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Standards Board Newsletter 

May 2016 

Volume 3, Issue 2 

Executive Board of the Standards Board 

Brad King, IN State, Chair 

Mark Goins TN State, Vice-Chair 

Edgardo Cortes, VA State, Secretary 

Paul Lux, FL Local 

Gary Poser, MN State 

Jerry Schwarting, SD Local 

Rey Valenzuela, AZ Local 

Genevieve Whitaker, VI Local 

Sally Williams, MI State 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

1335 E West Highway Suite 4300 Silver Spring, MD 20910 

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Letter from the Chair 

Congratulations to all for a Successful 2016 Standards Board Meeting! 

Some 86 members of the Standards Board gathered in Carlsbad, California for the April 14-15, 2016 Standards Board meeting. 

On the day before the meeting officially convened, several members had a very informative and inspiring tour of Camp 

Pendleton, the nearby Marine Corps base where recruits from the western two-thirds of the United States receive their training. 

We had interesting discussions with several Marines regarding their experiences with absentee voting, which they reported was 

both convenient and encouraged by their unit’s officers. We also witnessed just a small part of the grueling culmination of recruit 

training known as “the Crucible.” In this three-day long exercise, recruits perform a series of hazardous and demanding tasks 

with just four hours of sleep and three modest meals. The sight of these small groups of soon-to-be Marines struggling to 

accomplish their challenging goals, while helping each other do the same, was an inspiring reminder that we too must work 

together to fulfill our duty to the voters to provide them with the most organized and efficient election possible. 

We then toured the beautiful campus where the San Diego County Election Office is located. The county offices are in a 

contemporary setting featuring abstract sculptures, with a facility providing everything from voting equipment warehousing and 

poll worker training, to extensive voter outreach efforts. The very friendly county election staff answered a wide variety of 

questions we posed to gain perspective on how they perform these election related tasks. 

The next day, our meeting convened. We were welcomed by all three EAC Commissioners: Tom Hicks, who serves as Chair, 

Matt Masterson, who serves as Vice-Chair, and Christy McCormick, who serves as the Designated Federal Officer for the 

Standards Board. We also welcomed several new Standards Board members who had been designated to serve following last 

year’s meeting in Williamsburg. 

We then conducted our own election to fill two vacancies on the Executive Board. Genevieve Whitaker was elected to fill the 

remainder of the term of Sandi Wesolowski, while Sally Williams was elected to serve the remainder of the term of Peggy 

Nighswonger. We welcome them both as members of the Executive Board! 

Cliff Tatum, EAC General Counsel, and Brian Newby, EAC Executive Director, provided useful overviews of EAC’s operations, 

and how the agency (and the Standards Board) function under the framework of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Mark 

Abbott of EAC staff updated us regarding grants and audits. 

Bob Giles and Greg Riddlemoser, our representatives on the Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC), were 

joined by Dr. Sharon Laskowski of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). They provided us with an update 

on the work of the TGDC and recommendations from that body. They indicated that work on developing new Voluntary Voting 

System Guidelines had begun and would be based on voting system core principles formulated by the National Association of 

State Election Directors (NASED). The specific standards to be set forth in the new VVSG would be linked to these core 

principles to ensure that no extraneous or obsolete standards were included. They announced that the TGDC’s goal was to have 

the new VVSG completed in 2018. To accomplish this task, the TGDC plans to submit “chapters” of the proposed Guidelines for 

review as soon as the drafts of those chapters are completed, rather than wait for the completion of a very lengthy draft for 

review to begin. The Standards Board voted to endorse the development of new Guidelines based on the NASED core 

principles, and the submission of proposed Guidelines for review in sections, rather than in a single document. 

At lunch, members welcomed Ron Stroman, Deputy Postmaster General, who discussed issues related to the processing of 

election mail, and addressed questions regarding the impact of consolidation of USPS facilities. 

Board members then heard from Brian Hancock, EAC Testing and Certification Director, concerning testing and certification of 

voting systems, and from Mark Abbott and Bryan Whitener, EAC Communications Director, regarding the rollout of the EAC’s 

new website. 

