U.S. Election Assistance Commission

1201 New York Ave., NW – Suite 300

Washington, DC 20005

www.eac.gov

UNITED STATES ELECTION 

ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

TESTIMONY

OF

TOM WILKEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,

U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

BEFORE THE

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ADMINISTRATION,

Subcommittee on Elections

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2011
This information is property of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission,

1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005

(202) 566-3100 (p), (202) 566-3127 (f), www.eac.gov

Page 2

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Administration

Subcommittee on Elections

March 17, 2011

Good morning Chairman Harper, Ranking Member Brady, and Members of the 

Subcommittee. I am pleased to be here on behalf of the U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission (EAC) to discuss our Fiscal Year 2012 budget request and the 

Commission’s goals and activities. 

INTRODUCTION

The EAC is a small federal agency with a big mission – improve the administration of 

federal elections. EAC is an independent, bipartisan agency that was created by the Help 

America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002, a law passed by Congress after the 2000 presidential 

election. There are four full-time Commissioners, appointed by the President and 

confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and three federal advisory committees--the Standards 

Board, Board of Advisors, and the Technical Guidance Development Committee. 

HAVA recognizes the need for states to invest in their election infrastructure and sets out 

a comprehensive program of funding to the states, voluntary guidance, and ongoing 

research into the improvement of federal elections.

EAC works to improve the administration of elections by administering the federal 

government’s Voting System Testing and Certification Program, adopting voluntary 

voting system guidelines (VVSG), and serving as a national clearinghouse and resource 

of information regarding election administration. EAC also disburses and audits HAVA 

funds, administers the National Voter Registration Act and conducts important research 

on topics such as the request and return rates for ballots for overseas and military voters. 

The EAC recognizes the responsibility it has to both election officials and voters to serve 

as a credible, federal resource about how, where and when Americans vote. Even though 

the Commission is small, our desire to meet the obligations and spirit of HAVA has led 

us to find creative ways to reach large audiences, and extend the impact of our resources. 

We believe our modern, inclusive approach to assist a very large audience that includes 

hundreds of millions of voters and almost 8,000 election officials on a very small budget 

is a model that other federal agencies can emulate. 

ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE

Vision

Lead election reform that reaffirms the right to vote and to have all eligible votes counted 

accurately.

Mission 

Assist the effective administration of Federal elections.
This information is property of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission,

1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005

(202) 566-3100 (p), (202) 566-3127 (f), www.eac.gov

Page 3

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Administration

Subcommittee on Elections

March 17, 2011

Salaries and Expenses Resources Available for Obligation

FY 2010 Enacted FY 2011 FY 2012 President’s Budget

Annualized Continuing 

Resolution Level

FTE Dollars FTE Dollars FTE Dollars

 

50 $17,959,000

 

50

 

$17,959,000 49 $13,715,665

FY 2012 Priorities

Serve as a clearinghouse and provide election officials and voters with information 

regarding the process for casting a vote in the 2012 federal elections.

Provide election officials with technical assistance and information, as 

appropriate, to support poll worker training, educate the public, and help provide 

voters access to information on such topics as when and where to vote for the 

2012 federal elections.

Distribute materials designed to allow citizens who are not proficient in the 

English language to participate fully in federal elections to any jurisdictions 

covered by the Voting Rights Act Section 5 languages prior to and as a result of 

the 2010 Census.
This information is property of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission,

1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005

(202) 566-3100 (p), (202) 566-3127 (f), www.eac.gov

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U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Administration

Subcommittee on Elections

March 17, 2011

Provide voluntary best practices for computerized statewide voter registration list 

requirements and registration by mail guidance to the States.

Assist election officials by ensuring that voting systems and modifications of 

already-certified systems submitted to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s 

(EAC’s) program are successfully and efficiently tested to federal standards.

EAC's divisions are aligned to address the goals of the Strategic Plan: Goal 1, 

Communicate, is administered by the Office of Communications and Clearinghouse. Goal 

2, Fund and Oversee, is administered by the Grants Management and Inspector General 

offices. Goal 3, Study, Guide and Assist, is administered by the Research, Policy and 

Programs unit. Goal 4, Test and Certify, is administered by the Voting System Testing 

and Certification Division. Goal 5, Manage, represents the statutory Boards, 

commissioners, executive director, general counsel, chief operating officer and chief 

financial officer. 
This information is property of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission,

1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005

(202) 566-3100 (p), (202) 566-3127 (f), www.eac.gov

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U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Administration

Subcommittee on Elections

March 17, 2011

In Fiscal Year 2012, EAC has four high-performance priority (HPP) goals. HPP Goal 

One aligns with the Communicate goal; Goals Two and Three align with the Study, Guide 

and Assist goal; and HPP Goal Four aligns with Test and Certify. 

