U. S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE 

COMMISSION

2015 Annual Report
U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

1335 East West Highway, Suite 4300

Silver Spring, MD 20910

January 31, 2016

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Attached you will find the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s (EAC) Fiscal Year 2015 Annual 

Report detailing our efforts to improve election administration across our nation. The report provides 

information on the Commission’s programs and the valuable assistance it provides to State and local 

election officials and to American voters.

In January 2015, after unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate, President Obama appointed three new 

Commissioners to the EAC. Because there had been no Commissioners for several years, we were 

immediately faced with the daunting task of reinvigorating the Commission and rededicating its efforts to 

serve its stakeholders. I am pleased to say that we accomplished much over the subsequent nine months. 

Immediately upon taking office, the Commissioners turned to approving revisions to the decade-old 

Voluntary Voting Systems Guidelines (VVSG), which are the standards used to test and certify most of 

the voting systems in the United States. We also updated accompanying testing and certification manuals, 

and accredited a voting system testing laboratory (VSTL), all of which will save States time and money 

while ensuring secure and accessible voting systems. We issued ten funding advisory opinions to ensure 

jurisdictions receive monies appropriated to them under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and adopted 

a new policy to provide faster responses to routine questions related to the expenditure of HAVA funds. 

We approved a report on election administration issues in urban and rural communities. We reinstituted 

our 37-member Board of Advisors and 110-member Standards Board to guide us in carrying out our

mission and statutory mandates. In consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 

we re-established the Technical Guidelines Development Committee, which has begun the process of 

writing new standards that will encourage the use of innovative technology in voting. We are also 

assisting election officials prepare their Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for election equipment, providing 

guidance on maintaining legacy systems, and issuing tips on the purchase of new systems. 

The Commission also began the process of restructuring the agency by passing a management policy to 

ensure the continuity and stability of operations, and employing a transition team to analyze the EAC’s 

structure, staffing and mission. We have already implemented a number of the recommendations of the 

transition team and are working on implementing others.

In June 2015, we released our biennial Elections Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS) report which 

contains the most comprehensive election data nationwide, including the efficacy of the National Voter 

Registration Act (NVRA) and the ability of uniformed and overseas citizens to register to vote and 

successfully cast a ballot. As a follow-up, we hosted a national summit to discuss how data can be 

collected and leveraged to run better elections. We commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Americans 

with Disabilities Act by hearing from advocates on ways to make voting more accessible for individuals 

with disabilities, a clear mandate of HAVA. 
While we achieved a great deal in fiscal year 2015, there is still much to do. To that end, we have hired a 

new Executive Director and General Counsel. This month we have embarked on a “#BeReady16” series 

of events, including a roundtable with election officials from battleground jurisdictions, and a webcast on 

solutions to election mail issues. We will continue to help jurisdictions prepare for elections this year by 

hosting events on, among others, minority language compliance, voter registration list maintenance, and 

accessibility issues for voters with disabilities. 

We are excited and energized to embark on this election year and we will continue to assist our election 

officials, work to improve election administration across the country, advance the democratic process, and 

ultimately, serve the voters so they will have confidence and trust in the American electoral process. 

Sincerely yours, 

Christy A. McCormick

Chairwoman
Introduction 

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission

FY15 Program Highlights

Operations

Acting Executive Director

Office of the Inspector General

EAC Federal Advisory Committees

• Board of Advisors

• Standards Board

• Technical Guidelines Development Committee

Operating Budget

Entity-Wide Security Program

Freedom of Information Act

Voting System Testing and Certification

Voting System Test Laboratory Accreditation

Voting System Certification

Quality Monitoring Program

Communication and Clarification

Meetings

Voluntary Voting System Guidelines

Research, Policy and Programs

Election Administration and Voting Survey

Urban-Rural Study

Election Data Summit

Resource Bank

National Voter Registration Act

Grants Management

HAVA Funds

The Voting System Pre-Election Logic and Accuracy Testing and Post-Election Audit Initiative

The Accessible Voting Technology Initiative 

Communications and Clearinghouse

Public Meetings, Roundtable, Symposium, and Summit

EAC.gov Initiative

Social Media & Informing Stakeholders

Office of the Inspector General

Moving Forward

Appendices

Commissioners’ Biographies

Executive Director’s Biography

General Counsel’s Biography

Chief Operating Officer’s Biography

Board Rosters

Tally Votes
Introduction

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is an independent, bipartisan agency created by the 

Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 that assists State and local election administrators in improving 

the administration of elections for Federal office. The EAC provides assistance by adopting Voluntary 

Voting System Guidelines (VVSG), which are used to test and certify voting systems submitted to the 

EAC’s voting system testing and certification program, accrediting the voting system testing laboratories

(VTSLs), collecting and reporting the most complete set of election data from the states and territories, 

conducting research and serving as a national clearinghouse and resource of information regarding 

election administration, maintaining the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) form,, and disbursing 

Federal funds to the states to implement HAVA requirements, including auditing the use of those HAVA 

funds. 

HAVA specifies that four commissioners are nominated by the President on recommendations from the 

majority and minority leadership in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. No more 

than two commissioners may belong to the same political party. Once confirmed by the full Senate, 

commissioners may serve two consecutive terms. HAVA states that members of the commission shall 

continue to serve past their expired term until a successor takes office. 

In the first three months of fiscal year 2015, EAC operated without a quorum of commissioners, a 

situation that had existed since December 2010, and the agency was without any commissioners since 

December 2011. On December 16, 2014, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to confirm Christy A. 

McCormick, Thomas Hicks, and Matthew V. Masterson as members of the Commission. And on January 

13, 2015, they were formally appointed by the President and took the oath of office. The EAC now has a 

quorum of Commissioners for the first time since December 10, 2010. At their first public meeting, 

Commissioner McCormick was selected to chair the Commission and Commissioner Hicks was selected 

as vice-chair.

In the first nine months since appointment, the Commission adopted updates to the VVSG and the voting 

systems testing and certification program; re-convened its advisory boards; held four public meetings, a 

roundtable discussion, a symposium on voting system modernization, and a data summit; adopted 

several new management policies, approved research reports as required by HAVA; and disseminated 

guidance to state and local election officials on use of Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funds. 

On their first day in office, the Commissioners found on their desks letters from the Co-chairs of the 

Presidential Commission on Election Administration (PCEA) and the National Association of Election 

Directors (NASED) asking the Commission to take action on a number of items important to the election 
community. Those items included approving revisions to the decade-old VVSG, updating the Testing and 

Certification Program Manual and the Voting System Test Laboratory Program Manual, accrediting a 

VSTL that had been awaiting a Commission vote for three years, and providing for continuity of 

operations for the HAVA-mandated Standards Board, Board of Advisors and Technical Guidelines 

Development Committee should the agency again find itself in a position where the Commission lacked a 

quorum or if all Commissioner positions become vacant. The Commission was asked to take action on 

these items within six months of taking office, but achieved them within three months by taking various 

actions at Public Meetings held in February and March 2015.

The new Commissioners immediately hired a transition team of seasoned election officials to analyze the 

Commission’s structure, staffing and mission. That team interviewed the Commissioners and every 

member of the Commission’s staff, reviewed work performance against the agency’s mandated mission, 

and provided recommendations for restructuring and appropriate focus to the Commissioners in a written 

report. The Commissions have already implemented a number of the recommendations of the transition 

team and are working on implementing others.

Because the Commissioners see the EAC as a service agency, they also embarked on a listening tour to 

determine the most effective approach for the EAC to achieve its mission of serving state and local 

election officials. To that end, the Commissioners have been meeting with members of the election 

community, including the EAC’s Standards Board and Board of Advisors members; state and local 

elections staff; national and international election associations; state legislator and lawyer associations; 

academics; computer scientists; electrical and electronics engineers; Federal Voting Assistance Program 

personnel; voting system manufacturers; and advocacy groups. These meetings have allowed the 

Commissioners to gather information for the purpose of developing and setting appropriate goals to 

further the mandates of the agency and to allow it to provide valuable assistance to election officials. As 

a result, the new Election Assistance Commission stands ready to assist our state and local election 

officials and fulfill the EAC’s mission under HAVA.

FY15 Program Highlights

The agency’s organizational structure is aligned with four program areas which are based on the 

mandates of the HAVA and the agency’s strategic plan. More detail on FY 2015 accomplishments can be 

found in the program sections of this report. 

Testing and Certification

During FY 2015, the Commission updated the VVSG and program manuals all with a focus towards 

having more efficient testing that allows for systems to be innovative and modern. It certified six voting 

systems, managed testing campaigns for three additional systems, and audited one voting system 
manufacturing facility. Also, the Testing and Certification Division published three Requests for 

Interpretation (RFIs) to the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG), and one Notice of Clarification to 

the Testing and Certification Program Manuals. The Division continued mapping individual state 

requirements to the Federal guidelines and implemented major updates to the EAC’s Virtual Review Tool 

(VRT). Commission staff also assisted state and local election officials by collecting and posting on the 

EAC web site state and local Request for Procurement documents for both voting systems and electronic 

pollbooks. The Division also developed a new series of guidance documents entitled Managing Election 

Technology, and published the first two documents in this series: Ten Things to Know About Selecting a 

Voting System; and Ten Things to Know About Managing Aging Voting Systems. These resources are 

available at EAC.gov.

The Testing and Certification Division worked with the National Institute of Standards and Technology 

(NIST) on re-organizing the EAC Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC) and conducting

a meeting that included the EAC, a Voting System Test Laboratory (VSTL), and a non-traditional voting 

system manufacturer regarding a Technology Testing Agreement.

Research, Policy and Programs

During FY 2015, the Research, Policy and Programs (RPP) Division administered the biennial Election 

Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS), an instrument used to collect data from the States on areas 

such as the ability of civilian, military and overseas citizens to successfully cast a ballot, and the number 

of registered voters at the state and county levels. In June, EAC released the results of the 2014 EAVS

report which contains the most comprehensive set of data regarding election administration in the U.S. 

