Program Testing & Certification
Manual. The first EAC systems were certified in FY 2009,
making FY 2010 the first year EAC could implement the
Quality Monitoring Program. EAC continues to develop
and update the procedures and policies for this program.
Voting System Test Laboratory
Accreditation
HAVA Section 231 requires EAC and NIST to develop a
program for accrediting voting system testing laboratories.
The National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program
(NVLAP) of NIST evaluates test laboratories and performs
periodic re-evaluations to verify that the laboratories
continue to meet the accreditation criteria. When NIST
determines a laboratory is technically competent to test
systems, the NIST director recommends a laboratory to
EAC for accreditation. EAC makes the final determination
to accredit the laboratory. EAC issues the accreditation
certificate to approved laboratories, maintains a register
of accredited laboratories and posts this information on its
Web site at EAC.gov.
Laboratories must adhere to the requirements of EAC’s
Voting System Test Laboratory Program Manual or face
possible suspension or revocation of accreditation. These
requirements include stringent conflict-of-interest and
compliance-management programs.
Currently, two test laboratories are accredited by EAC:
SLI Global Solutions (formerly SysTest Laboratories)
and Wyle Laboratories. In FY 2010, EAC reaccredited
Wyle Laboratories as a voting system test laboratory under
EAC’s program. The reaccreditation was issued after on-
site inspections of Wyle Laboratories in accordance with
EAC’s Voting System Test Laboratory Program Manual
requirements. CIBER, Inc., did not renew with NVLAP,
which rendered them inactive as an accredited laboratory;
their accreditation would have expired in 2010.
Information on Voting System Test Laboratory Accredi-
tation, including the Voting System Test Laboratory
Program Manual, is posted in the Testing and Certification
section of the EAC Web site at EAC.gov.
Voting System Certification
HAVA instructs EAC to establish the federal government’s
first voluntary program to test and certify voting equip-
ment. The certification program was established after the
2005 VVSG were adopted and the first recommendations
regarding laboratories for federal accreditation were given
to EAC by NIST in February 2007.
The first step in the certification process is manufacturer
registration. Applicants are required to provide written
policies regarding quality assurance and document
retention and also provide a complete list of manufacturing
facilities. Through registration with EAC, the manufac-
turer agrees to meet all program requirements.
A manufacturer that has a system ready for testing
submits an application for testing to EAC and selects an
EAC-accredited laboratory to conduct the testing. The
laboratory submits a test plan to EAC for approval; tests
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
12
the voting system; and provides a test report, based on
the findings from testing, to EAC for review and action.
EAC technical reviewers and staff members review the test
reports. If the testing and report of a system demonstrate
conformance with all applicable voting system standards
or guidelines, the program director will recommend the
system for certification. EAC’s executive director will
consider the recommendation and provide a final decision
on the system. Commissioners serve as the appeal body.
Upon certification, a system may bear an EAC mark of
certification and may be marketed as EAC certified.
In FY 2010, EAC certified three voting systems: Election
Systems & Software (ES&S) Unity 3.2.0.0, Rev 1; Micro-
Vote EMS 4.0B Voting System; and Unisyn’s OpenElect
1.0. An EAC certification means a voting system has met
all applicable requirements of the VVSG by passing a
series of comprehensive tests conducted by a federally
accredited test laboratory. Manufacturers must also meet
technical and ethical standards to ensure the integrity of
the process and the system when it makes its way from the
test laboratory to production and into the marketplace.
Currently, four voting systems are being tested at EAC:
Dominion Democracy Suite 4.0, ES&S Unity 3.2.1.0,
ES&S Unity 5.0.0.0 and Sequoia WinEDS 4.0.34.
Information regarding systems in testing, test plans, test
reports and decisions on certification are posted in the
Testing and Certification section of the EAC Web site at
EAC.gov.
Quality Monitoring Program
EAC monitors all voting systems it certifies through its
Quality Monitoring Program. The program requires manu-
facturers to submit reports whenever a federally certified
system experiences an anomaly. This program requires
manufacturers to notify EAC if a modification is made
to a certified system’s software, firmware or hardware.
EAC conducts site visits of accredited laboratories and
participating manufacturers’ facilities.
In FY 2010, EAC received notification from ES&S regard-
ing the Unity 3.2.0.0 system. EAC conducted an informal
investigation and issued a system advisory notice on the
DS200 scanner regarding a power down and freeze issue
experienced during L&A testing and on Election Day.
A system advisory notice was issued for the MicroVote
EMS 4.0B. The system advisory notice stated that memory
cards larger than 32 megabytes do not operate properly
with certain Infinity Voting Panels.
In addition, as part of the Quality Monitoring Program,
EAC is required to conduct onsite manufacturing assess-
ments. These onsite visits provide the opportunity for EAC
to ascertain that the manufacturers of voting systems are
following EAC’s required procedures. In FY 2010, EAC
conducted manufacturing site visits for ES&S and Unisyn
Voting Solutions. For each visit, EAC creates a site visit
report that is posted at EAC.gov.
List of Registered Manufacturers
Dominion Voting Systems Corporation
Election Systems & Software
Everyone Counts, Inc.
Hart InterCivic
MicroVote General Corp.
N.V. Nederlansche Apparatenfabriek (Nedap)
Precise Voting®
Scytl
TruVote® International
Unisyn Voting Solutions®
How Does a Voting System Get Certified by EAC?
Step 1: Voting system manufacturers must register with EAC.
Step 2: Manufacturers must submit an application and select
a federally accredited test laboratory to begin the
testing process.
Step 3: Test laboratory submits draft test plan to EAC for
approval.
Step 4: EAC approves test plan.
Step 5: Voting system is tested to the applicable standards.
Step 6: Testing concluded; draft test report submitted to EAC
for approval.
Step 7: EAC approves test report and issues initial decision on
certification.
Step 8: Test laboratory rebuilds voting system in a trusted
environment, otherwise known as a “trusted build.”
Step 9: Manufacturer provides software identification tools to
EAC, which enables election officials to confirm use of
EAC-certified systems.
Step 10: Manufacturer provides voting system software to EAC
repository.
Step 11: Manufacturer agrees in writing to all EAC certification
conditions and program requirements.
Step 12: EAC certifies voting system.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
13
Information generated by the Quality Monitoring Program,
including anomaly reports, are posted in the Testing and
Certification section of the EAC Web site at EAC.gov.
Communication and Clarification
In an effort to increase efficiency and streamline the
certification process, EAC established the Requests for
Interpretation (RFI) process. This process enables program
participants to request interpretations of the VVSG. In
addition, EAC established the Notice of Clarification
(NOC) process, through which EAC issues clarifying
language based on written requests from manufacturers
or test laboratories seeking clarification about a program
requirement, policy or guideline.
All RFIs and NOCs are available in the Testing and
Certification section of the EAC Web site at EAC.gov.
EAC Decisions on RFIs Issued in FY 2010
EAC Decision on Request for Interpretation 2009-05
(T-Coil Requirements)
2002 Voting System Standards (VSS), Volume I,
Sections 2.2.7.2 c & d
2005 VVSG, Volume I, Sections 3.2.2.2 c ii & iii
EAC Decision on Request for Interpretation 2010-01
(Voltage Levels and ESD Test)
2002 VSS, Volume I, Section 3.2.2.8
2005 VVSG, Volume I, Section 4.1.2.8
EAC Decision on Request for Interpretation 2009-06
(Temperature and Power Variation Tests)
2002 VSS, Volume I, Section 3.4.3
2002 VSS, Volume II, Sections 4.7.1, 4.7.2, Appendix Sec. C.4
2005 VVSG, Volume I, Section 4.3.3
2005 VVSG, Volume II, Sections 4.7.1, 4.7.3, Appendix Sec. C.4
EAC Decision on Request for Interpretation 2010-02
(Coding Conventions)
2005 VVSG, Volume I, Section 5.2.3 d
2005 VVSG, Volume I, Section 5.2.5
2005 VVSG, Volume I, Section 5.2.6
2005 VVSG, Volume I, Sections 5.2.7 b, c, d, & e
2005 VVSG, Volume II, Section 5.4.2
EAC Decision on Request for Interpretation 2010-03
(Database Coding Conventions)
2005 VVSG, Volume II, Section 5.4
2005 VVSG, Volume II, Sections 5.4.2.a–5.4.2.v
EAC Decision on Request for Interpretation 2010-06
(DRE Accessibility Requirements and Other Accessible Voting
Stations)
2005 VVSG, v1.0, Volume I, Section 3, Usability and
Accessibility Requirements
EAC Decision on Request for Interpretation 2010-04
(Functional Requirements With Respect to Security)
2002 VSS, Volume I, Section 2.2.1, Security
2005 VVSG, Volume I, Section 2.1.1, Security
EAC Decision on Request for Interpretation 2010-05
(Testing of Modification to a Certified System)
2005 VVSG, Volume I, Section 1.7
Voting System Pilot Program Testing & Certification Manual,
Section 4.4.2.3
EAC Decision on Request for Interpretation 2010-07
(Module Length)
2002 VSS, Volume II, Section 5.4.2.i
2005 VVSG, Volume II, Section 5.4.2.i
EAC NOCs Issued in FY 2010
Notice of Clarification 09-004: Clarification of the
Development and Submission of Test Reports
Notice of Clarification 09-005: Clarification of the
Development and Submission of Test Plans for Modifications
for EAC-Certified Systems
Voluntary Voting System Guidelines
The VVSG is the set of testable standards by which EAC
evaluates all voting systems. EACs accredited laborato-
ries conduct a conformance assessment using the VVSG to
evaluate the voting systems. A system submitted to EACs
program will receive certification only if it complies with
the VVSG; nothing guarantees that a system will meet
the VVSG requirements and ultimately receive an EAC
certification.