FISCAL YEAR 2012 HIGH PRIORITY GOALS

As part of the process to prioritize tasks, maximize existing resources and focus on 

mission-specific goals, EAC defined a limited number of high-performance priority goals 

consistent with the Commission’s Fiscal Years 2009-2014 Strategic Plan. The highperformance priority goals will help EAC measure its ability to provide assistance to the 

public and voters as well as meet the mandates of HAVA. Our focus in FY 2012 will be 

on the following high-performance priority goals:
This information is property of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission,

1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005

(202) 566-3100 (p), (202) 566-3127 (f), www.eac.gov

Page 6

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Administration

Subcommittee on Elections

March 17, 2011

High-Performance Priority Goal 1: Serve as a Clearinghouse and provide election 

officials and voters with necessary information regarding the process for casting a 

vote in the 2012 Federal elections. Provide States with funding, and election officials 

with technical assistance and information, as appropriate, to support activities such 

as poll worker training, educating the public, and helping provide voters with access 

to information such as when and where to vote for the 2012 Federal elections. 

The first of the high-performance priority goals is aimed at assisting eligible voters so 

that they have the information on how to cast a ballot for a federal election, and providing 

a central resource about election administration for election officials. Part of the first 

high-performance priority goal is also to share information with the Public about EAC’s 

budget, internal operations and structure, as well as other policies and procedures that 

impact the public. 

In order to implement the goals, EAC will employ such strategies as: 

Using the latest technology and communication tools for www.eac.gov

(recognized in the Top Five Federal Websites by Congress.org in December 

2010)

Complying with Open Government requirements and continue to operate 

transparently

Providing more tools for the public to interact with and provide input to EAC

Integrating various EAC operations, information and resources into the 

Clearinghouse

EAC’s website will continue to be the platform to facilitate meeting this high priority 

goal. The new website, unveiled in 2010, is designed to support the Commission’s 

efforts to increase transparency. It features leading-edge search, navigation and contentdelivery tools that transformed the site into a more modern, dynamic and transparent 

source of information for the public and election officials.

EAC’s most commonly provided materials, such as the National Mail Voter Registration 

Form, voter’s guides, Election Management Guidelines, and National Voter Registration 

Act reports are easily accessed from the website. The new Election Resource Library 

holds all of these materials for easy searching, sorting and browsing.

High-Performance Priority Goal 2: Support jurisdictions covered by the Voting 

Rights Act Section 5 languages so that all jurisdictions have access to and use 

materials designed to allow citizens who are not proficient in the English language 

to participate fully in Federal elections. 

The goal is to make available materials such as voter guides and glossaries for eligible 

voters that reside in jurisdictions covered under Section 5 prior to and as a result of the 
This information is property of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission,

1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005

(202) 566-3100 (p), (202) 566-3127 (f), www.eac.gov

Page 7

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Administration

Subcommittee on Elections

March 17, 2011

2010 Census. These voters include persons who are Native American, Asian American, 

Alaskan Natives or are of Spanish heritage. These materials are intended to provide 

assistance and support to limited and non-English proficient voters who wish to register 

and vote. The lead EAC office responsible for implementing the goal is the Language 

Accessibility Program of the Research, Policy and Programs Division. Partners in the 

effort include State and local election officials, voter advocacy groups and other 

stakeholders.

EAC’s strategy to achieve the goal is to receive the 2010 Census data and translate the 

EAC Voter’s Guide to Federal Elections and other materials to any additional languages 

and jurisdictions determined to be covered under minority language provisions of the 

Voting Rights Act, and any other jurisdiction that may have a need based on their 

population. Resources needed to achieve the goal include funds for translations and 

publications and the ability to convene working groups and roundtables.

EAC is excited to announce its partnership with the Office of Citizenship within the U.S. 

Citizenship and Immigration Services. The goal of the partnership is to provide every 

new citizen a copy of EAC's Voter's Guide to Federal Elections brochure in the U.S.

naturalization ceremony packet. Given the current naturalization rates, the Office of 

Citizenship estimates that they will print and distribute 750,000 to 800,000 copies of the 

guide each year. The Office of Citizenship will start with 650,000 brochures and reprint 

copies at their expense as needed. EAC will provide the Office of Citizenship with 

updated information contained in the Guide on a yearly basis.