Pursuant to an agreement reached between the EAC and the U.S. Department of Defense Federal Voting 

Assistance Program (FVAP), the new survey incorporates twelve FVAP questions. The RPP issued 

seven new educational products that include downloadable Quick Tips Guides on: Serving UOCAVA 

Voters, Conducting Audits, Monitors at the Polls, Administering Provisional Ballots, Alternative Voting 

Methods, Disaster and Contingency Planning, and Managing Change in Elections. The publications offer 

concise tips for election officials with links to best practices in the administration of Federal elections. 

Information contained in the Quick Tips Guides is based on conference calls conducted with select 

groups of local election officials, and on research about election jurisdictions around the country. RPP 

has also drafted Quick Tips Guides on Making Voting Accessible, and Tips for Voters With Disabilities, 

which will be released soon.

The EAC responded to ongoing inquiries from states regarding the interpretation of various requirements 

of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). The National Mail Voter Registration Form, or 

“motor voter” form, may be used by the States to register new voters, or to update registration information 

to change a current voter’s name or address. Each State and territory has its own instructions on how to 

complete the form with voter registration rules and regulations. The form is available on the EAC website 

in seven languages.
Grants Management

During FY 2015, some accomplishments Grants Management Division included approval and 

disbursement of over $930,000 to three states certifying compliance with the provisions of HAVA; 

providing technical assistance to and monitoring HAVA payment recipients to help resolve issues and 

ensure that HAVA funds are spent in compliance with federal laws, regulations, and the provisions of 

HAVA agreements. i.e., Section 251 requirements payments. The Grants Management Division 

reviewed final grant financial and narrative reports, and closed out the FY 2010 Voting System PreElection Logic and Accuracy Testing & Post-Election Audit Initiative, and Accessible Voting Technology 

Initiative grant programs. Program summaries and final grant reports can be found on the EAC website.

Further, the Commission closed three open Office of Inspector General (OIG) audits of State use of 

HAVA funds in FY 2015.

Communications and Clearinghouse

The Communications and Clearinghouse Division maintains the EAC website, EAC.gov, which includes 

resources for election officials, voters, academicians and other stakeholders. Examples include: the 

Election Official Exchange, an online resource to help local election officials share best practices and 

experience; Events Finder, a comprehensive presentation of all EAC public events, including meetings, 

hearings and roundtable discussions; webcasts of public events; Twitter @EACgov, and blog posts to 

provide election officials and the public with timely updates on elections and program activities, and 

forums for discussions such as preparation for the next Federal election; and a listserv for the EAC’s 

newsletter and automatic program updates. 

In FY 2015, the Division delivered timely information and updates to election officials and stakeholders 

about Commission events that included four public meetings, three Federal Advisory Committee (FACA) 

board meetings, a roundtable discussion, a symposium and an election data summit. Information 

disseminated included Commission actions taken involving voting system testing and certification, lab 

accreditation, HAVA grants funds management, EAC research products, and resources for election 

management and accessible voting initiatives. EAC also began a redesign of its website to make it even 

easier to find important voting and election information and to make it more usable for our stakeholders 

and interested parties.

Operations

Acting Executive Director

During FY 2015, the Acting Executive Director was responsible for implementing and administering the 

EAC’s day-to-day operations in all program areas consistent with the agency's strategic plan' and the 
Commission’s policies. The Executive Director develops and manages the EAC's annual financial plan 

consistent with the EAC's annual budget request, Federal statutes and applicable regulations. The 

Executive Director manages the staff necessary to implement the EAC's mission.

Office of the Inspector General

The EAC’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) contracts with independent public accounting firms and 

other Inspector General Offices to conduct audits and investigations of the EAC’s programs and 

operations. This work includes \reviews of how the Commission conducts business internally, as well as 

the use of HAVA funds that have been disbursed by the EAC. Its work is designed to enhance the 

economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the EAC. The OIG also works to detect and prevent fraud, 

waste, abuse and mismanagement in EAC programs and operations. Its reports serve to educate and 

inform clients (the Commissioners, Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, the Government 

Accountability Office, state governments, other Federal entities, and the public) of opportunities to 

improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the EAC and its programs.

EAC Federal Advisory Committees

In April, the Commission re-established the EAC’s Federal Advisory Committee (FACA) Standards Board 

and Board of Advisors as mandated by HAVA Section 211. The Standards Board consists of 110 state 

and local elections administrators from each state and territory. The Board of Advisors has 37 members 

representing voter interest groups. Both boards are critical to the standards-setting process and 

informing the Commission’s work and priorities, and to help the EAC carry out its mandates under the 

law. HAVA Section 221 established the Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC) to help 

the EAC develop the VVSG. These governing boards provide valuable input and expertise in forming 

guidance and policy.

The EAC’s Standards Board and Board of Advisors, each held meetings April 28-29, as required by 

HAVA, to organize and select officers following a suspension of activity. The Boards met to present and 

discuss views on issues in the administration of Federal elections, to receive updates on EAC program 

activities and to formulate recommendations to the Commissioners, and to designate subcommittees.

Nominees for the EAC’s Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC) gathered at the NIST in 

Gaithersburg, Maryland on July 20-21. Discussions focused on the upcoming work on the next 

generation of standards used to test America’s voting systems. That meeting followed Commissioner

approval of revisions to the decade-old VVSG on March 31.

Board of Advisors

The 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 Association of State Election 
Directors; National Association of Counties; National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials 

and Clerks; The United States Conference 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 of Defense Federal Voting Assistance Program; four professionals from the field of science 

and technology, with 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 one year and may serve no more than two consecutive terms in any one office.

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 two members representing the same state to be members 

of the same political party.

The Board elects nine members to serve as an executive board, of which not more than five can be state 

election officials, not more than five can be local election officials and not more than five can be members 

of the same political party. Members of the Executive Board serve for a term of two years and may serve 

no more than three consecutive terms in any one office.

Technical Guidelines Development Committee

HAVA mandates that the TGDC help EAC develop the VVSG, a task that was first 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 appointed 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 (two 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.
Operating Budget

Since 2004, the EAC has received funds in three appropriations: Salaries and Expenses; Election 

Reform Programs for requirements payments, and Accessibility and Logic and Accuracy Grants; and for 

FY 2008 only, Election Data Collection Grants. The Data Collection grants of $2.0 million each to five 

states measured the costs of improving the collection of election data at the precinct level during the 2008 

Federal election. 

In FY 2015, the Salaries and Expenses operating budget of $10 million funded a $1.9 million transfer to 

NIST; and general office expenses including payroll, travel, rent, telecommunications, printing, contracts, 

supplies, training, and equipment. 

EAC received an unmodified (“clean”) opinion on the FY 2015 financial statement audit with no findings 

and a clean opinion on the Federal Information Security Management Act audit of FY 2015.

Entity-Wide Security Program

Security management is critical to the EAC's mission. The EAC continues to be vigilant in protecting its 

information assets. Trusted Internet Connections (TIC), Continuous Monitoring (CM) and strong 

authentication measures using Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12) Personal Identity 

Verification (PIV) credentials help ensure that EAC information systems remain secure. 

During FY 2015, EAC continued work on an information technology (IT) enhancement program that 

includes the design and implementation of a secured network infrastructure for both our new physical 

location and for staff working remotely, and upgrading servers, workstations and mobile devices to meet 

its performance, availability and integrity requirements. The EAC also implemented a self-contained 

system recovery backup solution at the main office as well as at the remote Continuity of Operations 

(COOP) site to protect mission-critical data against system down-time and for disaster recovery. 

The FY 2015 FISMA evaluation report found that EAC had sound controls for its information security 

program in place and in compliance with FISMA requirements and that EAC had adopted OMB policy and 

guidelines, and applicable NIST standards and guidelines for the security control areas evaluated.

Freedom of Information Act

In FY 2015, the EAC completed thirteen requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Two of 

the requests were received by other agencies and forwarded to EAC involving communications between 

the two agencies. As of the end of the fiscal year, there were no pending requests. There were no 

instances in which the EAC did not comply with a completed request. One EAC employee processes 

FOIA requests, but this employee is not solely dedicated to FOIA activities. The EAC spent 

approximately $15,000 processing FOIA requests in FY 2014. The EAC granted fee waiver requests on 

all completed FOIA requests. The EAC’s FOIA regulations instructions for submitting a request and the 

FOIA Reading Room are available to the public at EAC.gov.
Voting System Testing and Certification

Under the Help America Vote Act, the EAC accredits voting system test laboratories and certifies voting 

equipment, marking the first time the Federal government has offered these services to the States. 

Participation by States in the program is voluntary. 

The Testing and Certification Division:

• Assists States with certification of their systems; 

• Supports local elections officials in the areas of acceptance testing and pre-election system 

verification;

• Promotes quality control in voting system manufacturing through the EAC quality monitoring 

program; 

• Provides procedures to the voting system manufacturers for the testing and certification of voting 

systems to specified Federal standards consistent with the requirements of HAVA Section 231.

The EAC’s voting system certification program establishes accountability through its Quality Monitoring 

Program, which ensures, through various check points, that the voting systems used in the field are the 

same systems that the EAC has certified. Under the program, the EAC has the ability to conduct site 

visits to voting system production facilities to determine whether systems produced are consistent with 

those that have received EAC certification. In addition, the EAC collects reports from election officials 

regarding voting system anomalies. After reviewing the reports, the EAC disseminates the information to 

election officials. Furthermore, upon invitation or with permission from election officials, the EAC may 

conduct reviews of EAC certified systems that are in use in the field. More information about the EAC’s 

Voting System Certification and Testing Program is available in EAC’s Frequently Asked Questions on 

EAC.gov.