EAC, the TGDC and NIST work together to develop
voluntary testing standards. The 2005 VVSG are currently
in place, while EAC and NIST are formulating future
versions and updates.
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
14
Revisions to the 2005 VVSG
After reviewing comments and receiving input from a
series of roundtable discussions about the next iteration,
EAC determined the 2005 VVSG should be revised before
the adoption of the next iteration, which may not occur for
several years.
To implement updates to the 2005 VVSG, EAC followed
the procedures in HAVA, which included providing a
120-day public comment period, longer than what is required
by HAVA, and soliciting input from EAC advisory boards.
EAC and NIST are currently reviewing the boards’ input
and will present an update to EAC for final adoption.
EAC held a roundtable discussion in FY 2010 to discuss
accessibility issues and proposed updates to the VVSG.
Also, EAC held a public meeting and hearing in Washing-
ton, D.C., to discuss the Quality Monitoring Program and
the proposed updates to the VVSG.
UOCAVA and Pilot Program Testing
Requirements
The MOVE Act requires that EAC work with NIST and
FVAP to develop Pilot Program Testing Requirements.
EAC cosponsored a number of roundtable events and
discussions with NIST and FVAP in the following areas:
Pilot Program Testing Requirements, Internet voting and
UOCAVA remote voting systems. During FY 2010, EAC
issued final Pilot Program Testing Requirements and
created a proposed Voting System Pilot Program Testing
& Certification Manual.
Information regarding the Pilot Program Testing Require-
ments and the Voting System Pilot Program Testing &
Certification Manual is posted in the Testing and Certifica-
tion section of the EAC Web site at EAC.gov.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
15
Research, Policy and Programs
The Research, Policy and Programs (RPP) division is
responsible for HAVA-mandated research and studies,
covering topics such as ballots cast and returned in accor-
dance with UOCAVA, NVRA and the Language Acces-
sibility Program. The RPP division produces educational
materials for voters to facilitate successful participation
in federal elections, such as registering to vote and voter
guides that election officials throughout the nation can use
to supplement state and local education materials.
The division also administers the Election Management
Guidelines program to help election officials promote
secure, accurate and accessible elections by providing
information on topics such as ballot design, contingency
planning, managing change in an election office, media
and public relations and developing an audit trail.
In FY 2010, the division developed a list of potential
research projects and policy and program initiatives,
including timelines, many of which are mandated by
HAVA and/or authorized by Congress, to guide staff
initiatives and work schedules through 2012. Progress has
been made toward completing several projects noted in the
research schedule, and the list will continue to be revised
in accordance with EAC and/or Congressional priorities.
Research
Under HAVA requirements, EAC collects information
about election administration issues and shares that infor-
mation with Congress, election officials and the public.
EAC released to Congress the HAVA-mandated report,
Free Postage for the Return of Absentee Ballots. Research
efforts continued in FY 2010 on two HAVA-mandated
studies: (1) Recounts and Contests and (2) Election
Administration in Urban and Rural Settings. Highlights
of the major surveys released in FY 2010 follow in the
next section. EAC research and accompanying data sets
are available at EAC.gov and www.data.gov. Data are
provided in several formats to accommodate multiple
audiences.
The 2008
Election Administration and
Voting Survey
In FY 2010, EAC adopted the 2008 Election Administra-
tion and Voting Survey, the third iteration sponsored
by EAC. Survey data provided by the states include
73 questions covering topics such as voter registration,
provisional ballots, domestic civilian absentee ballots and
election administration.
The 2008 EAC survey collected information on how
133,944,538 Americans participated in the election, and,
although the completeness of state responses varied sig-
nificantly, valuable voting data were collected from each
of the 50 states, 4 territories and the District of Columbia.
Survey highlights include the following:
More than 190 million people were reported as
registered to vote in the 2008 Presidential election—an
increase of more than 14 million since the last Presiden-
tial election.
Less than two-thirds of voters cast a traditional ballot
in person at a polling place on Election Day because
alternative means of casting a ballot increased.
Of voters, 13 percent cast their ballots early, which is
more than double the number of early voters from 2006.
More than 26 million domestic absentee ballots were
sent by states––91.1 percent of which were returned to
the election office and submitted for counting.
Nearly 1 million ballots were sent to UOCAVA voters–
69 percent of which were returned to the election office
and submitted for counting. Of those ballots returned,
93.6 percent were counted (the others were rejected for
various reasons, including missing deadlines).
In addition to collecting voting data, the 2008 survey
collected information on a range of election administration
topics, including the age of poll workers, polling places
and types of voting technology used. Among the key
findings were that states employed 878,360 poll workers
in the 2008 election, staffing some 132,237 polling places
(or roughly 7 poll workers per polling place). As expected,
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
16
poll workers tended to be older than the average U.S.
citizen, with 60 percent of poll workers being between the
ages of 41 and 70. Nearly one-half of reporting jurisdic-
tions reported having at least some difficulty in obtaining a
sufficient number of poll workers.
The types of voting technologies vary across and within
states. The Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia and
21 states reported deploying 218,370 Direct Recording
Electronic (DRE) machines. Another 16 states reported
using 81,088 DREs that produced voter-verified paper
audit trails. The most widely deployed technology was the
optical or digital scanner that reads voter-marked ballots;
43 states reported using 107,519 such counters in at least
some of their jurisdictions.
EAC also issued a guide to the EAVS, which is the data
policy governing states’ collection and submission of their
data, as well as processes for verifying and correcting the
data.
2008 Uniformed and Overseas Absentee
Voting Act Study
The 2008 UOCAVA study is EAC’s third report to
Congress regarding UOCAVA voters. It is based on
information gathered from a survey of 55 states and ter-
ritories, asking for data at the county (or equivalent) level
regarding the November 4, 2008 election and the previous
2-year period.
The 2008 edition of the survey was the result of discus-
sions with state and local election officials, political
scientists, researchers, members of election administration
and advocacy groups and the general public. The 2008
survey requested states to report on their state laws,
definitions and procedures for the first time.
Highlights of the 2008 survey include the following:
Nearly 1 million ballots were transmitted to UOCAVA
voters for the 2008 election.
Of the ballots transmitted, 69 percent were returned
and submitted for counting, and, of those returned,
93.6 percent were counted (the others were rejected for
various reasons, including missing deadlines).
A total of 28,131 voters submitted a Federal Write-in
Absentee Ballot (FWAB). Because of challenges in
tracking FWABs, this number actually may have been
higher.
Response rates to the 2008 survey were markedly better
than response rates in 2006, but consistency across the
states in the way terms are defined and the way data are
collected remains uneven.
Policy
In FY 2010, the Policy Department of RPP completed
research on state laws applicable to provisional voting and
began work on the HAVA-mandated voluntary guidance
that will be provided to the states. Another major area of
activity was the reissuance of regulations pertaining to
the NVRA of 1993. In accordance with HAVA and EAC’s
Strategic Plan, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
related to NVRA was developed and published in the
Federal Register on August 9, 2010.