High-Performance Priority Goal 3: Provide States with voluntary guidance on 

computerized voter registration lists and the national mail voter registration form.

The aim of Goal 3 is to encourage the 50 States, American Samoa, the District of 

Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to utilize best practices that 

encourage increased voter participation. The lead EAC division for the effort is 

Research, Policy and Programs, in partnership with State and local election officials, 

voter advocacy groups and other stakeholders.

In order to achieve Goal 3, EAC, using in-house research, will help election officials 

educate voters on the need to update their registration status, and provide assistance 

regarding training poll workers on how to assist voters who have relocated within the 

same State (locating the new polling place, procedures for casting provisional ballots, 

acceptable forms of identification, etc.). EAC plans on issuing voluntary guidance that 

may include but is not limited to: voter registration database matching protocols, 

maintenance of accurate voter registration lists, data collection and storage, online 

functionality, identification requirements for first-time voters, and inter- and intraoperability of databases; and help States promote intergovernmental cooperation between 

their various agencies and departments such as Election Offices and Social Services.
This information is property of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission,

1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005

(202) 566-3100 (p), (202) 566-3127 (f), www.eac.gov

Page 8

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Administration

Subcommittee on Elections

March 17, 2011

High-Performance Priority Goal 4: Ensure that modifications of certified systems 

submitted to EAC’s program are successfully and efficiently tested to Federal

standards.

The goal is to ensure that new voting systems and modifications of certified systems 

submitted to EAC’s testing and certification program are successfully and efficiently 

tested to Federal standards. The certifications provide a baseline level of conformity to 

assist election officials in maintaining the reliability and security of certified voting 

systems and the integrity of the overall election results. The lead office for 

implementation of the goal is the Voting System Testing and Certification division, with 

input from partners including the U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Technical Guidelines Development 

Committee (TGDC).

Continued support for the testing and certification program is needed, along with 

continued research and development, to support additional industry-wide solutions that 

allow voters with disabilities to vote privately and independently.

A MODERN, INCLUSIVE APPROACH

Like most federal agencies, for the past few years EAC has faced shrinking budgets. Yet, 

the Commission's obligations under HAVA continue, and some have expanded as a result 

of a program's success. For example, EAC has certified four voting systems. As part of 

its Quality Monitoring Program, voting machine manufacturers are required to report 

anomalies to EAC, which staff then investigates. As more voting systems are certified, 

the need to monitor their performance in the field will grow. 

Federal government agencies must comply with a myriad of regulations, directives and 

other requirements. EAC has found its involvement with the Small Agency Council to be 

very beneficial, and would recommend the model of shared resources to be expanded 

throughout the federal government, allowing agencies to share expertise on 

administrative issues such as accounting and human resources, which would allow 

agencies to focus more intently on program goals. 

In addition to EAC’s involvement with the Small Agency Council, thanks to an 

innovative and creative staff EAC has implemented several initiatives to use contractors 

more efficiently, save money, leverage partnerships and increase productivity throughout 

the Commission. 
This information is property of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission,

1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005

(202) 566-3100 (p), (202) 566-3127 (f), www.eac.gov

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U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Administration

Subcommittee on Elections

March 17, 2011

Partnerships and Collaboration

The federal government consists of a wealth of valuable resources, including experts in 

the areas of policy, budget and technology. In recent years, federal agencies have 

experienced an increase in cross-agency collaboration, which has facilitated the sharing 

of resources and knowledge. For a small agency like EAC, these federal resource hubs 

are invaluable. EAC employees have joined federal organizations like the Small Agency 

Council, which offers ways for agencies to share training costs and ideas. Through the 

Council, the participants pooled resources to fund training classes through the Graduate 

School (formerly the United States Department of Agriculture [USDA] Graduate 

School). Participants even share physical training space. Due to the cost savings and the 

small agency perspective provided by the trainings, EAC intends to continue being an 

active participant. 

EAC also participates in events sponsored by the Web Managers’ Council, an 

interagency group of senior federal government web managers who collaborate to 

improve the online delivery of U.S. Government information and services. The Council 

offers training courses at reduced prices and hosts a list-serve in which federal employees 

exchange ideas, ask questions and share solutions. EAC recently participated in training 

sponsored by the General Services Administration for www.data.gov. Communications 

Division employees will continue to draw upon the expertise of the group of federal 

employees managing this new site, which is the designated location for high-value 

federal data sets. 