FY 2015 Accomplishments

• Certified six voting systems,

• Managed testing campaigns for three additional systems

• Completed changes and presented for Commission vote and ultimate adoption, Version 2.0 of 

both the Testing and Certification Program Manual, and the Voting System Test laboratory 

Program Manual,

• Completed changes and presented for Commissioner vote and ultimate adoption Version 1.1 of 

the EAC Voluntary Voting System Guidelines,

• Drafted and published three Requests for Interpretation (RFIs) to the Voluntary Voting System 

Guidelines (VVSG), and drafted two additional RFI’s, 
• Continued development of state requirements-mapping which will show the overlap between the 

EAC’s VVSG and state certification testing leading to greater efficiency and cost savings for state 

and local election officials, 

• Implemented major updates to the EAC’s Virtual Review Tool,

• Audited one voting system manufacturing facility,

• Developed a new series of guidance documents entitled Managing Election Technology, and 

published the first two documents in this series focusing on maintaining aging voting technology 

and purchasing new voting technology,

• Assisted state and local election officials by collecting, and posting on the EAC website, state and 

local Request for Procurement documents for election technology, allowing election officials to 

leverage the information to better write their own procurement materials,

• Assisted state and local election officials by providing technical consulting and guidance in writing 

procurement documents and technical specifications for new voting technology, leading to cost 

savings at the state and local level,

• Held an in-person Technology Testing Agreement meeting between the EAC, a Voting System 

Test Laboratory (VSTL) and a non-traditional voting system manufacturer, 

• Worked with NIST to re-organize the EAC Technical Guidelines Development Committee 

(TGDC), 

• Held an EAC VSTL meeting and a Voting System Manufacturers meeting. 

• Held a joint EAC/NIST symposium on the future of voting systems, to explore emerging trends in 

voting system technology with the election community at large.

Voluntary Voting System Guidelines

The VVSG is the set of testable standards by which the EAC evaluates all voting systems. The EAC’s 

accredited laboratories conduct a conformance assessment using the VVSG to evaluate the voting 

systems. A system submitted to the EAC’s 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. 

The EAC, the TGDC and NIST work together to develop voluntary testing standards. Since ten years had 

passed since the adoption of the initial set of guidelines, the election community urged the 

Commissioners to take immediate action to update the standards. In March, Commissioners adopted 

revisions to the VVSG that modernized the guidelines to make them more testable; enabled NIST to 

create test suites for the proposed revisions; and improved portions of the guidelines that were out of date 

and could be updated without requiring massive programmatic changes. With this decision, the EAC 

improved the consistency and efficiency of the testing process, with the goal of achieving cost savings for 

both election officials and manufacturers. With these changes complete, the commission has already 
begun the process of writing a new set of guidelines. At the same time, Commissioners also approved 

updates to the EAC’s Testing and Certification Program Manual, 2.0 and Voting System Test Laboratory 

Program Manual, 2.0. The updates to the manuals, which were first adopted in 2006 and 2008, 

respectively, are intended to improve the efficiency and speed of the testing and certification of voting 

systems with the added goal of reduced cost. 

Voting System Test Laboratory Accreditation

HAVA Section 231 requires the EAC and NIST to develop a program for accrediting VSTLs. 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 the 

laboratory to the 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 EAC.gov.

Laboratories must adhere to the requirements of the 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.

In February, the Commissioners voted to accredit Pro V&V as a third voting system test laboratory under 

the Commission’s lab accreditation program. In addition to Pro V&V, SLI Global Solutions and NTS 

Huntsville (formerly Wyle Laboratories) have also been accredited by the EAC. All three labs will test 

against the VVSG.

Voting System Certification

HAVA instructed the EAC to establish the Federal government’s first voluntary program to test and certify 

voting equipment. The certification program was established after the 2005 VVSG were adopted and the 

first recommendations regarding laboratories for Federal accreditation were given to the EAC by NIST in 

February 2007. Forty-seven of the fifty states rely on some portion of the EAC’s testing and certification 

program for evaluation of their voting systems.

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 the EAC, the manufacturer agrees to meet all program 

requirements.

A manufacturer that has a system ready for testing submits an application for testing to the EAC and 

selects an EAC-accredited laboratory to conduct the testing. The laboratory submits a test plan to the 

EAC for approval; tests the voting system; and provides a test report, based on the findings from testing, 
to the EAC for review and action. The 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 T&C director will recommend the system for certification. The EAC’s 

executive director considers the recommendation and provides a final decision on the system. The 

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 2015, EAC certified six voting systems, managed testing campaigns for three additional systems, 

and audited one voting system manufacturing facility. A complete list of voting systems certified by the 

EAC can be accessed at: EAC.gov. EAC also continued development of state requirements mapping 

and implementation of major updates to the EAC’s Virtual Review Tool (VRT). This tool was also made 

available to State Certification Authorities to assist them in reviewing change orders that may be 

presented for certification in their individual States. In addition, EAC remains focused on seeing 

additional efficiencies and improvements in the certification process.
Quality Monitoring Program

The EAC’s voting system certification program establishes accountability through its Quality Monitoring 

Program, which ensures, through various check points, that the voting systems used in the field are in 

fact the same systems tha the EAC has certified. For instance, under the program, the EAC has the 

ability to conduct site visits to production facilities to determine whether systems produced are consistent 

with those that have received EAC certification. In addition, EAC collects reports from election officials 

regarding voting system anomalies. After reviewing the reports, EAC disseminates the information to 

election officials. Furthermore, upon invitation or with permission from election officials, the EAC 

conducts reviews of systems that are in use in the field.

System Advisory Notices are also an important part of the Quality Monitoring Program. The EAC issues 

advisories to inform jurisdictions and members of the public of an existing anomaly or issue with an EAC-
certified system. The advisory notice describes the nature of the issue identified, the root cause of the 

issue if known, and the current status of a solution to the issue. The EAC will follow up with additional 

advisory notices regarding unresolved issues as more information is gathered and the problem is 

resolved.

These notices support the EAC's quality monitoring program requirement related to identifying and 

reporting anomalies of fielded EAC systems. These notices are issued after an anomaly or issue is 

identified and verified through conversations with the jurisdiction fielding the system and the manufacturer 

of the system. In, FY 2015, EAC posted six System Advisory Notices.

In addition, as part of the Quality Monitoring Program, the EAC is required to conduct onsite 

manufacturing assessments. These onsite visits provide the opportunity for EAC to ascertain that the 

manufacturers of voting systems are following EAC’s required procedures. Information generated by the 

Quality Monitoring Program, including anomaly reports, is posted in the Testing and Certification section 

of EAC.gov.

Clarification Process

In an effort to increase efficiency and streamline the certification process, the EAC established the 

Requests for Interpretation (RFI) process. This process enables program participants to request 

interpretations of the VVSG. In addition, the 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. In FY 2015, the EAC 

published three RFIs and one NOC:

• RFI 2015-01 -- EAC Decision on Testing Breadth

• RFI 2015-02 -- EAC Decision on Certification Test Fixtures

• RFI 2015-03 -- EAC Decision on Ballot Reading Accuracy

• NOC 2015-01 -- Test Readiness Review

All RFIs and NOCs are available in the Testing and Certification section of the EAC website at EAC.gov.

Meetings

In FY 2015, Commissioners and staff attended meetings with NASED; The Election Center; Election 

Verification Network (EVN), EAC technical reviewers; voting system manufacturers; and a meeting that 

included the EAC, a Voting System Test Laboratory (VSTL) and a non-traditional voting system 

manufacturer regarding a Technology Testing Agreement. The T & C division staff also met with NIST 

staff on the re-organization of the EAC Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC)
Research, Policy and Programs

The Research, Policy and Programs (RPP) Division is responsible for implementing initiatives that include

HAVA-mandated research topics such as the number of registration applications submitted through 

various sources as stipulated by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA); the number of 

ballots cast and returned in accordance with the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act 

of 1986 (UOCAVA); language accessibility for minority language voters; and election management 

resources for election officials.

In addition to conducting HAVA-mandated research, RPP produces materials for voters and election 

officials to facilitate successful participation in Federal elections. The Division also administers the 

Election Management/Quick Tips Guides program to help election officials conduct elections by providing 

information on topics such as poll worker recruitment and training, polling place management, collecting 

good election data, contingency and disaster planning, post-election auditing, administering provisional 

ballots and communicating with the public

The Research, Policy and Program division:

• Administers the biennial Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS);

• Administers the National Mail Voter Registration Form as prescribed by the National Voter 

Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), also known as “Motor Voter”;

• Administers the Election Management Guidelines and Quick Tips Guides program to help 

election officials conduct efficient, effective, accurate and accessible elections;

• Manages the Language Accessibility Program that provides informational materials on the 

Federal election process including glossaries of election terms in English and five other 

languages, and translations of the National Mail Voter Registration form in English and ten other 

languages; 

• Provides educational materials to voters and election administration officials on the voting 

process; and

• Conducts research on election administration on topics as mandated by HAVA, by Congress and, 

at the discretion of the Commission.
FY 2015 Accomplishments

Research:

• Released the 2014 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS) with data sets and 

visualizations,

• The combined survey will save election officials time while improving the quality of data regarding 

military and overseas voters,

• Guided Commissioner adoption of an Urban-Rural Study on administering elections in rural and 

urban areas,

• Convened a national Election Data Summit of election officials and academics to consider best 

practices and uses of election data in election management, and ways to improve data collection,

• Began planning and collaborating with U.S. Department of Defense Federal Voting Assistance 

Program (FVAP) on administrating the 2016 EAVS.

Programs:

• Created an EAC Resource Bank toolkit containing 13 new Quick Tip Guides designed to assist 

election officials with administering elections,

• Distributed over 300 Quick Tips Guides toolkits at state election administrator association 

conferences.

Election Administration and Voting Survey

Under HAVA requirements, the EAC collects data on election administration issues and shares that 

information with Congress, election officials, and the public. Under the provisions of the National Voter 

Registration Act (NVRA), the EAC is required to collect information and report on: the total number of 

registered voters, the total number of active and inactive voters, the total number of new, duplicate, and 

invalid voter registration applications, the sources of voter registration applications, the total number of 

confirmation notices sent/received and the total number of voters removed from the rolls. 

Since 2004, the EAC has prepared three biennial reports using data from this survey: a Federallymandated report on the impact of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), a mandated report on the 

Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), and a third report summarizing 

additional EAVS findings, including data on how Americans cast their ballots and how State and local 

administrators ran their elections. In 2015, for the first time, the three reports were consolidated into a 

single report which covers the 2014 election. Information pertaining to the NVRA is presented first, 

followed by a UOCAVA section, and a final section summarizing the remaining EAVS findings.