The 2010
Election Administration and
Voting Survey
During FY 2010, EAC prepared the 2010 Election
Administration and Voting Survey for release. The 2010
survey is divided into two parts. The first part captures
quantitative data pertaining to the NVRA and UOCAVA
and to other election administration issues, such as the
counting of provisional ballots and poll worker recruit-
ment. The second part, the Statutory Overview, contains
information about states’ election laws and procedures.
This information will help EAC and the public understand
the data provided in the first part of the survey, as well as
the laws and procedures used to administer elections at the
state and local levels. The proposed information collection
for the survey was out for two 60-day public comment
periods. The final 2010 EAVS was released in May 2010.
The data collected through the EAVS are the basis for
three reports: the NVRA, UOCAVA and comprehensive
EAVS. (The 2008 NVRA report was released in FY 2009.)
How Americans Voted in the 2008 General Election
Other
In person
Domestic absentee
UOCAVA
Early voting
Provisional
Not categorized
60%
17%
13%
2%
1%
1%
6%
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
17
The Policy Department of RPP is charged with creating
guidance for commissioner review about provisional vot-
ing and statewide voter registration databases. In FY 2010,
EAC began to research state statutes and regulations and
collected manuals about provisional voting and statewide
voter registration databases.
Proposed Changes to the National Voter
Registration Act Regulations
In FY 2010, EAC sought comments on the proposed
changes to its regulations pertaining to the NVRA of 1993.
Section 9(a) of the NVRA requires the responsible agency
to issue regulations for developing a national mail voter
registration form and for submitting a biennial report to
Congress on the effect of the NVRA.
In the NPRM, EAC proposed to amend its NVRA regula-
tions to ensure they are consistent with the 2002 HAVA
and to make some technical amendments. EAC also asked
for public comment on other issues related to the national
mail voter registration form and administration of the NVRA.
The public could comment on the NPRM via postal mail,
e-mail, or www.regulations.gov. Comments received are
posted at www.regulations.gov. EAC invited the public to
comment on these changes until November 23, 2010.
EAC also held two public hearings, in August and Septem-
ber, on the proposed changes. The testimony presented
was made available to the public on the EAC Web site at
EAC.gov.
After all comments and testimony are received, EAC will
issue one or more Final Notice(s) of Proposed Rulemaking.
In addition, EAC will analyze the public input to determine
whether the national mail voter registration form must
be revised and the nature of guidance that EAC should
provide to the states.
Programs
The primary focus of the Programs Department of RPP
was to provide additional resources for both voters and
election officials before the 2010 federal general election.
Resources included everything from election management
materials to registration deadlines to basic information
about federal elections.
Resources for Voters
In FY 2010, RPP’s Language Accessibility Program worked
to reach the strategic goal of meeting the language needs
of minority voters who participate in federal elections by
translating the Glossary of Election Terminology into four
Number of Ballots Transmitted to UOCAVA Voters—2008 Election
FL
NM
DE
MD
TX
OK
KS
NE
SD
ND
MT
WY
CO
UT
ID
AZ
NV
WA
CA
OR
KY
ME
NY
PA
MI
VT
NH
MA
RI
CT
VA
WV
OH
IN
IL
NC
TN
SC
AL
MS
AR
LA
MO
IA
MN
WI
NJ
100,000–121,395
50,000–99,999
20,000–49,999
10,000–19,999
1,125–9,999
GA
DC
AK
HI
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
18
Native American languages and by broadly distributing
the Voter’s Guide to Federal Elections. The glossaries and
the Voter’s Guide to Federal Elections were translated into
Navajo, Cherokee, Dakota and Yup’ik and were already
available in English, Spanish and five Asian languages:
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog and Vietnamese. The
Office of Citizenship of the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and
Immigration Services distributed more than 700,000 copies
of the Voter’s Guide to Federal Elections to new citizens.
After completing a technical study that analyzed transla-
tions of the national voter registration form into Asian
languages, EAC released the NVRA Form in March 2010
in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
Resources for Election Officials
One of EAC’s top priorities is providing assistance to
election officials. The Election Management Guidelines
and Quick Start Management Guides were created to assist
state and local election officials with effectively managing
and administering elections.
Working with 26 election officials from across the country
and other election administration experts, the Programs
Department released three new Quick Start Management
Guides in 2010 on Technology in Elections, Elections
Office Administration and Accessibility. In addition, the
Resources for Voters Available in Several Languages
Register To Vote In Your State
By Using This
Postcard Form and Guide
For U.S. Citizens
The National Mail Voter Registration Form is available in
English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog and
Vietnamese.
A Voter’s Guide to Federal Elections
is available in English, Spanish,
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog,
Vietnamese, Cherokee, Dakota,
Navajo and Yup’ik.
The Glossary of Key Election Terminology is available in
English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog and
Vietnamese.
A Vot er s G ui d e
to Federal E le c t ions
U . S . El E c ti o n A S Si S tA n c E c o m mi S S io n
U.S. ElEction ASSiStAncE commiSSion
LA Comisión de AsistenCiA eLeCtorAL de estAdos Unidos
2009
Glossary
of key eLeCtion terminoLogy
Spanish
GloSArio dE términoS
ElEctorAlES clAvE
Español
department worked with more than 40 election administra-
tion experts and issued eight new chapters for the Election
Management Guidelines. The new materials were sent to
more than 5,000 election officials across the country.
Accessibility
April 2010
8 New Election Management
Guideline Chapters
Building Community
Partnerships
Canvassing and Certifying
an Election
Communicating With the
Public
Conducting a Recount
Provisional Ballots
Technology in Elections
Elections Office
Administration
Accessibility
New Resources for Election Officials in FY 2010
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
19
The Office of Inspector General Activities
In FY 2010, the EAC Office of Inspector General issued
ten reports: five audits of states that received funding under
the HAVA grant programs; one audit of a nonprofit organi-
zation that received EAC grant funds; and two audits, one
evaluation and one investigation of EAC’s operations. These
audits identified more than $3.5 million in questioned
costs or additional funds that should be dedicated to the
respective grant programs. All reports are available on the
OIG Web site, EAC.gov/inspector_general.
Grant Audits
Audits of states receiving funding from EAC under the
HAVA grant programs continued to reveal weaknesses in
the states’ maintenance of inventory records for equipment
purchased with federal funds, failure to appropriately
document and support personnel costs and failure to
account for interest earned on federal funds either at the
state or county (subgrant) level. The five audits resulted in
$3,139,543 in questioned costs related to the use of federal
funds for noncompetitive procurements and for insuf-
ficiently documented personnel charges. An additional
$403,820 in interest was owed to the states’ election funds
because the respective states’ failure to deposit matching
funds in a timely manner and to require counties to accrue
interest on advances.
The OIG conducted an audit of Project Vote, a nonprofit
organization that received funding from EAC under the
Help America Vote College Program. Project Vote was
unable to produce records supporting the grant charges
totaling $33,750. As a result, the OIG questioned all
$33,750.
Reviews of EAC Operations
The OIG provided oversight to the independent public
accounting firm that performed the annual audits of EAC’s
financial statements and its compliance with the Federal
Information Security Management Act (FISMA). EAC
received an unqualified opinion of its financial statements.
The auditors identified one instance of material noncom-
pliance with laws and regulations. The auditors noted
EAC’s violation of the Purpose Act and Antideficiency
Act related to the use of FY 2004 funds dedicated for
use as HAVA requirements payments to make grants
under the Help America Vote College Program and Mock
Election Program. EAC reported the violations in keeping
with federal law and Office of Management and Budget
requirements. Thus, the auditors made no recommenda-
tions related to the violations. The annual FISMA audit
revealed that EAC was in substantial compliance with
FISMA and made two recommendations to improve the
agency’s contingency planning and management of Privacy
Act information.
The OIG also conducted an evaluation of EAC’s settlement
of a complaint of a prohibited personnel practice filed by
an employment applicant. The OIG considered whether
EAC had the authority to enter into the settlement, used
appropriate fiscal year funds and followed appropriate
protocols in entering into the settlement agreement. The
review found that EAC had authority, used appropriate fis-
cal year funds and obtained advice from other government
agencies in the absence of an established agency policy for
these types of settlements.
An investigation into EAC’s working environment
was completed during FY 2010. The investigation was
instituted after complaints that EAC employees feared
retaliation for reporting wrongdoing or for speaking
to the OIG. The investigation was conducted under an
interagency agreement with the Department of Interior
Office of Inspector General (DOI OIG). The DOI OIG
considered whether any actionable retaliation had occurred
or whether a hostile working environment existed at
EAC. The investigation found no retaliation. Applying the
federal statutes governing hostile working environments,
the investigation found no such condition at EAC. The
report did identify some significant issues related to human
capital management at EAC. The same issues were echoed
in EAC’s employee survey published in early 2010. These
issues were referred to EAC for appropriate action.
