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HELP AMERICA VOTE

COLLEGE PROGRAM 

PRESS & SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLKIT

March 1, 2024 

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Press & Social Media Toolkit for HAVCP 

Introduction 

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission Office of Grants management created this toolkit to 

provide Help America Vote College Program grantees with quality resources and information 

to promote their poll worker recruitment and training programs. 

The Help America Vote College Program encourages college students to assist state and local 

governments in the administration of elections by serving as nonpartisan poll workers and 

elevates civic participation on college campuses. By encouraging college students to become 

poll workers in their communities, HAVCP is addressing the critical shortage of poll workers 

and helping to ensure election offices have the staff they need to administer elections. 

Promoting Your HAVCP Program 

There are numerous public relations tactics that you can use to promote your program. 

• Press releases announce important developments to the public including the launch of

program activities and important upcoming events. For a sample HAVCP Press Release

see page 4 of this toolkit.

• Public statements are used to officially comment on external events while or after they

occur.

• Media advisories can be used to invite reporters and journalists to different public

events, such as press conferences, town halls, and forums.

When crafting content, consider the following best practices: 

• Plain language and direct wording and phrasing allow you to clearly communicate your

message without confusion. Avoid technical jargon and overwriting.

• Content should be crafted with a specific objective or audience in mind to ensure your

message has a strong impact.

• Messaging should be consistent and on-brand for your organization.

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Press & Social Media Toolkit for HAVCP 

Social Media 

Producing a steady stream of content can help promote your program and establish your 

organization as a trusted community resource for students interested in becoming poll 

workers. 

• If you do use social media, you are encouraged to tag the EAC and use the hashtags

#HelpAmericaVote and #HelpAmericaVote2024.

• The EAC provides several poll worker recruitment graphics in English and in Spanish that

you can download and use in your social media posts: htps://www.eac.gov/electionofficials/poll-worker-resources-election-officials

• National Poll Worker Recruitment Day on August 1, 2024 is a national day of action

established by the EAC to encourage people to help America vote by signing up to be a

poll worker. Highlight program activities for the day using the EAC’s National Poll

Worker Recruitment Day toolkit.

Using the EAC Logo 

For the usage of the EAC logo in the promotion of your HAVCP 

activities, the following style guide information applies 

EAC Primary Logo Alt Text: 

• Short: U.S. Election Assistance Commission circular logo.

• Long: U.S. Election Assistance Commission circular logo

featuring the agency name, a small waving American flag

along the top of the seal, and a ballot box with diodes

that spell “vote” in Braille at the botom of the seal.

To maintain the legibility and definition of the logo, the suggested minimum size 0.75 inches 

wide (the above sample logo is 2 inches wide). 

The logo should have a minimum of 0.25 inches clearance on all sides. To maintain visual 

integrity, no other graphics and/or text should enter that area.

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Press & Social Media Toolkit for HAVCP 

SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE TEMPLATE 

To announce your HAVCP award and program (Grantees may use or delete the sample text as 

needed, except for changes to the joint statement by the EAC Commissioners.) 

For Immediate Release 

[Insert Date] 

(Insert Office/College/Organization) Receives $XX,000 in

Help America Vote College Program Grants 

The grants, distributed by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, are intended to encourage 

college students to serve as nonpartisan poll workers 

[Insert Location] – Today, (insert office/college/organization) announced they were selected

as a recipient of a Help America Vote College Program (HAVCP) grant for $xx,000.The (insert

office/college/organization) is one of 21 recipients who were named as grantees by the U.S. 

Election Assistance Commission (EAC). 

In the FY 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Congress dedicated $1 million in funding for

grants to encourage college students to serve as nonpartisan poll workers for the first time 

since 2010. (insert office/college/organization) intends to use the funds for (insert details 

about the use of grant funding). 

Information on the grantees and details about the HAVCP grants can be found on the EAC’s 

website. 

Organizations selected for HAVCP awards include accredited colleges and universities, state 

and local election offices, and nonprofits across 19 states. HAVCP programming will engage 

more than 7,000 college students through targeted recruitment and training initiatives, civic 

education courses, and established partnerships with local stakeholders. 

The EAC received more than 40 applications for a total request of over $3.3 million in funding 

from a broad range of educational institutions, local governments, and organizations. The EAC 

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awarded the full $1 million in available HAVCP funding, including 14 Poll Worker Grants

totaling $937,050 and seven Service Day Mini-Grants totaling $62,950.

(Insert quote from head of office/college/organization)

EAC Chairman Ben Hovland , Vice Chair Donald Palmer, Commissioner Thomas Hicks, and 

Commissioner Christy McCormick, issued the following joint statement: 

“The relaunch of the Help America Vote College Program has come at a pivotal 

time for election offices across the country. The EAC looks forward to seeing how 

the recipients use these funds to engage young people as poll workers and in the 

election process. The agency appreciates Congress’ recognition of the need to 

develop the next generation of poll workers and election workers. We hope the 

efforts of grantees will benefit their communities, and we will provide updates as 

their programming moves forward.” 

According to the EAC’s Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS), about one million 

poll workers are needed for a presidential general election. In the face of recent poll worker 

shortages, the issues of poll worker recruitment, training, and retention became increasingly 

important. The EAVS reported that roughly just 14% of poll workers deployed during the 2022 

general election were between the ages of 18 and 40, indicating a continued need to recruit 

the next generation of poll workers. The hope is that by encouraging college students to sign 

up to become poll workers they will continue to assist in this election cycle and beyond. 

### 

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was established by the Help America Vote Act 

of 2002 (HAVA). It is an independent, bipartisan commission charged with ensuring secure, 

accurate, and accessible elections by developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, 

adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse of 

information on election administration. The EAC also accredits testing laboratories and 

certifies voting systems, as well as administers the use of HAVA funds. For more information, 

visit www.eac.gov. 

EAC Contact: Kristen Muthig 

Phone: 202-897-9285 

Email: kmuthig@eac.gov 

5 EAC | Helping America Vote 

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