In June, the EAC released the results of its 2014 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS) 

Comprehensive Report. The report represents the most comprehensive set of data regarding election 
administration across the United States. For the first time, the EAC presented the information in one allinclusive report that includes data on the ability of civilian, military and overseas citizens to register to vote 

and successfully cast a ballot. The 2014 survey is the sixth conducted by the EAC and covers the 2-year 

period from the November 2012 elections through the November 2014 elections. The report is based on 

the results of a survey of all States, the District of Columbia, and four territories.

Based on the data and experience of the states, the report offers a number of observations and 

recommendations , regarding ways to enhance the efficiency with which elections are administered and 

to improve how the data regarding those elections are reported to the EAC. Prior to the release of each 

biennial survey, the EAC also publishes the Statutory Overview, a compendium of each state’s changes 

in certain election laws. The full report and complete data sets are available at EAC.gov.
Consolidation of the Local Election Official and Election Administration and Voting 

Surveys

The EAC’s combined survey instrument was developed in response to requests from State and local 

officials to combine post-election survey collection efforts in order to reduce the overall burden placed on 

election officials. As a result, the EAC worked with the Department of Defense Federal Voting Assistance 

Program (FVAP) to develop a single survey instrument designed to meet the requirements of both the 

EAC and FVAP in collecting election-related statistics from local election officials. The product was the 

outcome of a mutual agreement reached by EAC, FVAP and the National Association of State Election 

Directors (NASED) in 2011. To assist States with compiling their UOCAVA data and to aid in their 

transition to a new EAVS format, the FVAP Local Election Official Survey questions were added to the 

end of Section B of the 2014 EAVS survey. These questions ask for additional detail about how 

UOCAVA ballots were transmitted to and returned by UOCAVA voters and, for more detailed information 

about UOCAVA voter’s use of Federal Write-In Absentee Ballots (FWABS).
Urban-Rural Study

In April, the Commissioners formally adopted a study and the findings required by HAVA on administering 

elections in rural and urban areas. HAVA 241(b) (15) requires the EAC to study "matters particularly 

relevant to voting and administering elections in rural and urban areas." The purpose of this study was to 

determine the ways in which election officials conduct voter outreach, secure personnel, and handle any 

cost-related challenges associated with administering general elections in rural and urban jurisdictions. It 

further examined factors that may differentially have an impact on elections administration in urban and 

rural areas

Election Data Summit

The EAC held a first of its kind Election Data Summit at American University’s School of Presidential and 

Congressional Affairs in August. The Summit included over 40 election officials and academics 

representing 20 states and numerous localities. Discussion centered on how participants collect, 

analyze, and use data to create efficiencies, re-allocate limited resources, inform decision-making, and 

ultimately to improve elections. Participants considered best practices and uses of election data, the 

value to election officials and academics of data in election management, and ways to improve the data 

collected through the EAC’s biennial Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS). As a result, EAC 

will be using feedback from the summit to update the EAVS process to: (1) improve the quality of the data 

collected; (2) make the data more consumable for users; and (3) lessen the burden on state and local 

election officials.
Resource Bank

The primary focus of the RPP division is to provide educational resources for election officials and voters. 

A major resource created and disseminated in FY 2015 was the EAC “Resource Bank” toolkit. The toolkit 

is a growing repository in support of the EAC’s vision, “For the EAC to be a service agency and the go-to 

resource on election information, best practices, data, technology, technical advice and assistance for 

election administrators, officials, and voters across America.” The “Resource Bank” toolkit was designed 

specifically for election officials to help solve election-cycle challenges. Leading up to elections, election 

officials are faced with the enormous responsibility of informing voters about where, when and how to 

vote; training poll workers; and conducting fair, accessible, accurate and secure elections. The toolkit 

contains:

• thirteen new Quick Tips Guides designed to assist election officials with administering elections, 

on a wide range of topics, such as managing change, using election data, employing poll 

workers, administering provisional ballots, serving UOCAVA Voters, and educating voters,

• “14 Facts About Voting in Federal Elections” in seven languages, 

• hyperlinks on certain election administration best practice materials and, 

• a series of guides to help promote discussion around various election administration topics.

Resources include information about successful election management practices and basic information 

about Federal elections. The EAC responds to requests from state and local election officials, from 

Congress and from the public-at-large, for a range of informational material that relate to elections.

The EAC’s Quick Tips Guides materials have been created to assist election officials with their duties. 

Following a series of nine webinars that were held in the summer of 2013, EAC went on to create four 

new Quick Tips Guides in FY 2014 and followed up with seven in FY 2015. The EAC collaborated with 

local election officials to develop these materials, which highlight helpful tips for managing elections and 

suggest a range of practices that can aid with operating efficient and effective elections. 

In FY 2015, these new guides included: 1) Serving UOCAVA Voters; 2) Conducting Audits; 3) Monitors at 

the Polls; 4) Administering Provisional Ballots; 5) Alternative Voting Methods; 6) Disaster and 

Contingency Planning; and 7) Managing Change in Elections. 

The materials are available on EAC.gov. In FY 2015, work also began on two additional Quick Tip 

Guides for release in FY 2016: 1) Tips for Making Voting Accessible; and 2) Tips for Voters With 

Disabilities. EAC markets and promotes the information contained in these documents, through the 

EAC’s various social media.
National Voter Registration Act

In 2015, the EAC responded to ongoing inquiries from states regarding the interpretation of various NVRA 

requirements. The Commission also received a request from the State of Alabama for modifications to 

the state-specific instructions on the National Mail Voter Registration Form. At the close of the fiscal year, 

the request remained under review by the Commission.

Proposed Changes to the National Voter Registration Act Regulations

Section 9(a) of the NVRA requires the EAC 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.

Now that EAC has a quorum of commissioners for the first time in four years, the agency is in a position 

to analyze the public input on proposed rulemaking to determine whether the national mail voter 

registration form must be revised, and to decide on the nature of guidance that the EAC should provide to 

the states.

Grants Management

EAC’s Grants Management Division distributes and monitors HAVA funds, provides technical assistance 

to states on the use of funds, and reports on requirements payments to improve the administration of 

elections for Federal office. The Division also ensures the negotiation of indirect cost rates with recipients

and resolves audit findings on the use of HAVA funds.

HAVA Funds

A state may use a HAVA Section 251 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 on allocation of funds. Title III includes voting system standards, voting information 

requirements, provisional voting, statewide voter registration lists, and identification requirements for 

voters who register by mail. 

The Voting System Pre-Election Logic and Accuracy Testing and 

Post-Election Audit Initiative

Even though all Voting System Pre-Election Logic and Accuracy Testing and Post-Election Audit (L&A)

Initiative grants ended by September 30, 2014, the awards remained open in FY 2015 to finalize 

remaining administrative requirements. The L&A grant program was aimed at developing and 
documenting processes and best practices for coordinating quality and cost-effective voting system preelection logic and accuracy testing and post-election audits. Through this initiative, EAC captured and 

tested innovative, high-quality processes and tools, as well as practices that are cost effective and 

evidence-based for 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, 2010 and the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009. 

In FY 2011, EAC awarded twelve grants totaling $1,463,074 to five states, six counties and one city. All 

remaining open grants were closed in FY2015.

Results from the Logic & Accuracy Initiative include:

• Conducted an election using the Scantegrity add on to an optical scan system. Collected and 

analyzed voter surveys, election judge (poll worker) surveys, an election judge focus group 

report, and a number of observation reports. Three documents were created and submitted to 

the EAC: Data Analysis Report; Policies and Procedures; and Best Practices.

• Produced Step-by-step Instructions for Conducting Risk-Limiting Audits such as the online Official 

Election Testing & Auditing Guide (http://cuyahogaelectionaudits.com) developed by Cuyahoga 

County IN Ohio. 

• Developed and tested audit methods, procedures and web-based tools for conducting postelection risk-limiting audits. The audit “how-to” materials developed during the pilot program are 

available to elections officials and jurisdictions across the United States to conduct risk-limiting 

audits of election results.

• University of California (UC) Berkeley Professor Philip Stark for has conducted groundbreaking 

work in developing risk-limiting election audits, including creation of a set of web-based tools

(statistics.berkeley.edu/~stark/Vote/auditTools.htm) and step-by-step instructions for elections 

officials. The tools explain how the audits work and show the math behind the tools, so that 

elections officials and the public can understand risk-limiting audits. These tools were refined and 

improved during the pilot program, and the project team developed a reporting form as an adjunct 

to the AuditTools website for counties to report the results of risk-limiting audits of election results.

The Accessible Voting Technology Initiative

In FY 2015, the EAC closed the final grant under the Accessible Voting Technology Initiative. The 

Accessible Voting Technology Initiative (AVTI) was a $7,000,000 grant program to advance voting 

accessibility technology to enable citizens with disabilities to vote privately and independently. The grant 

recipients were Clemson University, which was funded at $4,500,000 and the Information Technology

and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), which was funded at $2,500,000. The EAC, Clemson University, and 

ITIF worked closely with NIST on this Initiative.
This effort increased the accessibility of new, existing and emerging technological solutions in such areas 

as assistive technologies, interoperability and voting system design. According to statistics compiled by 

the U.S. Census, there are more than 50,000,000 Americans with disabilities and the United States also 

faces a rapidly approaching demographic shift to an older population, which will result in an increase in 

the incidence of disability. The HAVA disability requirements, specifically Section 301, recognized the 

necessity for dramatically improving the voting process for this population and these grants help further 

this vital mission.

Clemson University and their partners worked to advance the accessibility of elections and voting through 

applied research, development, evaluation, dissemination and implementation of concepts and 

technologies. Clemson University worked with an extensive set of partners including the Election Center 

and Rutgers University. In 2014, they further pilot-tested Prime III, a Clemson-produced election 

prototype voting machine, and worked with a diverse group of organizations from the elections community 

on research and development.

ITIF used a design-led innovation process to translate research, observations and insights into actionable 

steps to change voting system technologies and processes to improve the voting experience for people 

with disabilities. They worked closely with several organizations including the National Federation of the 

Blind and the Georgia Institute for Applied Technology Research Corporation. These grant awards ended 

on June 30, 2014. The final grant award was closed in FY 2015.