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
20
Management Challenges
In addition to conducting the audit and performing inves-
tigative work, the OIG annually issues a report to EAC
outlining the most significant management challenges.
In FY 2010, the OIG reported on five management chal-
lenges. Four of those had been issued in previous years:
performance management and accountability, financial
management and performance, information technology
management and security and human capital management.
One challenge was new in FY 2010 and is related to EAC’s
lack of an approved records management system. Based
on agency-reported action, the OIG closed the challenge
related to financial management and performance. The
OIG will continue to track EAC’s progress on the other
four challenges.
Improved Outreach
The OIG took steps in FY 2010 to improve its communication
and outreach with its clients. The OIG issued two newsletters.
The newsletters focused on helping OIG clients report waste,
fraud, abuse and mismanagement in EAC programs and
on helping EAC grant recipients understand and avoid
the types of issues that were uncovered in the OIG grant
audits. The OIG also revamped its Web site to provide
more information to the public about its mission and work.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
21
Communications and Clearinghouse
In FY 2010, the Communications and Clearinghouse divi-
sion unveiled a new Web site that enables EAC to receive
more public input and feedback, increase transparency and
add more information about voting in federal elections,
effective election management and EAC programs and
operations. The new Web site features leading-edge search,
navigation and content-delivery tools that transformed
the site into a more modern, dynamic and transparent
source of information for the public and election officials.
The new tools have greatly improved users’ ability to find
information more efficiently through a powerful search
tool that provides more qualified, relevant results and sort-
ing and filtering options. Site searches are also enhanced
by the new streamlined mouse-over navigation bar, which
enables users to quickly scan the contents of the site
without clicking through to subsequent pages.
EAC’s most commonly requested materials, such as the
National Mail Voter Registration Form, voter guides,
Election Management Guidelines and NVRA reports are
just one click away. The new Election Resource Library
now holds all these materials for easy searching, sorting
and browsing.
The site also provides several mechanisms through which
the public can provide direct feedback to EAC on agency
activities and operations. For instance, the public can rate
and comment on nearly 200 EAC reports, policies, manu-
als and election management guidelines in the Election
Resource Library.
The new Web site played a major role in efforts to deliver
information to voters to help them have a successful ex-
perience on Election Day during the 2010 federal election
year. The Resources for Voters section provided informa-
tion on poll worker requirements, registration, provisional
voting requirements and other election administration
topics, such as early and absentee voting deadlines.
In FY 2010, EAC contracted for new educational videos to
provide further information to the public about the voting
process. The division is currently producing four of these
videos to inform the public about EAC, student voting
procedures, pre-election and post-election activities and
registering to vote.
Open Government Policy
Communications and Clearinghouse staff completed a
draft Open Government Policy in accordance with federal
requirements and created the companion EAC.gov/open
site to notify the public about EAC’s open government
initiatives. In addition, EAC’s new Public Comment
section at EAC.gov makes it easier for the public to keep
track of draft EAC policies on which the agency is seeking
public input. The public may also submit general com-
ments at EAC.gov/contact.
National Clearinghouse for Elections
In FY 2010, Communications and Clearinghouse staff
proposed a National Clearinghouse for Elections as the
central location for information about elections pursuant
to HAVA Section 202 on EAC duties, operations and
initiatives. The pilot policy as proposed by staff would
consist of information provided by local, state, or federal
government entities in five categories: voting system
performance, poll worker information, contingency plans,
pre-election activities and post-Election Day activities.
Examples of pre-election activities would include logic
and accuracy testing, voting system storage and security
procedures, chain-of-custody procedures, polling place
accessibility initiatives, polling place setup plans and
ballot distribution strategies. Regarding post-Election Day
activities, EAC would collect information and procedures
about canvassing activities, recount procedures and audits.
The proposal included a recommendation for an initial
6-month pilot program to be launched in FY 2011.
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
22
Sharing Information About EAC-
Certified Voting Systems in the Field
To further educate the public about EAC’s Voting System
Testing and Certification Program, Communications and
Clearinghouse staff developed, built and populated a
map that categorizes states based on their respective laws
regarding voting system certifications and the location of
EAC-certified systems. Users can click through for histori-
cal records about the voting system, including System
Advisory Alerts, draft and final test plans, correspondence
and basic information about the voting system manufacturer.
No Federal Requirement: Relevant state statutes and/or regulations make no
mention of any federal agency, certication program, laboratory, or standard
required for voting systems.
Requires Testing by a Federally Accredited Laboratory: Relevant state statutes
and/or regulations require voting systems to be tested by a federally or nationally
accredited laboratory to federal standards.
Requires Testing to Federal Standards: Relevant state statutes and/or rules
require voting systems to be tested to federal standards. (States reference
standards drafted by the Federal Election Commission, National Institute of
Standards and Technology, or the Election Assistance Commission).
Require Federal Certication: Relevant state statutes and/or rules require that
voting systems be certied by a federal agency.
Voting Systems Map
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
23
Focusing on Voters’ Needs
The structure of the new Web site was developed based on
the needs of EAC stakeholders, including voters, election
officials, academics, advocacy organizations and policy
experts. It is divided into six main sections: Resources for
Voters, Voting System Testing and Certification, Election
Management Resources, Payments and Grants, Research
and Data and the National Voter Registration Act.
EAC will continue to collect feedback and input from its
stakeholders through the online comment tools and rating
system available in the Resource Library.
Interactive Map for Voters
EAC provided the public with access to every state election ofce through an interactive map, which was featured prominently on EAC.gov in the months leading up to the 2010 federal
general election. This map was consistently one of the most popular sections of the Web site.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
25
Moving Forward
In fiscal year 2011, the U.S. Election Assistance Com-
mission will build upon its work in four main areas:
testing and certifying voting systems; developing the
nation’s clearinghouse for elections; improving services
for military and overseas voters; and collecting data about
how, where and when Americans vote.
Also during FY 2011, EAC will release the results of its
2010 EAVS, the most comprehensive national survey
of its kind about how, when and where Americans vote.
This survey contains valuable information for the public,
policymakers and officials at every level of government.
The data collected about military and overseas voters will
provide the first opportunity to consider what effect the
Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act may have
had during the 2010 federal election.
EAC will also continue its work to improve the voting
process for uniformed and overseas voters through the
Military Heroes Initiative and the UOCAVA Electronic
Absentee Voting Pilot Project.
Voting System Testing and
Certification
EAC’s Voting System Testing and Certification Program
will hold its manufacturers accountable through the Qual-
ity Monitoring Program, which was established to ensure
that voting systems certified by EAC are the same systems
sold by manufacturers. The quality monitoring process is a
mandatory part of the Voting System Testing and Certifica-
tion Program. It includes fielded voting system reviews,
anomaly reporting and manufacturing site visits. EAC
issues system advisory notices to inform jurisdictions and
the public about anomalies or issues with an EAC-certified
system.
Clearinghouse Activities
EAC’s Voting System Reports Clearinghouse is the result
of a policy that EAC adopted to post and distribute voting
system reports and studies submitted by state and local
governments. The policy also covers collecting and sharing
information regarding the states’ implementation of the
Voluntary Voting System Guidelines.
In accordance with a new California law, EAC will begin
receiving data from California regarding voting system
anomalies. EAC will incorporate these reports into the
Clearinghouse as part of a policy authorizing staff to post
and distribute voting system reports and studies that have
been conducted or commissioned by a state or local govern-
ment. EAC anticipates other states and local governments
will also provide data to the Clearinghouse to increase the
public body of knowledge regarding voting systems.
In addition, EAC is examining the set-up of an election
information exchange to enable state and local election
officials across the country to find answers and share ex-
pertise about day-to-day issues they face. Also in progress
is a proposed pilot Clearinghouse policy that would expand
current contents to include resources about other areas
of election administration, such as contingency planning,
pre- and post-election activities and poll workers.
Improving Services for Military and
Overseas Voters
In FY 2010, EAC awarded the Military Heroes Initiative
Grant to a nonprofit organization to research accom-
modations and assistance needed for recently injured
military personnel to participate in federal elections. In
addition, EAC will continue to play a part in the Electronic
Absentee Voting Pilot Project to test the ability of new
or emerging technology to better serve uniformed and
overseas citizens through the MOVE Act. In FY 2011,
EAC and NIST will continue developing remote electronic
absentee voting guidelines for support of the UOCAVA.