The Board received a briefing from the Honorable Tom Schedler, Secretary of State of Louisiana, and President of the National 

Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), and Leslie Reynolds, Executive Director of NASS, regarding the election-related 

work of that organization, and Secretary Schedler’s initiative to encourage voters to honor individual veterans when casting their 

ballots. Merle King of the Center for Election Systems at Kennesaw State University was joined by Brian Hancock for a 

presentation regarding the State Testing and Certification Consortium, whose annual meetings were described by several Board 

members as being particularly valuable to attend. 

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The next day, the meeting resumed with a presentation from the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s Director, Matt Boehmer, 

regarding FVAP’s work on behalf of military and overseas voters. We then conducted breakout committee meetings for the 

newly reappointed members of the VVSG, EAC Clearinghouse, EAVS, USPS, and Bylaws committees, while the EAC 

commissioners provided an “open mic” opportunity for all members to raise questions and discuss issues with them. After the 

chairs of the committees presented reports, the Standards Board considered and adopted three amendments to the Bylaws. 

Many thanks to the members of the Standards Board who actively participated in our Carlsbad meeting and in the work of the 

newly reconstituted committees. Thanks also to the EAC Commissioners and staff who worked diligently for several months to 

prepare for this meeting and who ensured that this meeting was conducted smoothly and efficiently. Finally, thanks go to the 

friendly Carlsbad Sheraton staff who were always courteous and helpful. 

We can all take pride in the success of our Carlsbad meeting. Building on the solid foundation of our inaugural work in 

Williamsburg, the Standards Board is moving forward to greater accomplishments in the years ahead. 

Brad King, Chair 

Executive Board Elects New Officers; 

Committee Members and Chairs Appointed 

The Executive Board met on the evening of April 14, and elected new officers for the term beginning April 29, 2016: 

Mark Goins, TN, Chair 

Edgardo Cortes, VA, Vice-Chair 

Brad King, IN, Secretary 

Mark Goins was also elected to fill the existing vacancy in the office of Vice-Chair for the final two weeks of the term ending April 

29, 2016. 

Thanks to the efforts of the Standards Board members who used the Survey Monkey to indicate their interest in serving on 

various committees, the Board’s work in designating committee members was far more efficient and organized this year. We all 

greatly appreciate your assistance. 

The following committee members and chairs were appointed. The Chair of the Executive Board serves as an ex officio member 

of all committees 

By-Laws Committee: Brad King, Chair; Michael Haas; Maria Pangelinian; Gary Poser, Howard Sholl; Kris Swanson; Grant 

Veeder 

EAC Clearinghouse Committee: Genevieve Whitaker, Chair; Veronica Degraffenreid; Joseph Gloria; Michael Haas; Brad King; 

Dave Kunko; Maria Matthews; Rudy Santos; Patty Weeks; Sally Williams 

EAVS Committee: Edgardo Cortes, Chair; Marci Andino; Lynn Bailey; Nikki Charlson; Stuart Holmes; Lisa Kimmet; Gary Poser; 

Howard Sholl; Michelle Tassinari; Mark Thomas; Carol Thompson; Patricia Wolfe 

Executive Director Search: Brad King, Chair; Maryellen Allen; Josie Bahnke; Edgardo Cortes; Steve Harsman; Carol Olson; 

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Rob Rock; Jan Roncelli 

Nominating Committee: Jerry Schwarting, Chair; Lynn Bailey; Steve Harsman; Lisa Kimmet; Rob Rock 

Proxy Committee: Gary Poser, Chair; Marci Andino; Maria Pangelinan; Justus Wendland; Patricia Wolfe 

Resolutions Committee: Brad King, Chair; Douglas Kellner; Layna Valentine-Brown; Justus Wendland; Genevieve Whitaker 

TGDC Representatives: Robert Giles; Greg Riddlemoser 

USPS Committee: Sally Williams, Chair; Josie Bahnke; Edgardo Cortes; Barbara K.D. Goeckner; Jackie Gonzales; Brad King; 

Charlotte Mills; Carol Olson; Derrin (Dag) Robinson; Dennis Shively; Justus Wendland 

Voting System Standards Committee; Paul Lux, Chair; Robert Dezmelyk; Kari Fresquez; Lance Gough; Tim Hurst; Keith 

Ingram; Katherine Jones; Sandra Pinsonault; Angie Rodgers; Marian Schneider; Dwight Shellman; Jim Silrum; Reynaldo 

Valenzuela, Jr.; Linda Von Nessi 

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