Results from the AVTI Initiative include:

• Enhancement of Prime III, a research based accessible voting technology: Developed by Dr. 

Juan Gilbert in 2003, Prime III is an open source voting system capable of assisting all voters with 

disabilities on a universally accessible system. AVTI further advanced Prime III by redesigning 

the user interface and in improving usability and security. It also made Prime III accessible on 

tablet computers, adopting a first of its kind paper ballot scanning accuracy mechanism for voters 

who are blind, and created a web-based experience, which provides universal access for all 

voters. 

• Piloted Prime III: In order to advance Prime III in elections and foster confidence with elected 

officials, pilots were conducted during elections in four states: Wisconsin, New Hampshire, 

Oregon, and South Carolina. Following this positive experience, New Hampshire has adopted 

Prime III for statewide use in their upcoming election.

• Conducted outreach with election machine manufacturers: During the final year of the grant, the 

Prime III team invited voting manufacturers to utilize Prime III open source technology solutions. 

These companies included Election Systems and Software, Everyone Counts, and others. The 

companies are now incorporating Prime III’s user interface into new voting systems. AVTI’s 

positive contributions also include enhanced paper ballot optical scan recognition and guiding 
overall machine designs. In addition, later this year, the Prime III open source software will be 

posted online for use across the election’s community. 

• Created a system for reducing line wait times: Following the 2012 presidential election, the 

Research Alliance for AccessibleVoting (RAAV) let by Dr. Gilbert at Clemson University team 

designed the Balloting system, which uses QR Codes to make voting faster and reduce wait 

times in lines. This technology was tested in Florida state elections. Currently, voting machine 

manufacturers are incorporating the technology for use in upcoming elections.

• Surveyed voters with disabilities: In a first of its kind outreach effort, Rutgers professors closely 

surveyed voters with disabilities on their election experience in the November 2012 election. This 

survey offered officials and manufacturers clear data on the more than 35 million voters with 

disabilities. It also received national media coverage and fostered future surveys for establishing 

bench mark data.

• Designed the Anywhere Ballot for individuals with cognitive disabilities

(http://anywhereballot.com/): This is a ballot interface for any device that allows voters to use their 

own assistive technologies and mark the ballot from any location. During AVTI research, several 

findings identified voters with cognitive disabilities as requiring a stronger focus to attain HAVA 

and ADA access goals. The Anywhere Ballot is designed for voters with low literacy and 

cognitive disabilities. The voting solution was presented to the Presidential Commission on 

Election Administration and pilot opportunities are currently being explored.

• Poll worker training: As identified by the above referenced Rutgers study, poll workers require 

further training in order to assist voters with disabilities. This sub-grant, led by election officials, 

created an online poll worker training course. The grantee tested the course with local election 

offices and received their feedback. The course is currently available through online educational 

platforms.

Communications and Clearinghouse

The Communications and Clearinghouse Division is responsible for external communications and the 

tools and platforms used to provide information to election officials and the general public. Its goal is to 

provide state and local election officials, Congress, Federal agencies, and the public with reliable, 

accurate, and non-partisan information about the administration of Federal elections. 

The Division began Fiscal Year 2015 with a focused effort on providing information and best practices to 

election officials and voters in the remaining weeks prior to the 2014 November election. The EAC 

maintained the goal of building a community of knowledge and expertise that could save election officials 

time and money in preparation for the 2016 Federal election cycle. In January 2015, the EAC announced 
that the agency has new commissioners and that, for the first time in four years, a Commission quorum 

had been restored to conduct new policy business.

2015 Public Meetings, Roundtable, Symposium, and Summit 

EAC Communications informed election officials and stakeholders about the many Commission events in 

FY 2015 using an array of formats. Stakeholders received information via newsletters, e-Alerts, social 

media and Sunshine Act Notices. Press advisories and news releases were also circulated to 

stakeholders and to national, state and local media outlets. Eight of the ten events were webcast live and 

featured a live Twitterfall. Questions and comments were taken from the public through the webcasts 

during the roundtable, symposium and summit.

The events included:

• EAC/NIST symposium on the future of voting systems, to explore emerging trends in voting system 

technology with the election community at large (Feb 9-10)

• EAC Public Meeting: to select new Comission officers and accredit a new VTSL (Feb 24)

• EAC Roundtable: “Priorities, Policy and Strategy: Next Steps for the EAC” to discuss and hear 

suggestions from election officials and stakeholders on goals, priorities and critical next steps for the 

Commission (March 19)

• EAC Public Meeting: to updates the VVSG and the T&C program manuals; and issue advisory 

opinions (March 31)

• Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) Meeting: EAC Standards Board (April 28-29)

• Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) Meeting: EAC Board of Advisors (April 28-29)

• EAC Public Meeting: to receive reports from the advisory boards and a transition team, and approve 

a draft Urban/Rural Study research report (April 28-29)

• EAC Public Meeting: to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the ADA by hearing how to make 

voting more accessible for individuals with disabilities (July 28)

• Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) Meeting: EAC/NIST meeting to reorganize the Technical 

Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC) for developing new voting system guidelines (July 20-

21)

• EAC Election Data Summit: to discuss how quality data can be collected and leveraged to run better 

elections and how to improve the EAVs (Aug 12-13)
EAC.gov

The agency’s website, EAC.gov, is the primary communications tool. EAC.gov contains thousands of 

documents and information about voting systems, press releases, informational videos, research, data 

and program-related information. It also features on-demand webcasts and related information from 

public meetings, hearings and roundtables.

The EAC’s website features a user-driven notification system, allowing visitors to customize how they 

receive information. Users can customize their online experience by signing up for the EAC’s newsletter, 

automatic e-mail alerts on a variety of election topics and events, including public meetings, advisory 

board meetings, reports, policies, program updates and other agency news. These alerts may be 

received in real time on a daily or weekly basis. The website events calendar offers a comprehensive 

presentation of all EAC public events, including meetings, hearings and roundtable discussions. 

Webcasts of public events are offered live, and on-demand webcasts are available within 24 hours. The 

meeting agenda accompanies the webcast, and the viewer can select topics of interest. Many of the 

meeting materials are also posted to the website. 

The EAC’s online resources also include the “Election Exchange” to help local election officials connect 

and leverage their experience by sharing best practices and knowledge. By participating in the 

Exchange, any U.S. election official can call on a colleague for advice about virtually any administrative 

task they face, from testing voting equipment and training poll workers to creating an audit trail and 

conducting a recount. 

In FY 2015, the division also began undertaking a redesign of its website to make it even easier to access

important voting and election information and to make it more usable for our stakeholders and interested 

parties.

Social Media and Informing Stakeholders

The EAC has been extremely active using social media to reach election officials in new and engaging 

ways. Technology is transforming elections and the EAC is at the forefront of the field. In particular, the 

EAC has developed an interactive blog and an active twitter account. Additionally, the EAC cultivates a 

list of election office Twitter accounts to facilitate ongoing communication among election officials, voters 

and other interested parties. As requests were received from election officials, EAC continued to add 

more links to state & local election social media sites.

FY 2015 Accomplishments:

• Publicizing four public meetings, three FACA board meetings, a symposium, a roundtable, and a 

summit; the EAC’s educational materials; research products; and program activity updates,
• Disseminating information to election officials; Congressional staff; academics; national, state and 

local the media outlets; and other stakeholders via five press releases, 16 newsletters, 23 

announcements and Sunshine Act Notices, 34 blog posts, Facebook, Twitter account @EACgov, 

hashtag #EACvote, and 33 E-Alert automatic program updates on the EAC website. Linking the 

public meetings, roundtable, and summit as they were webcast live and featuring a live Twitterfall. 

Posting corresponding meeting agendas, webcasts, reports, and transcripts, as applicable, to the 

website.

• Providing program updates included voting system certification; HAVA grants and payments funding 

charts and statistics, final grant reports, the EAVS 2014 report and data sets, and other EAC activities 

and election information.

• Using Blog posts to provide periodic election updates and highlight program activities including: EAC 

resources; Voting System Testing Updates; Aging Voting Technology; EAC-NIST Public Working 

Groups for New Voting System Guidelines; Election Data Summit; Commissioner Notes from the 

Road; Top Ten Priorities of EAC Stakeholders; Listening Feedback; Future of Voting Systems 

Symposium; State/Local Voting Systems Search Map; Quick Start Guides & Tips for Election 

Officials; and ongoing blog posts covering election related topics to answer frequently asked 

questions and provide critical or time sensitive information to stakeholders and the media. 

• Increasing Facebook “Likes” by 628.6 percent since this time last year. From October 2014 through 

September 2015, and the number of the EAC’s Twitter followers grew from 1,968 to 2,469.
Office of the Inspector General 

The OIG issued audits on the EAC’s financial statements and information technology security program for 

fiscal year 2015, and on five states use of HAVA funds for improving the administration of elections for 

Federal office. The OIG also issued a report on investigation of an Antidificiency Act violation that was 

disclosed in the FY 2014 financial statement audit. The results of the audits and investigation are 

summarized below.

• Financial Statements: The EAC presented fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of 

EAC as of September 30, 2015, and its net costs, changes in net position, budgetary resources, 

and custodial activity for the year then ended, in accordance with accounting requirements. 

Furthermore, the audit disclosed no material weaknesses in internal controls, no instances of 

non-compliance with laws and regulations, and satisfactory resolution of prior audit findings.

• Information Technology Security: Except for patch and vulnerability management, the EAC had a 

properly designed and effective information security program.

• States Use of HAVA Funds: The financial results of the audits are summarized in the following 

table.