Activities will include research on the extent and nature of
UOCAVA disenfranchisement and analysis from potential
pilot implementation. EAC, with assistance from the
Federal Voting Assistance Program, also plans to review
and evaluate the effectiveness of state initiatives under-
taken for the 2010 federal election related to blank ballot
distribution and delivery.
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
26
Research
In the coming months, EAC will compile and release the
results of the 2010 EAVS, which will include the HAVA-
mandated collection of data about UOCAVA voters and the
effect of the National Voter Regis tration Act. These data
will inform the public and policymakers and provide the
basis for a more comprehensive report on a wider range of
election issues, including voting technology, poll workers
and digital poll books.
EAC will continue conducting research in preparation
for its study on election administration in urban and
rural areas, as well as continue researching and drafting
guidance related to provisional voting and statewide voter
registration databases. EAC intends to issue the voluntary
guidance pursuant to the EAC Strategic Plan.
In addition, the Language Assistance Program staff will
consider translating the Voters Guide to Federal Elections
to any additional languages determined to be covered
under minority language provisions of the Voting Rights
Act on the basis of the 2010 Decennial Census. EAC also
plans to complete interactive online election terminology
glossaries.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
27
Appendix
Title
Decided by
Vote of
Date
Transmitted
Certied
Date
Fiscal Year 2010 Tally Votes
1 FY 2011 Budget Request 3 9/25/09 10/2/09
2
Advisory Opinion in Response to a Request From the New York State Board of Elections on
Behalf of Suffolk County, New York, for Approval to Purchase Six Motor Vehicles for a Poll
Worker Training, Voting Equipment Transport and Voter Education Program
3 10/7/09 10/14/09
3
Advisory Opinion in Response to Whitman County's Request to Use $360,000 of Help America
Vote Act (HAVA) Funds to Finance a Portion of the Costs to Remodel Ofce Space to be Used as
an Elections and Voter Registration Processing Center
3 10/7/09 10/14/09
4
Advisory Opinion in Response to a Request From the New York State Board of Elections on
Behalf of Niagara County, New York, for Approval to Purchase a Motor Vehicle for a Voter
Education Program
3 10/7/09 10/14/09
5 Designation of Alice Miller as Chief Information Ofcer 3 10/9/09 11/9/09
6
EAC Staff Recommendation to Adopt the 2008 UOCAVA and 2008 Election Administration and
Voting Survey Reports
3 11/2/09 11/5/09
7
EAC Staff Recommendation to Adopt the Following Election Management Guidelines (EMG)
Chapters: Building Community Parnerships; Canvassing and Certifying an Election;
Communicating with the Public; Conducting a Recount; and Provisional Ballots
3 11/6/09 11/12/09
8
Approval of New Scientic and Technical Expert Members of the Technical Guidelines
Development Committee (TGDC)
3 12/4/09 12/8/09
9
Adoption of Executive Order 13525 (December 23, 2009) Regarding Across the Board Pay
Increase to Government Employees
3 1/4/10 1/6/10
10
EAC Staff Recommendation to Adopt the EAC’s A Guide to the Election Administration and
Voting Survey Policy Document
1/4/10 WITHDRAWN
11
Advisory Opinion in Response to a Request From Cleareld County, Pennsylvania, to Use
Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Section 251 Funds to Pave the Handicap Access and Handicap
Parking for a Polling Location
1/6/10 WITHDRAWN
12
Advisory Opinion in Response to a Request From the Virgin Islands to Use Help America Vote
Act (HAVA) Section 251 Funds to Outt Space in a Different Building to House the Ofce of the
Supervisor of Elections
1/6/10 WITHDRAWN
13
Advisory Opinion in Response to Alaska’s Request to Use Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
Section 251 Funds to Modify Existing Ofce Space to Construct a Secure Storage Room at its
Headquarters Location in Juneau, Alaska
3 1/6/10 1/8/10
14 EAC Annual Report on Grant Programs 3 1/6/10 1/8/10
15 Selection of EAC Chair for 2010 3 1/13/10 1/15/10
16 Recommendation to Adopt the Fiscal Year 2009 EAC Annual Report 3 1/15/10 1/20/10
17 FY 2011 Budget Request 3 1/27/10 1/29/10
18 2010 EAC Mock Election Program 3 1/29/10 2/2/10
19
Submission of Maintenance of Expenditure (MOE) Proposed Policy "A" by Chair Donetta
Davidson for Public Comment
2-1 2/12/10 2/17/10
20
Submission of Maintenance of Expenditure (MOE) Proposed Policy "B" by Commissioner Gineen
Bresso for Public Comment
2-1 2/12/10 2/17/10
21 2010 EAC College Poll Worker Program 3 2/12/10 2/18/10
22
Approval of U.S. Election Assistance Commission's (EAC) "Citizens' Report: The FY 2008
Summary of Performance and Financial Results" (Citizens' Report) for publication on the EAC
Web site
3 2/12/10 2/18/10
23 Approval of U.S. Election Assistance Commission's (EAC) FY 2010 Operating Budget 3 2/12/10 2/25/10
24 Resolution of Wyoming Audit Appeal 3 2/23/10 2/26/10
2010 Tally Votes
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
28
Title
Decided by
Vote of
Date
Transmitted
Certied
Date
Fiscal Year 2010 Tally Votes
25
Advisory Opinion In Response to a Request From the Virgin Islands To Use Help America Vote
Act (HAVA) Section 251 Funds To Outt Space in a Different Building To House the Ofce of the
Supervisor of Elections
3 2/23/10 2/26/10
26 Submission of Proposed Information Quality Guidelines for Public Comment 3 3/4/10 3/9/10
27
Advisory Opinion In Response to Oregon's Request To Use Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
Section 251 Funds To Purchase and Install Closed Circuit Cameras in Thirty-Six County Election
Ofces Throughout the State
3/10/10 WITHDRAWN
28
Advisory Opinion In Response to a Request From Tennessee To Determine Whether HAVA Title
II, 251 Funds May Be Used To Purchase Paper Ballots for Federal Elections
3/10/10 WITHDRAWN
29
Submission of Notice and Comment Policy and Voting by Circulation Policy for Public Notice
and Comment
3 3/25/10 3/30/10
30 Submission of UOCAVA Pilot Program Testing Requirements for Public Notice and Comment 3 3/26/10 3/30/10
31 Recommendation To Re-Accredit Wyle Laboratories, Inc. 3/31/10 WITHDRAWN
32
Submission of Voting System Pilot Program Testing and Certication Manual for Public Notice
and Comment
3 4/1/10 4/5/10
33 Update to Mississippi State Instructions on the National Mail Voter Registration Form 3 4/8/10 4/15/10
34 Update to Nevada State Instructions on the National Mail Voter Registration Form 3 4/8/10 4/15/10
35 Submission of Proposed Privacy Policy Statement for Public Notice and Comment 3 4/8/10 4/15/10
36 2010 Mock Election Program 4/20/10 WITHDRAWN
37 2010 Mock Election Program (Reissue) 3 4/21/10 4/23/10
38 Debarment and Suspension Regulations for Public Comment 3 4/21/10 4/26/10
39 Recommendation To Re-Accredit Wyle Laboratories, Inc. (Reissue) 3 4/23/10 4/27/10
40 Federal Register Notice for Change of Address 3 4/23/10 4/27/10
41 2010 Voting Technology and Accessibility Research—Military Heroes Initiative 3 4/26/10 4/27/10
42
Advisory Opinion in Response to a Request From Cleareld County, Pennsylvania, to Use Help
America Vote Act (HAVA) Section 251 Funds to Pave the Handicap Access and Handicap
Parking for a Polling Location—WITHDRAWN 5/6/10
5/5/10 WITHDRAWN
43
Advisory Opinion in Response to a Request From the New York State Board of Elections on
