HAVA AT 20: Building Trust in Elections

U.S. Election Assistance Commission and Pepperdine University

September 1, 2022

Welcome and Lunch Keynote – 11:00-12:00

Thomas Hicks, Chairman, U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Pete Peterson, Dean, Pepperdine University School of Public Policy

Prerecorded Keynote Remarks

• The Honorable Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator, Minnesota 

• The Honorable Roy Blunt, U.S. Senator, Missouri 

PANEL 1 – CONFIDENCE IN ELECTIONS – 12:15-1:30

An increase in mis- and disinformation, as well as unfounded allegations of election 

irregularities, has increased public distrust in election administration. This panel will discuss 

some of the data identifying trends for this issue and ways to address these challenges and 

improve confidence.

• Moderator: Chairman Thomas Hicks, U.S. Election Assistance Commission

• Mitchell Brown, Professor, Auburn University 

• Andrew Sinclair, Assistant Professor of Government, Claremont McKenna 

College

• Charles Stewart III, Founding Director, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Election Data and Science Lab

PANEL 2 – SECURITY AND TECHNOLOGY IN ELECTIONS – 1:30-2:45

Technology has transformed American elections over the past 20 years. The panel will discuss 

the role of modern election officials as Information Technology (IT) managers, which requires a 

unique set of attitudes, knowledge, and skills to plan, direct, and control contemporary election 

administration. The panel will also discuss the increased coordination between government and 

private sector partners to keep elections secure and how election officials are handling the 

physical and cyber threats made to election officials and election infrastructure.

• Moderator: Vice Chair Christy McCormick, U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission

• Mona Harrington, Acting Assistant Director for National Risk Management 

Center (NRMC), DHS CISA 

• Traci Mapps, Vice President, SLI Compliance

• Dan Wallach, Professor, Rice University and Rice Scholar at Baker Institute
BREAK – 2:45-3:00

PANEL 3 – CURRENT ISSUES IN ELECTION ADMINISTRATION – 3:00-4:15

HAVA attempted to address the issues of election funding and resources in addition to ways to 

improve elections for federal office through the establishment of federal grant funding and a 

federal election administration clearinghouse. These remain relevant issues in current election 

administration practice. This panel will discuss election funding through HAVA and the impact 

of HAVA grants to support elections during critical moments of election administration over the 

last 20 years. The panel will also address the importance of exchanging information on election 

practices and procedures and what additional challenges lie ahead.

• Moderator: Commissioner Ben Hovland, U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission

• Joel Watson Jr., Louisiana’s Deputy Secretary of State for Outreach Services

• Susan Lapsley, California Deputy Secretary of State, HAVA Director and 

Counsel

• Matthew Weil, Executive Director of the Democracy Program, Bipartisan Policy 

Center

PANEL 4 - FUTURE OF ELECTIONS - HAVA 20 YEARS FROM NOW – 4:15-5:30

HAVA was passed in response to the election crisis of 2000 - five years before the iPhone was 

invented. Much has changed with technology and election administration since then. This panel 

will address how HAVA is still relevant and how elections will evolve in the future and what can 

be done to continue to inspire confidence in our elections.

• Moderator: Commissioner Donald Palmer, U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission

• Doug Lewis, formerly of the Election Center

• Dean Logan, Clerk/Recorder & Registrar of Voters, Los Angeles County, CA

• Deak Kersey, General Counsel, Deputy Secretary of State, West Virginia 

Secretary of State’s Office

• Mindy Romero, Founder and Director, Center for Inclusive Democracy (CID) at 

the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

BREAK

EVENING RECEPTION – 6:30-8:30