Table Results of Audit 

States

Amounts 

Audited

Questioned 

Costs

Interest 

Owed 

Delaware $17,556,904 $1,462,101 $25,020

Maine 17,917,889 752,063 0

Idaho 19,823,702 734,063 0

D.C. 15,820,651 921,063 0

Oklahoma 29,571,604 0 4,939,000

Antideficiency Act Investigation: The EAC was antideficient (expending funds in excess of amounts 

available in an appropriation or fund) because staff authorized a $2,266,085 payment to Tennessee in 

October from an account that had expired at the end of September. The investigation said that EAC’s 

Acting Executive Director and Chief Operation Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Accounting Director 

and the Director of Grants Management all approved the payment. Only the Chief Financial Officer knew 

that the funds were from a one-year appropriation that would expire on September 30. However, the 

Chief Financial Officer believed that EAC had until the afternoon of October 1 to complete the 

disbursement; and because of the Government shutdown (October 1, through October 16, 2013) she 

treated October 17 as the first day of the next fiscal year. The U.S. Attorney declined criminal 

prosecution of the case.
Moving Forward

In fiscal year 2016 the U.S. Election Assistance Commission plans to build upon its core mission under 

HAVA of improving federal elections by providing assistance and resources to those states and localities 

who run elections. The Commission has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time and will continue to 

push forward to improve the EAC and help enhance election administration across the country.

While a great deal was achieved in fiscal year 2015, there is still much to do. In consultation with NIST, 

the Commission’s development committee will begin the process of writing new voting system standards 

that will allow states to better serve their voters through the use of new innovative technology. 

With a new Executive Director and General Counsel on board, commissioners have embarked on a 

“#BeReady16” series of events, including a roundtable with election officials from battleground 

jurisdictions, and a webcast on solutions to election mail issues. The EAC will continue to help 

jurisdictions prepare for elections this year by hosting events on, among others, minority language 

compliance, voter registration list maintenance, and accessibility issues for voters with disabilities, and 

serving as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration.

Commissioners and staff are excited and energized to embark on this election year and to continue to 

assist our election officials, work to improve election administration across the country, advance the 

democratic process, and ultimately, serve the voters so they will have confidence and trust in the 

American electoral process. 
Commissioners’ Biographies

Commissioner Christy A. McCormick, Chairwoman

Christy A. McCormick was nominated by President Barack H. Obama and confirmed by unanimous 

consent of the United States Senate on December 16, 2014, to serve on the U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission (EAC). Her term of service extends through December 12, 2015.

Prior to her appointment with the EAC, Commissioner McCormick served as a Senior Trial Attorney in the 

Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, a position she held from 2006 

until her appointment. In this role, Ms. McCormick was responsible for investigating and prosecuting 

violations of Federal voting statutes, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, 

the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and the Military and Overseas 

Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE). Additionally, Ms. McCormick worked with election officials to monitor 

compliance with the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), the Military and 

Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE), the Voting Rights Act minority language requirements, and 

administration of elections. She has observed numerous elections, mentored and worked with election 

officials in polling places all across America. 

Ms. McCormick was detailed by the Deputy Attorney General to be Senior Attorney Advisor and Acting 

Deputy Rule of Law Coordinator in the Office of the Rule of Law Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in 

Baghdad, Iraq from October 2009 to November 2010, where she worked on the Iraq national elections 

and on rule of law matters. Ms. McCormick was a U.S. elections expert in Iraq observing and monitoring 

the 2010 Iraq National elections, providing assistance and advice to the Independent High Electoral 

Commission and witnessing an extensive 12-day election re-count. She was a rule of law liaison to the 

Kurdish Regional Government and a liaison to rule of law advisors at the Provincial Reconstruction 

Teams.

Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Ms. McCormick served as a Judicial Clerk to the Honorable 

Elizabeth A. McClanahan in the Court of Appeals of Virginia from 2003 to 2006. Ms. McCormick was an 

Assistant Attorney General and Assistant to the Solicitor General in the Office of the Attorney General of 

Virginia from 2001 to 2003. She was a Judicial Law Clerk in the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court from 1999 

to 2001.

Ms. McCormick received her B.A. from the University of Buffalo and a J.D. with honors from the George 

Mason University School of Law, and also attended the William & Mary School of Law. 
Commissioner Thomas Hicks, Vice-Chair

Thomas Hicks was nominated by President Barack H. Obama and confirmed by unanimous consent of 

the United States Senate on December 16, 2014 to serve on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

(EAC). His term of service extends through December 12, 2017.

Prior to his appointment with the EAC, Commissioner Hicks served as a Senior Elections Counsel and 

Minority Elections Counsel on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration, a 

position he held from 2003 to 2014. In this role Mr. Hicks was responsible for issues relating to campaign 

finance, election reform, contested elections and oversight of both the Election Assistance Commission 

and Federal Election Commission. His primary responsibility was advising and providing guidance to the 

committee members and caucus on election issues. Mr. Hicks has talked with Americans in every state 

about their voting experiences. In addition, he has worked with state and local election officials across 

America to address critical election concerns. 

Prior to joining the U.S. House of Representatives, Mr. Hicks served as a Senior Lobbyist and Policy 

Analyst from 2001 to 2003 for Common Cause, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that empowers 

citizens to make their voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to 

the public interest. Mr. Hicks has enjoyed working with state and local election officials, civil rights 

organizations and all other stakeholders to improve the voting process.

Mr. Hicks served from 1993 to 2001 in the Clinton Administration as a Special Assistant and Legislative 

Assistant in the Office of Congressional Relations for the Office of Personnel Management. He served as 

agency liaison to the United State Congress and the President’s Administration on matters regarding 

Federal personnel policies and regulations.

Mr. Hicks received his J.D. from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and his B.A. 

in Government from Clark University (Worcester, MA). He also studied at the University of London 

(London, England) and law at the University of Adelaide (Adelaide, Australia). 

Commissioner Matthew Masterson

Matthew Masterson was nominated by President Barack H. Obama and confirmed by unanimous consent 

of the United States Senate on December 16, 2014 to serve on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

(EAC). His term of service extends through December 12, 2017.

Prior to his appointment with the EAC, Commissioner Masterson served as Interim Chief of Staff for the 

Ohio Secretary of State, a position he held since November 2014, he previously served as Deputy Chief 

of Staff and Chief Information Officer from 2013 to 2014, as well as Deputy Director of Elections from

2011 to 2013. In these roles, Mr. Masterson was responsible for voting system certification efforts by the 

Secretary of State’s office including being the liaison to the Ohio Board of Voting Machine Examiners. 

Additionally, Mr. Masterson was in charge of Ohio’s effort to develop an online voter registration database 
and online ballot delivery for military and overseas voters. He is widely regarded as an expert on 

elections administration throughout Ohio and the country.

Prior to joining the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office, Mr. Masterson held multiple roles at the Election 

Assistance Commission from 2006 to 2011. Mr. Masterson was Deputy Director for the EAC’s Voting 

System Testing and Certification Program. In this role Mr. Masterson’s primary responsibility was the 

creation of the next iteration of the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG). Mr. Masterson worked 

with the EAC’s Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC) and the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (NIST) in the creation of the TGDC’s recommended Voluntary Voting System 

Guidelines. In addition to these responsibilities, Mr. Masterson managed the day to day business of the 

EAC’s laboratory accreditation program including the creation of the EAC’s Voting System Test 

Laboratory Program Manual. Prior to this position Mr. Masterson joined the EAC in 2006 as a Special 

Assistant/Counsel to Chairman Paul DeGregorio.

Mr. Masterson was admitted to practice law in the State of Ohio in November of 2006. Mr. Masterson 

graduated from The University of Dayton School of Law in May 2006. At the University of Dayton Mr. 

Masterson served as the Chief Justice of the Moot Court program and Student Bar Association Vice 

President. Prior to law school Mr. Masterson received BS and BA degrees from Miami University in 

Oxford, OH. 

Executive Officers’ Biographies

Brian D. Newby, Executive Director

By unanimous vote of the Commissioners, Brian D. Newby was appointed to a four-year term as 

Executive Director for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) beginning in November 2015. In 

this position, Mr. Newby is charged with implementing the Commission’s policies and its mission under 

the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and he oversees the day-to-day operations at the EAC in all program 

areas, while managing a $10 million budget.

Upon his arrival Newby remarked, “I can’t wait to be part of the energy that is building at the EAC and be 

part of high-powered, responsive resource to the election administration community in this important 

presidential election cycle and in the years ahead,”

Prior to his service at the EAC, Mr. Newby served as the Election Commissioner in Johnson County, 

Kansas, for eleven years. In this position, he administered more elections than any of his predecessors 

and was the only Election Commissioner in state history to have been appointed by both Republican and 

Democratic Secretaries of State. During his tenure, the office received national recognition for 

operational and technological innovation excellence.
During Newby's tenure, the Johnson County election office frequently received national recognition from 

the professional, civic and academic communities for its operational excellence and innovative use of 

technology. Newby became known as a leader in his field and appeared on numerous panels of experts 

examining the rapidly changing field of elections administration and its embrace of technology.

Newby serves on the Election Center Legislative Committee, is a member of the International Association 

of Clerks, Recorders, and Election Officials (IACREOT) and is a former board member of the National 

Association of County Records, Election Officials, and Clerks (NACRC).

He has served on several National League of Cities committees, including FAIR (Finance, Administration, 

and Inter-governmental Relations), CED (Community and Economic Development), First-Tier Suburbs, 

and the Municipalities in Transition panel on Family and Communities.

Before becoming Election Commissioner, Newby worked 20 years at Sprint in Overland Park, KS, in 

various executive positions including operations, sales, public relations, marketing, business 

development, and strategic planning. He led the sales initiative to sign three of Sprint's 25-largest 

contracts and led the marketing of Telecommunications Relay Service from start-up to market share 

leader with annual revenues of more than $65 million. He was also part of the wholesale executive 

leadership team that doubled annual revenue from $600 million to $1.2 billion in three years, from 1996 to 

1999. In 2001 Newby received the Frost & Sullivan Market Engineering Award for Internet Marketing 

Strategy Leadership for Wholesale Telecommunications.

His last position at Sprint was director-strategic planning and industry analysis. He worked as the 

business division's planning point person for Sprint's restructuring as it transformed from separate 

wireless and wireline divisions to business and consumer divisions.

Even while in private industry, Newby was interested in government. In 2002, he was elected to the City 

Council in Shawnee, KS, (population 63,000) where he chaired the Finance and Administration 

Committee and the Public Works and Safety Committee. He also served as the city's representative on 

the Shawnee Economic Development Council and the Johnson County Stormwater Management 

Advisory Committee. He resigned from the City Council in 2005 to become Election Commissioner.