Behalf of Tioga County, New York, for Approval To Purchase a Vehicle for a Voter Education
Program and for Inspector Training of Optical Scan Voting Systems and Accessible Ballot
Marking Devices
3 5/5/10 5/11/10
44
Advisory Opinion in Response to a Request From Montana To Use Help America Vote Act
(HAVA) Section 101 Funds for Expenses Related to Post-Election Audits for Elections With
Federal Races on the Ballot
3 5/5/10 5/11/10
45
Advisory Opinion in Response to a Request From Tennessee To Determine Whether HAVA Title
II, Section 251 Funds May Be Used To Purchase Paper Ballots for Federal Elections
3 5/5/10 5/11/10
46
Advisory Opinion in Response to Oregon's Request To Use Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
Section 251 Funds To Purchase and Install Closed Circuit Cameras in Thirty-Six County Election
Ofces Throughout the State
3 5/5/10 5/11/10
47 Adoption of Final Document Titled A Guide to the Election Administration and Voting Survey 3 5/5/10 5/11/10
48 2010 Help America Vote College Poll Worker Program 3 5/24/10 5/27/10
49 Information Quality Guidelines 6/1/10 WITHDRAWN
50 Appointment of Chief Information Ofcer 3 6/16/10 6/21/10
51 Information Quality Guidelines 3 6/28/10 7/2/10
52 Debarment and Suspension Regulations 3 6/28/10 7/2/10
53
Close the July 16, 2010 Meeting at Which the EAC Will Discuss the Appointment of a General
Counsel
3 6/29/10 7/2/10
54 Privacy Policy Statement 3 7/13/10 7/16/10
55
EAC Staff Recommendation to Adopt the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for NVRA
Regulations
3 7/29/10 8/2/10
56
EAC Staff Recommendation to Adopt Three Election Management Guidelines (EMG) Chapters—
Technology In Elections; Elections Ofce Administration; and Accessibility
3 8/9/10 8/11/10
57
Close the August 25, 2010 Meeting at Which the EAC Will Discuss the Appointment of a General
Counsel
3 8/11/10 8/13/10
58
Close the September 1, 2010 Meeting at Which the EAC Will Discuss the Appointment of a
General Counsel
3 8/23/10 8/25/10
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
29
Title
Decided by
Vote of
Date
Transmitted
Certied
Date
Fiscal Year 2010 Tally Votes
59 Approval of UOCAVA Pilot Program Testing Requirements 8/25/10 9/2/10
60
Approve the Renewal Charter for the Technical Guidelines Development Committee and Publish
Notice of the Charter Renewal In the Federal Register
3 8/31/10 9/2/10
61
Approve the Appointment of Candidate B as the U.S. Election Assistance Commission's General
Counsel for a Term of Four (4) Years
3 9/1/10 9/3/10
62
Approve the Cover Letter That Will Accompany the Report Free or Reduced Postage for the
Return of Voted Absentee Ballots
3 9/3/10 9/8/10
63
Approve the Notice of Funding Availability for the 2010 Voting System Pre-Election Logic and
Accuracy Testing & Post-Election Audit Initiative
3 9/7/10 9/9/10
64 Recipient for 2010 Voting Technology and Accessibility Research—Military Heroes Initiative 3 9/16/10 9/21/10
65 Approval of U.S. Election Assistance Commission's (EAC) FY 2012 Legislative Proposals 3 9/16/10 9/20/10
66 Approval of U.S. Election Assistance Commission's (EAC) FY 2012 Budget Justication 3 9/16/10 9/20/10
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
30
Appointed by First Name Last Name Title City State
National Conference of State Legislatures Thomas Upton Reynolds Mississippi State Representative Charleston MS
National Conference of State Legislatures Sue Landske Senator – Asst. Pres. ProTem Indiana State Senate Cedar Lake IN
National Governors Association Chris Nelson South Dakota Secretary of State Pierre SD
National Governors Association Mary E. Herrera New Mexico Secretary of State Albuquerque NM
National Association of Secretaries of
State
Trey Grayson Kentucky Secretary of State Frankfort KY
National Association of Secretaries of
State
Matthew Dunlap Maine Secretary of State Augusta ME
National Association of State Election
Directors
Christopher Thomas Director of Elections, State of Michigan Lansing MI
National Association of State Election
Directors
Linda H. Lamone Maryland Administrator of Elections Annapolis MD
National Association of Counties Wendy Noren Boone County Clerk Columbia MO
National Association of Counties Helen Purcell Maricopa County Recorder Phoenix AZ
National Association of County Recorders,
Election Ofcials and Clerks
Neal Kelley Registrar of Voters, Orange County, CA Santa Ana CA
National Association of County Recorders,
Election Ofcials and Clerks
Jan Kralovec Director of Elections, Cook County Chicago IL
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Vacant
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Vacant
Election Center Doug Lewis Executive Director, Election Center Houston TX
Election Center Ernie Hawkins Former Registrar of Voters, Sacramento County Elk Grove CA
United States Conference of Mayors Frank Ortis Mayor, City of Pembroke Pines
Pembroke
Pines
FL
United States Conference of Mayors Vacant
International Association of Clerks,
Recorders, Election Ofcials and
Treasurers
Robert T. Saar
Executive Director, DuPage County Election
Commission
Wheaton IL
International Association of Clerks,
Recorders, Election Ofcials and
Treasurers
Bill Cowles Supervisor of Elections, Orange County, FL Orlando FL
Architectural and Transportation Barriers
Compliance Board
Ron Gardner
Director of Field Services, National Federation of
the Blind of Utah
Bountiful UT
Architectural and Transportation Barriers
Compliance Board
Phillip Jenkins
Accessibility Consultant, Business Development
Consultant and Senior Engineer, IBM Human
Ability and Accessibility Center
Austin TX
Chief, Public Integrity Section, Criminal
Division, U.S. Department of Justice
Richard C. Pilger
Director, Election Crimes Branch, U.S. Department
of Justice
Washington DC
Chief, Voting Section, Civil Rights Division,
U.S. Department of Justice
Chris Herren
Chief, Voting Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S.
Department of Justice
Washington DC
Director, Federal Voting Assistance
Program, U.S. Department of Defense
Bob Carey
Director, Federal Voting Assistance Program, U.S.
Department of Defense
Washington DC
House Speaker Lillie Coney
Associate Director, Electronic Privacy Information
Center
Washington DC
House Minority Leader Tom Fuentes Senior Fellow, The Claremont Institute Lake Forest CA
Senate Majority Leader Dr. Barbara Simons Researcher Palo Alto CA
Senate Minority Leader Sarah Ball Johnson
Executive Director, Kentucky State Board of
Elections
Frankfort KY
House Administration—Chair Stewart L. Cohen Attorney, Cohen, Placitella and Roth Philadelphia PA
House Administration—Chair Donald A. Jones Advocate Willingboro NJ
House Administration—Ranking Minority
Member
Jill LaVine Registrar of Voters, Sacramento County Sacramento CA
Fiscal Year 2010 EAC Board of Advisors
Board Rosters
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
31
The following former members of the EAC Board of Advisors served in scal year 2010: Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan; Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth
Pedro A. Cortès; Colucci & Gallaher, P.C. Attorney Joseph F. Crangle; U.S. Department of Justice Election Crimes Branch Director Craig Donsanto; Shawnee County, Kansas Election
Commissioner Elizabeth Ensley; City of Grand Rapids, Michigan City Clerk Terri Hegarty; U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Commissioner Arlan D. Melendez; Cook County, Illinois Clerk
David Orr; U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Vice Chair Abigail Thernstrom.