An invaluable resource for EAC has been the Target Center at USDA. The Target 

Center’s mission is to make sure that USDA employees have “safe and equal access to 

electronic and information technology by assessing, educating, and advocating for the 

integration of assistive technology and worksite accommodations.” EAC reached out to 

the Target Center for assistance with making documents accessible. Consequently, the 

Center hosted a training session for the entire EAC staff and continues to be available to 

us if we need assistance. 

PREPARING FOR THE 2012 FEDERAL ELECTIONS

As the nation prepares the 2012 federal elections, no one can predict all of the election 

administration challenges that may be on the horizon. Indeed, every federal election cycle 

a new challenge presents itself that takes election officials and voters by surprise. For 

example, in 2010 many college students were confused about where to casting their 

ballots. In 2008, voters were surprised by the rules surrounding campaigning in polling 

places, such as whether campaign clothing could be worn in the polling places. Of 

course, every federal election cycle includes challenges with voting technology, poll 
This information is property of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission,

1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005

(202) 566-3100 (p), (202) 566-3127 (f), www.eac.gov

Page 10

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Administration

Subcommittee on Elections

March 17, 2011

worker recruitment and training and issues related to contingency planning, like weather 

events that impact voting. 

In anticipation of the next federal election cycle, we can safely predict that due to the 

presence of presidential candidates on the ballot, there will be more voters and probably 

more candidates. Election officials throughout the nation will have smaller budgets and 

fewer resources, which will result in more mature voting machines in the field. The 

primary season will be longer. With the spread of early voting and vote by mail, Election 

Day will become Election Season, prompting election officials and voters to adapt to new 

voting behaviors and patterns.

EAC plans to lead national discussions on these topics, bringing together local and state 

election officials and other experts to share innovative solutions. EAC will also 

supplement election officials' efforts to educate the public about the 2012 elections 

through the EAC Clearinghouse, which will continue to be a credible, central source of 

information about elections in every state and U.S. territory that the public can rely upon. 

Also included in the Clearinghouse will be resources for election officials and voters. For 

example, EAC will launch the Election Official Info Exchange, an online tool in which 

experienced election officials can offer their expertise to their peers who have just 

entered the profession. Participants can offer or request assistance in five areas: 

contingency planning, poll workers, pre-election activities, post election activities and 

voting system performance. Voters will find helpful information in the multi-media 

section of EAC.gov, including new videos on student voting, registering to vote and 

parallel testing for voting systems. 

These initiatives are high-impact and have national reach; however, they are low cost and 

can be achieved through technology and modern communication tools. 

LOOKING FORWARD

EAC will continue to collect and share innovations in election administration, with a 

particular focus on low-cost, technology-driven solutions that elections officials can 

customize and emulate on behalf of their voters. These solutions and innovations 

covering topics such as contingency planning, poll worker training and pre-election 

testing will be provided directly by election officials in EAC’s online Election Info 

Exchange Program and highlighted on EAC’s blog at EAC.gov. 

Staff will collect more resources for voters and post them at EAC.gov, including a 

collection of social media sites hosted by election officials, links to state and local 

election offices, voter guides and other educational information, including the National 

Voter Registration form. We anticipate that Web site enhancements will help us deliver 
This information is property of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission,

1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005

(202) 566-3100 (p), (202) 566-3127 (f), www.eac.gov

Page 11

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Administration

Subcommittee on Elections

March 17, 2011

and provide information to a larger audience, enabling more voters to have a successful 

experience casting their ballot. 

EAC’s Voting System Testing and Certification Division will manage the responsibilities 

that will come from the EAC-certified voting systems operating in the field, many of 

them for the first time. Staff will also continue to notify election officials and the public 

of anomalies through the Quality Monitoring Program. Manufacturers are obligated 

under the terms of the program to report problems that occur in the field, and we must 

make sure we have the resources to thoroughly follow up. Efforts to work with the 

Federal Voting Assistance Program and NIST to develop a remote electronic voting 

system for overseas citizens and the military will continue. 

Staff will release data from the 2010 election for EAC’s Election Administration and 

Voting Survey, including data about the rate of participation for overseas citizens and 

military voters and the possible impact of the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment

(MOVE) Act. Work has already begun developing the survey instrument for the 2012 

election. 

EAC will continue to form strategic partnerships within the federal government, employ 

the use of technology to broaden our reach and deliver information to more people, and 

be responsible stewards of federal resources.