Newby also served as a faculty member at the School of Professional and Graduate Studies at Baker 

University in Baldwin City, KS, where he taught on-ground and online MBA courses in executive 

leadership, strategic planning and marketing. While there, his teaching colleagues elected him to serve in 

the school's Faculty Senate.

A native of Kansas City, MO, Newby graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a 

Master's Degree in Public Administration, with an emphasis in policy and planning, and a Bachelor's 

Degree in communications studies, with an emphasis in public relations. He is a former board member of 

the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
Clifford D. Tatum, General Counsel

Clifford D. Tatum serves as General Counsel for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). He is 

the former Executive Director for the District of Columbia Board of Elections. Prior to becoming the 

director of the DC Board of Elections, he served as an elections attorney providing consultative and legal 

services to state, county, and local election officials nationwide. 

He specialized in providing election officials with compliance support in meeting the mandates of the Help 

America Vote Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Uniform Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting 

Act, and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, along with other Federal and state regulatory schemes enacted to 

regulate the elections process.

Prior to becoming an elections consultant, Tatum served as the Interim Director of the Georgia State 

Elections Division and as an Assistant Director of Legal Affairs for the Georgia Secretary of State. In both 

roles, Tatum assisted with the creation, implementation and enforcement of Federal and state election 

initiatives enacted by the United States Congress and the Georgia General Assembly. 

During his tenure with the Georgia Secretary of State, Tatum contributed to the development of public 

policy and procedures for conducting elections in the State of Georgia pursuant to Federal and state laws, 

acted as a legislative lobbyist for the Secretary of State, conducted administrative investigations and 

enforcement proceedings under the Georgia Election Code, and participated in state and national election 

conferences focusing on election administration and reform involving Federal and state election laws. 

Prior to working for the Georgia Secretary of State, Tatum was an active trial attorney practicing 

commercial and general litigation in Atlanta Georgia. He also served as a Deputy Solicitor General for 

the City of East Point in the State of Georgia. 

Tatum is an alumnus of Thomas M. Cooley Law School and a graduate from Guilford College 

Greensboro, North Carolina with a degree in Administration of Justice. 

Alice P. Miller, Chief Operating Officer

Alice P. Miller served as chief operating officer for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), from 

June 2008 through December 2015. Ms. Miller managed the day-to-day operations at the EAC in all 

program areas and served as the EAC’s acting executive director from 2012 through 2015. Ms. Miller’s 

leadership role at the EAC enabled the agency to serve its mission while integrating policies and 

procedures aimed at improving efficiency and transparency.

Ms. Miller came to the EAC after serving as the former general counsel and executive director of the 

District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. As executive director, she served the district’s 

340,000 active voters and managed a $5.2 million budget. During her 12 years in this role, she was 

responsible for overseeing and managing all aspects of elections, from voter registration to ballot access 
for candidates and measures. She also directed the management of voter rolls and supervised the 

recruitment, training and deployment of 2,500 poll workers.

Prior to her service at the EAC, Ms. Miller served in 2003 as president of the National Association of State 

Election Directors (NASED). She also served on two of the EAC’s external advisory boards, the 

Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC), which assists the EAC in developing the 

Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG), and the EAC Standards Board. Before the creation of the 

EAC, Ms. Miller served on the Election Administration Advisory Panel for the Federal Election 

Commission. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Election Center. 

Ms. Miller holds a juris doctor degree from Northeastern University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts 

from Boston College.
FISCAL YEAR 2015 ANNUAL REPORT – EAC BOARD OF ADVISERS

Appointed by First 

Name

Last

Name Title City State

Architectural and 

Transportation Barrier 

Compliance Board

Marc Guthrie Public Member, U.S. 

Access Board Newark OH

Architectural and 

Transportation Barrier 

Compliance Board

Mat McCollough Public Member, U.S. 

Access Board Washington DC

Chief, Public Integrity 

Section, Criminal Division, 

U.S. Dept. of Justice

Richard Pilger

U.S. Department of 

Justice, Director, Election 

Crimes Branch

Washington DC

Chief, Voting Section, Civil 

Division, U.S. Dept. of 

Justice

Chris Herren

Civil Rights Division

U. S. Department of 

Justice

Washington DC

Committee on House 

Administration – Ranking 

Member

Gregory Moore Citizen member Upper Marlboro MD

Committee on House 

Administration – Ranking 

Member

James Burn, Jr. Attorney

Abes Baumann, P.C. Pittsburgh PA

Committee on House 

Administration – Chair Vacant

Committee on House 

Administration – Chair Vacant

Director, Federal Voting 

Assistance Program, U. S. 

Department of Defense

Matthew Boehmer

Director, Federal Voting 

Assistance Program, U.S. 

DOD

Alexandria VA

International Association of 

Clerks, Recorders, Election

Officials and Treasurers

Michael B. Winn Travis County Director of 

Elections Austin TX

International Association of 

Clerks, Recorders, Election 

Officials and Treasurers

Linda von Nessi

Clerk of the Essex 

County Board of 

Elections

Newark NJ

National Association of 

Counties Helen Purcell Maricopa County Recorder Phoenix AZ

National Association of 

Counties Wendy Noren Boone County Clerk Columbia MO

National Association of 

County Recorders, Election 

Officials and Clerks

Jan Kralovec Director of Elections, 

Cook County Chicago IL

National Association of 

County Recorders, Election 

Officials and Clerks

Neal Kelley Registrar of Voters, 

Orange County Santa Ana CA

National Association of 

Secretaries of State Denise Merrill Secretary of State, Connecticut Hartford CT

National Association of 

Secretaries of State Tom Schedler Secretary of State, Louisiana Baton Rouge LA

National Association of 

State Election Directors Christopher Thomas Director of Elections,State of Michigan Lansing MI
FISCAL YEAR 2015 ANNUAL REPORT – EAC BOARD OF ADVISERS

Appointed by First 

Name

Last

Name Title City State

National Association of 

State Election Directors Linda Lamone

Administrator of 

Elections, Maryland 

State Board of Elections

Annapolis MD

National Conference of 

State Legislatures David Blount Mississippi State Senator Jackson MS

National Conference of 

State Legislatures John Murante Nebraska State Senator Gretna NE

National Governors Assn. Vacant

National Governors Assn. Vacant

Senate Rules & Admn. 

Committee - Ranking 

Member

James Dickson Co-Chair Voting Rights 

Task Force Washington DC

Senate Rules & Admn. 

Committee – Ranking 

Member

Barbara Bartoletti

Legislative Director, 

League of Women’s 

Voters of NY State

N. Greenbush NY

Senate Rules & Admn. 

Committee - Chair Kathyrne Harper Howard County Clerk Fayette MO

Senate Rules & Admn. 

Committee – Chair Shane Schoeller Greene County Clerk Springfield MO

The Election Center Tim Mattice Executive Director Katy TX

The Election Center Ernie Hawkins Chair, Board Of Directors Elk Grove CA

U.S. Commission on Civil 

Rights

Patricia TimmonsGoodson Vice Chair Washington DC

U.S. Commission on Civil 

Rights Michael Yaki Commissioner Washington DC

U.S. House Minority Leader Vacant

U.S. House Speaker Vacant

U.S. Senate Majority 

Leader Sarah Ball Johnson City Clerk Colorado Springs CO

U.S. Senate Minority 

Leader Dr. Barbara Simmons Researcher, Assn. for Computing Machinery San Francisco CA

United States Conference 

of Mayors Vacant

United States Conference 

of Mayors Vacant
Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Report – EAC Standards Board