Appointed by First Name Last Name Title City State
Fiscal Year 2010 EAC Board of Advisors
House Administration—Ranking Minority
Member
Keith Cunningham Director, Allen County Board of Elections Lima OH
Senate Rules and Administration—Chair James C. Dickson
V.P. for Governmental Affairs, American Association
of People With Disabilities
Washington DC
Senate Rules and Administration—Chair Barbara Bartoletti
Legislative Director, League of Women Voters of
New York State
N. Greenbush NY
Senate Rules and Administration—
Ranking Minority Member
LuAnn Adams County Recorder/Clerk of Box Elder County Brigham City UT
Senate Rules and Administration—
Ranking Minority Member
Greg Bell Lieutenant Governor of Utah Salt Lake City UT
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
32
State Designee First Last Title City State
Fiscal Year 2010 Standards Board
Alabama State Beth Chapman Secretary of State Montgomery AL
Alabama Local Vacant
Alaska State Gail Fenumiai Director, Division of Elections Juneau AK
Alaska Local Shelly Growden
Election Supervisor Region III, Division of
Elections
Fairbanks AK
American Samoa State Soliai T. Fuimaono Chief Election Ofcer Pago Pago AS
American Samoa Local Taufete'e John Faumuina HAVA Manager Pago Pago AS
Arizona State Amy Bjelland Deputy Secretary of State Phoenix AZ
Arizona Local Reynaldo Valenzuela Assistant Director of Elections Phoenix AZ
Arkansas State Janet Harris Deputy Secretary of State Little Rock AR
Arkansas Local Crystal Graddy Boone County Clerk Harrison AR
California State Lowell Finley Deputy Secretary of State Sacramento CA
California Local Stephen Weir County Clerk, Contra Costa County Martinez CA
Colorado State Vacant
Colorado Local Russ Ragsdale City Clerk and Recorder Broomeld CO
Connecticut State Ted Bromley
Staff Attorney, Legislation and Elections
Administration Division, Connecticut
Secretary of State
Hartford CT
Connecticut Local Anthony Esposito Hamden Republican Registrar of Voters Hamden CT
Delaware State Elaine Manlove Commissioner of Elections Dover DE
Delaware Local Howard G. Sholl, Jr. Deputy Administrative Director Wilmington DE
District of Columbia State Rokey Suleman
Executive Director, DC Board of Elections
& Ethics
Washington DC
District of Columbia Local Vacant
Florida State Donald Palmer Director, Division of Elections Tallahassee FL
Florida Local Lori Edwards Polk County Supervisor of Elections Bartow FL
Georgia State Wes Tailor Assistant Secretary of State Atlanta GA
Georgia Local Lynn Bailey Executive Director Augusta GA
Guam State Gerald A. Taitano Executive Director Hagatna GU
Guam Local Vacant GU
Hawaii State Scott Nago Section Head Honolulu HI
Hawaii Local Lyndon Yoshioka Kaua’i County Election Administrator Lihu’e HI
Idaho State Timothy A. Hurst Chief Deputy Coeur d'Alene ID
Idaho Local Dan English Kootenai County Clerk Boise ID
Illinois State Daniel W. White Executive Director Springeld IL
Illinois Local Richard Cowen Chicago Board of Election Commissioners Chicago IL
Indiana State Brad King Co-Director, Indiana Election Division Indianapolis IN
Indiana Local Shelly Parris Sullivan County Circuit Court Clerk Sullivan IN
Iowa State Sarah Reisetter Director of Elections Des Moines IA
Iowa Local Janine Sulzner Jones County Auditor Anamosa IA
Kansas State Ron Thornburgh Kansas Secretary of State Topeka KS
Kansas Local Donald Merriman Saline County Clerk Saline KS
Kentucky State Sarah Ball Johnson Executive Director Frankfort KY
Kentucky Local Kevin Mooney Bullitt County Clerk Shepherdsville KY
Louisiana State Angie LaPlace Louisiana Commissioner of Elections Baton Rouge LA
Louisiana Local H. Lynn Jones, II Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court Lake Charles LA
Maine State Julie L. Flynn Deputy Secretary of State Augusta ME
Maine Local Lucette Pellerin City Clerk Saco ME
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
33
State Designee First Last Title City State
Fiscal Year 2010 Standards Board
Maryland State Nikki Baines Trella Election Reform Director Annapolis MD
Maryland Local James Massey, Jr.
Election Director, Harford County Board of
Elections
Forest Hill MD
Massachusetts State William F. Gavin Secretary of the Commonwealth Boston MA
Massachusetts Local John McGarry Executive Director, Election Commission Brockton MA
Michigan State Susan McRill
Administrative Manager, QVF Help Desk &
Field Services
Lansing MI
Michigan Local Tonni Bartholomew Troy City Clerk Troy MI
Minnesota State Gary Poser Director of Elections St. Paul MN
Minnesota Local Sharon K. Anderson Cass County Auditor-Treasurer Walker MN
Mississippi State Heath Hillman Assistant Secretary of State – Elections Jackson MS
Mississippi Local Robert Harrell Circuit Clerk, Clay County West Point MS
Missouri State Leslye Winslow Senior Counsel to Secretary of State Jefferson City MO
Missouri Local Richard T. Struckhoff Greene County Clerk Springeld MO
Montana State Jorge Quintana Chief Legal Counsel Helena MT
Montana Local Charlotte Mills Gallatin County Clerk and Recorder Bozeman MT
Nebraska State John Gale Secretary of State Lincoln NE
Nebraska Local David Dowling
Cedar County Clerk & Election
Commissioner
Hartington NE
Nevada State Matthew Grifn Deputy Secretary of State for Elections Carson City NV
Nevada Local Harvard L. Lomax Clark County Registrar of Voters North Las Vegas NV
New Hampshire State Anthony Stevens Assistant Secretary of State Concord NH
New Hampshire Local Robert Dezmelyk Moderator, Town of Newton Newton NH
New Jersey State Robert Giles Director Trenton NJ
New Jersey Local Linda Von Nessi Clerk of the Board Newark NJ
New Mexico State Mary Herrera Secretary of State Santa Fe NM
New Mexico Local Bob Bartelsmeyer Dona Ana County Election Supervisor Las Cruces NM
New York State Jeffrey Pearlman Assistant Counsel to the Governor Albany NY
New York Local Vacant
North Carolina State Gary Bartlett Executive Director, State Board of Elections Raleigh NC
North Carolina Local Deborah J. Bedford Director of Elections Rutherford NC
North Dakota State James Silrum Deputy Secretary of State Bismarck ND
North Dakota Local Michael M. Montplaisir Cass County Auditor Fargo ND
Ohio State Brandi Seskes
Counsel to the Ohio Board of Voting
Machine Examiners
Columbus OH
Ohio Local Dale Fellows Member, Lake County Board of Elections Willoughby Hills OH
Oklahoma State Thomas Prince Chairman, State Election Board Edmond OK
Oklahoma Local Doug Sanderson Secretary, Oklahoma County Election Board Oklahoma City OK
Oregon State Steve Trout Director Salem OR
Oregon Local Tamara Green Baker County Clerk Baker City OR
Pennsylvania State Chet Harhut
Commissioner, Bureau of Commissions,
Elections & Legislation
Harrisburg PA
Pennsylvania Local Regis Young Butler County Election Director Butler PA
Puerto Rico State María D. Santiago Rodríguez First Vice President San Juan PR
Puerto Rico Local Nestor J. Colόn Berlingeri Second Vice President San Juan PR
Rhode Island State Robert Kando Executive Director, State Board of Elections Providence RI
Rhode Island Local Vacant RI
South Carolina State Marci Andino Executive Director Columbia SC
South Carolina Local Marilyn Bowers Executive Director Charleston SC
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
34
State Designee First Last Title City State
Fiscal Year 2010 Standards Board
South Dakota State Kea Warne State Election Supervisor Pierre SD
South Dakota Local Patty McGee Sully County Auditor Onida SD
Tennessee State Mark Goins State Coordinator of Elections Nashville TN
Tennessee Local Marshall McKamey Campbell County Election Commissioner LaFollette TN
Texas State Ann McGeehan Director of Elections Austin TX
Texas Local Dana DeBeauvoir Travis County Clerk Austin TX
Utah State Mark J. Thomas Ofce Administrator Salt Lake City UT
Utah Local Robert Pero Carbon County Clerk Price UT
Vermont State Kathleen DeWolfe Director of Elections Montpelier VT
Vermont Local Melissa Ross Hinesburg Town Clerk Hinesburg VT
Virgin Islands State John Abramson, Jr. Supervisor of Elections Kingshill, St. Croix VI
Virgin Islands Local Corinne Halyard Plaskett Deputy Supervisor of Elections Kingshill, St. Croix VI
Virginia State James Alcorn Condential Asst. Policy Analyst Richmond VA
Virginia Local Allen Harrison, Jr. Chair, Arlington County Electoral Board Arlington VA
Washington State Nixon Handy Director of Elections Olympia WA
Washington Local Kristina Swanson Cowlitz County Auditor Kelso WA
West Virginia State Layna Valentine-Brown HAVA Coordinator Charleston WV
West Virginia Local Jeff Waybright Jackson County Clerk Ripley WV
Wisconsin State Nathaniel Robinson Election Division Administrator Madison WI
Wisconsin Local Sandra L. Wesolowski Franklin County Clerk Franklin WI
Wyoming State Peggy Nighswonger State Election Director Cheyenne WY
Wyoming Local Julie Freese Fremont County Clerk Lander WY
The following former members of the EAC Standards Board served in scal year 2010: Colorado Voting Equipment Certication Program Manager Stephanie Cegielski; Deputy Chief
of Staff to the Utah Lieutenant Governor Michael Cragen; Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel; Mississippi Assistant Secretary of State – Elections John Helmert; Clay County,
Alabama Judge of Probate George M. Ingram; Lincoln County, Oregon Clerk Dana Jenkins; Iowa Deputy Secretary of State – Elections Linda Langenberg; Oregon Elections Director
John Lindback; District of Columbia Former Board Member Jonda McFarlane; West Virginia Elections Division Special Assistant Susan Silverman; Campbell County, Kentucky Clerk
Jack Snodgrass; Westchester, New York Board of Elections Commissioner Carolee Sunderland; Boone County, West Virginia Clerk Gary Williams; Yellowstone County, Montana Elec-
tion Administrator Duane Winslow; Texas Voting System Security & Certication Manager Juanita Woods.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
35
Appointed by First Name Last Name Title City State
Director of NIST Dr. Patrick D. Gallagher
Committee Chair, Director of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology
Gaithersburg MD
Standards Board Donald Palmer Director, Division of Elections, Florida Department of State Tallahassee FL
Standards Board Russell G. Ragsdale Clerk and Recorder, City and County of Broomeld Broomeld CO
Board of Advisors Linda Lamone Maryland Administrator of Elections Annapolis MD
Board of Advisors Helen Purcell Recorder, Maricopa County Arizona Phoenix AZ
Access Board Ron Gardner Director of Field Services, National Federation of the Blind of Utah Bountiful UT
Access Board Phillip Jenkins
Accessibility Consultant, Business Development Consultant and
Senior Engineer, IBM Human Ability and Accessibility Center
Austin TX
ANSI Dr. David Wagner Professor, University of California-Berkeley Berkeley CA
IEEE Patrick McDaniel
Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering,
Pennsylvania State University
University Park PA
NASED Ann McGeehan
Director of the Elections Division, Ofce of the Texas Secretary of
State
Austin TX
NASED Paul Miller
Senior Technology Policy Advisor, Elections Division, State of
Washington, Ofce of the Secretary of State
Olympia WA
Other Tech/Sci Dr. Steven Bellovin Professor of Computer Science, Columbia University New York NY
Other Tech/Sci Dr. Diane Cordry Golden
Program Coordinator, Association of Assistive Technology Act
Programs
Grain Valley MO
Other Tech/Sci Dr. Douglas Jones
Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, University
of Iowa
Iowa City IA
Other Tech/Sci Edwin Smith, III
Vice President, Compliance and Certication, Dominion Voting
Systems
Longmont CO
All of the former members of the EAC Technical Guidelines Development Committee served prior to scal year 2010.