State Designee First Last Title City State

Alabama State John Merrill Alabama Secretary of 

State Montgomery AL

Alabama Local Steven Reed Probate Judge Montgomery AL

Alaska State Gail Fenumiai Director, State 

Division of Elections Juneau AK

Alaska Local Shelly Growden Election Systems 

Manager Anchorage AK

American 

Samoa State VACANT

American 

Samoa Local VACANT

Arizona State Eric Spencer State Election Director Phoenix AZ

Arizona Local Reynaldo Valenzuela, Jr. Assistant Director of 

Elections Phoenix AZ

Arkansas State Chad Pekron

Attorney, 

Quattlebaum, 

Grooms, Tull & Barrow

Little Rock AR

Arkansas Local Melanie Clark Jackson County Clerk Newport AR

California State Ryan Macias Voting Systems 

Analyst Sacramento CA

California Local Neal Kelley Registrar of Voters, 

Orange County Santa Ana CA

Colorado State Dwight K. Shellman III

County Support 

Manager, Colorado 

Department of State, 

Elections Division

Denver CO

Colorado Local Rudy Santos

Chief Deputy Clerk, 

Weld County Clerk & 

Recorder's Office

Greeley CO

Connecticut State Peggy Reeves

Assistant to the 

Secretary of State for 

Elections, Legislative 

& Intergovernmental 

Affairs

Hartford CT

Connecticut Local Timothy DeCarlo Registrar of Voters Waterbury CT

Delaware State Elaine Manlove State Election 

Commissioner Dover DE

Delaware Local Howard Scholl

Deputy Director 

Department of 

Election for New 

Castle County

Wilmington DE

District of 

Columbia State VACANT

District of 

Columbia Local Stephen Danzansky Board Member Washington DC

Florida State Maria Matthews Division Director 

Division of Elections Tallahassee FL
State Designe

e First Last Title City Stat

e

Florida Local Paul Lux

Okaloosa County 

Supervisor of 

Elections

Crestview FL

Georgia State Brian Kemp Georgia Secretary of 

State Atlanta GA

Georgia Local Lynn Bailey Richmond County 

Elections Director Augusta GA

Guam State Maria I.D. Pangelinan

Executive Director, 

Guam Election 

Commission

Hagatna GU

Guam Local Joseph Iseke

Election Program 

Coordinator, Guam 

Election Commission

Hagatna GU 

Hawaii State Aulii Tenn

Counting Center 

Section Head, Office 

of Elections

Pearl City HI

Hawaii Local Shirley Magarifuji Election Administrator, 

County of Maui Wailuku HI

Idaho State Tim Hurst Chief Deputy 

Secretary of State Boise ID

Idaho Local Patty Weeks Nez Perce County 

Clerk Lewiston ID

Illinois State Becky Glazer

Assistant to Executive 

Director, Illinois State 

Board of Elections

Springfield IL

Illinois Local Lance Gough

Executive Director, 

Chicago Board of 

Election Commission

Chicago IL

Indiana State J. Bradley King Indiana Election 

Division Director Indianapolis IN

Indiana Local Terri Rethlake Clerk of Circuit Court, 

St. Joseph County South Bend IN

Iowa State Carol Olson Deputy Secretary of 

State Des Moines IA

Iowa Local Grant Veeder Black Hawk County 

Auditor Waterloo IA

Kansas State Bryan Caskey Deputy Assistant 

Secretary of State Topeka KS

Kansas Local Pauline Lee Atchison County Clerk Atchison KS

Kentucky State Maryellen Allen

Executive Director, 

State Board of 

Elections

Frankfort KY

Kentucky Local Barbara Holscclaw Jefferson County 

Clerk Louisville KY

Louisiana State Angie Rogers Commissioner of 

Elections

Baton 

Rouge

LA

Louisiana Local Louis Perret Clerk of Court, 

Lafayette Parish Lafayette LA

Maine State Julie Flynn Deputy Secretary of 

State Augusta ME

Maine Local Katherine Jones Portland City Clerk Portland ME
State Designe

e First Last Title City Stat

e

Maryland State Nikki Charlson

Deputy Administrator, 

Maryland State Board 

of Elections

Annapolis MD

Maryland Local Katie Brown Election Director Catonsville MD

Massachusetts State Michelle Tassinari

Director/Legal 

Counsel, Elections 

Division, Office of 

Secretary of the 

Commonwealth

Boston MA

Massachusetts Local John McGarry

Executive Director, 

Elections Commission 

City of Brockton

Brockton MA

Michigan State Sally Williams

Director, Election 

Liaison Division, 

Michigan Bureau of 

Elections

Lansing MI

MichiganLocal Jan Roncelli Clerk, Bloomfield 

Township

Bloomfield 

Township MI

Minnesota State Gary Poser Director of Elections Saint Paul MN

Minnesota Local Sharon Anderson Cass County Auditor

-

Treasurer Walker MN

Mississippi State Amanda Frusha Director of Elections 

Compliance Jackson MS

Mississippi Local Baretta Mosely Lafayette County 

Circuit Clerk Oxford MS

Missouri State Julie Allen

Director of Elections, 

Missouri Secretary of 

State

Jefferson 

City MO

Missouri Local Dennis Von Allmen Howell County Clerk West Plains MO

Montana State Lisa Kimmet Deputy, Elections and 

Government Services Helena MT

Montana Local Charlotte Mills

Gallatin County Clerk 

and Recorder/Election 

Administrator

Bozeman MT

Nebraska State L. Erickson Deputy Secretary of 

State for Elections

Lincoln NE

Nebraska Local David Shively

Lancaster County 

Election 

Commissioner

Lincoln NE

Nevada State Justus Wendland HAVA Administrator Carson City NV

Nevada Local Joseph Gloria Registrar of Voter 

Clerk County

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, New Jersey 

Division of Elections Trenton NJ

New Jersey Local Linda von Nessi Essex County Clerk of 

Elections Newark NJ

New Mexico State Kari Fresquez Bureau of Elections 

Director Santa Fe NM
State Designee First Last Title City State

New Mexico Local Dave Kunko Chaves County Clerk Roswell NM

New York State Douglas Kellner

Commissioner, CoChair, New York State 

Board of Elections

New York NY

New York Local Rachel Bledi

Commissioner, Albany 

County Board of 

Elections

Albany NY

North Carolina State Veronica Degraffenreid Election Preparation & 

Support Manager Raleigh NC

North Carolina Local Michael Dickerson Mecklenbury County 

Director of Elections Charlotte NC

North Dakota State Jim Silrum Deputy Secretary of 

State Bismarck ND

North Dakota Local Casey Bradley Stutsman County 

Auditor Jamestown ND

Ohio State Patricia Wolfe

Election Administrator, 

Ohio Secretary of 

State

Columbus OH

Ohio Local Steve Harsman

Deputy Director, 

Montgomery County 

Board of Elections

Dayton OH

Oklahoma State Carol Morris

Assistant Director, 

Support Services, 

Oklahoma State 

Election Board

Oklahoma 

City OK

Oklahoma Local Doug Sanderson Secretary, Oklahoma 

County Election Board

Oklahoma 

City OK 

Oregon State Jim Williams Elections Director Salem OR 

Oregon Local Derrin Robinson Harney County Clerk Burns OR

Pennsylvania State Marian Schneider

Deputy Secretary for 

Elections and 

Administation

Harrisburg PA

Pennsylvania Local Jeffrey Greenburg

Director, Mercer 

County Voter 

Registration

West 

Middlesex PA

Puerto Rico State Ramon Santos Ayudante del 

Comisionado San Juan PR

Puerto Rico Local Walter Martinez Secretario Dorado PR

Rhode Island State Rob Rock Director of Elections Providence RI

Rhode Island Local Jan Ruggiero

Clerk, North 

Providence Board of 

Elections

North 

Providence RI

South 

Carolina State Marci Andino Executive Director Columbia SC

South 

Carolina

Local Shirley Black-Oliver

County Election 

Director, Clarendon 

County Registration & 

Elections

Manning SC

South Dakota State Kristin Kellar South Dakota HAVA 

Coordinator Pierre SD

South Dakota Local Jerry Schwarting Mellette County 

Auditor White River SD

Tennessee State Mark Goins Coordinator of Elections Nashville TN
State Designe

e First Last Title City Stat

e

Tennessee Local A.J. Starling

Davidson County 

Election 

Commissioner

Nashville TN

Texas State Keith Ingram

Director, Elections 

Division, Texas 

Secretary of State

Austin TX

Texas Local Dana DeBeauvoir Travis County Clerk Austin TX

Utah State Mark Thomas Director of Elections Salt Lake 

City UT

Utah Local Sherrie Swensen Salt Lake County 

Clerk

Salt Lake 

City UT

Vermont State William Senning

Director of Election & 

Campaign Montpelier VT

Vermont Local Sandra Pinsonault Dorset (VT) Town 

Clerk Dorset VT

Virgin Islands State Caroline Fawkes Supervisor of 

Elections Kingshill VI

Virgin Islands Local Genevieve Whitaker Deputy Supervisor of 

Elections Kingshill VI

Virginia State Edgardo Cortes Commissioner of 

Elections Richmond VA

Virginia Local Greg Riddlemoser General Registrar Stafford VA

Washington State Stuart Holmes Election Information 

Services Supervisor Olympia WA

Washington Local Kristina Swanson Cowlitz County 

Auditor Kelso WA

West Virginia State Layna Valentine

-

Brown State Election Director Charleston WV

West Virginia Local Brian Wood Putnam County Clerk Winfield WV

Wisconsin State Michael Haas Elections Division 

Administrator Madiso

n WI

Wisconsin Local Barbara 

K.D. Goeckner Germantown Village Clerk Germantown WI

Wyoming State Kai Schon State Election Director Cheyenne WY

Wyoming Local Jackie Gonzales Albany County Clerk Laramie WY
Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Report

Technical Guidelines Development Committee

Appointed by First Last Title City State

Director of 

NIST

Dr. Willie E. May Under Secretary of Commerce for 

Standards and Technology

Director, National Institute for 

Standards and Technology

Gaithersburg MD

Standards 

Board Robert Giles Director, New Jersey Division of Elections Trenton NJ

Standards 

Board Greg Riddlemoser General Registrar Stafford VA

Board of 

Advisors

Linda Lamone Maryland Administrator of Elections Annapolis MD

Board of 

Advisors

Helen Purcell Recorder, Maricopa County Arizona Phoenix AZ

Access Board March Guthrie Public Member, U.S. Access Board Newark OH

Access Board Mat McCollough Public Member, U.S. Access Board Washington DC

ANSI Scott Cooper Vice President of Government 

Relations

Washington DC

IEEE Jeremy Epstein Senior Computer Scientist

NASED Lori Augino Washington State Director of 

Elections

Olympia WA

NASED Ross Hein Elections Supervisor, Wisconsin 

Government Accountability Board

Madison WI

Other Tech/Sci McDermot Coutts

Other Tech/Sci Dr. Diane 

Cordry

Golden Program Coordinator, Association of 

Assistive Technology Act Programs

Grain Valley MO

Other Tech/Sci Jeramy Gray CIO, Registrar Recorder/County 

Clerk

Los Angeles CA

Other Tech/Sci David Wagner Professor of Computer Science, 

UCLA – Berkeley

Berkeley CA

Access Board = Architectural and Transportation Barrier Compliance Board
2015 Tally Votes

Title Decided by Vote of: Date Transmitted Certified Date

1. Appointing Thomas 

Hicks as the Designated 

Federal Officer to the EAC 

Board of Advisors. 3 3/16/2015 3/26/2015

2. Appointing Matthew V. 

Masterson as the 

Designated Federal Officer 

to the EAC Technical 

Guidelines Development 

Committee. 3 3/16/2015 3/26/2015

3. Appointing Christy A. 

McCormick as the 

Designated Federal Officer 

to the EAC Standards 

Board. 3 3/16/2015 3/26/2015

4. Policy Regarding 

Authority to Issue Funding 

Decisions on Use of HAVA 

Funds. 3 5/28/2015 5/28/2015

5. 2014 EAC Election 

Administration and Voting 

Survey (EAVS) 

Comprehensive Report. 3 6/26/2015 6/29/2015

6. Guidance on the use of 

Help America Vote Act 

(HAVA) Funds. 3 8/12/2015 8/14/2015
U. S. Election Assistance Commission

1335 East-West Highway

Suite 4300

Silver Spring MD 20910-3225

www.eac.gov

866-747-1471 (toll free)