Access Board = Architectural and Transportation Barrier Compliance Board. ANSI = American National Standards Institute. IEEE = Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
NASED = National Association of State Election Directors. NIST = National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Fiscal Year 2010 Technical Guidelines Development Committee
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
36
Commissioners’ Biographies
Ms. Gineen Bresso was nominated by President George
W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 2,
2008, to serve on the U.S. Election Assistance Commis-
sion (EAC). Ms. Bresso served as Chair of EAC in 2009.
Her term of service extends through December 12, 2009.
Before her appointment with EAC, Commissioner Bresso
was the minority elections counsel for the Committee on
House Administration. She previously served as a policy
advisor to former Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich,
Jr., a position in which her primary area of focus was on
election law. She also served as an attorney-advisor for
the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where she reviewed
and prosecuted applications for federal trademark
registration. She also served as a judicial law clerk for
the Honorable Arrie W. Davis in the Maryland Court of
Special Appeals.
Ms. Bresso received her Juris Doctor from Western New
England College School of Law (1999), where she was
a member of the Law Review. In 1995, she received a
Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst.
Commissioner Gineen Bresso
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2010 Activities
37
Ms. Donetta L. Davidson was nominated by President
George W. Bush and confirmed by unanimous consent
of the U.S. Senate on July 28, 2005, to serve on the
U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). She was
reappointed to a second term on October 2, 2008. Ms. Da-
vidson was elected Chair of EAC for 2010. She previously
served as Chair in 2007 and Vice-Chair in 2008. Her
term of service extends through December 12, 2011. Ms.
Davidson, formerly Colorado’s secretary of state, came
to EAC with experience in nearly every area of election
administration—everything from county clerk to secretary
of state.
Commissioner Davidson began her career in election
administration when she was elected in 1978 as the Bent
County clerk and recorder in Las Animas, Colorado, a
position she held until 1986. Later that year, she was ap-
pointed director of elections for the Colorado Department
of State, where she supervised county clerks in all election
matters and assisted with recall issues for municipal,
special district and school district elections.
In 1994, she was elected Arapahoe County clerk and
recorder and reelected to a second term in 1998. The
next year, Colorado Governor Bill Owens appointed Ms.
Davidson as the Colorado secretary of state, and she was
elected to the position in 2000 and reelected in 2002 for a
4-year term.
She has served on the Federal Election Commission
Advisory Panel and the board of directors of the Help
America Vote Foundation. In 2005, Ms. Davidson was
elected president of the National Association of Secretaries
of State, and she is the former president of the National
Association of State Elections Directors. Before her EAC
appointment, Ms. Davidson served on EAC’s Technical
Guidelines Development Committee.
In 2005, Government Technology magazine named Ms.
Davidson one of its “Top 25: Dreamers, Doers, and
Drivers” in recognition of her innovative approach to
improve government services. She was also the 1993
recipient of the Henry Toll Fellowship of Council of State
Governments.
Ms. Davidson has devoted much of her professional life
to election administration, but her first love is her family.
Born into a military family in Liberal, Kansas, she became
a Coloradoan shortly thereafter when her family moved
first to Two Buttes then to Las Animas, where they settled.
Whenever possible, Ms. Davidson spends time with her
family: son Todd, daughter and son-in-law Trudie and
Todd Berich and granddaughters Brittany and Nicole.
Commissioner Donetta Davidson
2010 Activities U.S. Election Assistance Commission
38
Executive Director’s Biography
By unanimous vote of the Commissioners, Executive
Director Thomas Wilkey was reappointed to serve another
4-year term beginning June 20, 2009. Mr. Wilkey has served
in this position since 2005.
After his brief career as an elementary teacher, Mr. Wilkey
joined the Erie County Board of Elections (Buffalo,
New York) in November 1968 as an elections clerk. He
subsequently rose to the position of senior election deputy
before joining the New York State Board of Elections in
1979 as public information officer.
In 1985, Mr. Wilkey was promoted to the newly created
position of director of elections operations, which was
formed to administer oversight of New York’s 57 county
boards.
Mr. Wilkey was appointed the second executive director of
the New York State Board of Elections in June 1992—
a position he held until August 2003.
During 1983, Mr. Wilkey and a small group of election
administrators from throughout the country pushed for
the creation of the International Center on Election Law.
Today, the Center represents more than 1,000 foreign,
state, county and local election officials. His involvement
led to his appointment as chair of the Center’s Professional
Development Committee, which now runs the first university-
based professional development program for election
officials. In 1995, Wilkey was recognized for his service
by his appointment to the Board of Directors of the Center.
An early proponent of the creation of the National Asso-
ciation of State Election Directors (NASED), Mr. Wilkey
served as secretary, treasurer and vice-president and was
elected president for the 1996–97 term. In January 1997,
Mr. Wilkey was named chair of NASED’s Independent
Test Authority Accreditation Board, which reviews and
approves laboratories and technical groups for the testing
of voting systems under NASED’s national accreditation
program. He was reappointed as chair in February 2000.
An early and active promoter of the National Voter
Registration Act (NVRA), Mr. Wilkey has served as chair
of the NVRA Committee of NASED and as a member of
the FEC Ad Hoc Discussion Group for NVRA.
In 1998, the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Federal
Voting Assistance Program named Mr. Wilkey to its State
and Local Alliance Board. The Board advises the Federal
Voting Assistance Program about ongoing programs to
support and facilitate absentee voting requirements for
more than 6 million military and overseas voters.
Following the 2000 general election, Mr. Wilkey was
named to several national commissions to study election
reform, including those representing the National As-
sociation of Secretaries of State, National Association of
Counties, Council of State Governments and the Election
Center. In May 2001, the FEC asked Mr. Wilkey to help
draft revised federal Voting System Standards, due for
completion in April 2002. In addition, Mr. Wilkey was
actively involved with the development of HAVA, which
Congress passed and the President signed into law in
October 2002.
Executive Director Thomas R. Wilkey
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
Activities
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
1201 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
www.eac.gov