U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION 

FISCAL YEAR 2023 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET JUSTIFICATION 
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

Fiscal Year 2023 Congressional Budget Justification 

Table of Contents 

Vision and Mission............................................................................................ 3 

FY 2023 Priority Goals....................................................................................... 3 

Appropriations Language..................................................................................... 5 

Agency Background........................................................................................... 6 

Goals and Structure............................................................................................ 7 

Organizational Chart.......................................................................................... 8 

FY 2021 Accomplishment Highlights...................................................................... 9 

Operating Plan Summary..................................................................................... 15 

FY 2023 Budget Request Highlights........................................................................ 17 

Budgetary Changes............................................................................................ 23 

Budget Requests and Performance Measures by Goal................................................... 24 

Attachment A – OIG Budget Request in Detail........................................................... 32 

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U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

Fiscal Year 2023 Congressional Budget Justification 

Mission and Vision 

Mission 

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission helps election officials improve the administration of elections 

and helps Americans participate in the voting process. 

Vision 

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission is a trusted, proactive, and responsive federal agency that 

helps election officials administer and voters participate in elections. 

Salaries and Expenses 

FY 2021 

Enacted 

FY 2022 

President’s Budget 

FY 2023 

Request 

FTE* Dollars FTE Dollars FTE Dollars 

46 $17,000,000 65 $22,833,531 78 $30,087,000 

*FTE number for FY 2021 reflects current actual. FY 2022 number reflects President’s Budget request. 

FY 2023 reflects agency need as it relates to the requested PC&B figure. 

Election Innovation Grants 

FY 2021 

Enacted 

FY 2022 

President’s Budget 

FY 2023 

Request 

FTE Dollars FTE Dollars FTE Dollars 

- - - 100,000,000 5 $250,000,000 

FY 2023 Priorities 

-- Continue to serve as a clearinghouse of voting information by providing election officials and voters 

with necessary and timely information and materials as they administer and participate in the 2022 

midterm election, as well as any elections after. 

-- Help the nation administer elections with secure and accessible voting systems by continuing to 

implement the EAC’s most up-to-date Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG), as well as expand 

and strengthen the testing and certification of voting equipment via field auditors, election technology 

specialists, and a quality monitoring program of equipment after it leaves the manufacturer. 

-- Process, analyze, and release data from the 2022 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS), 

the agency’s instrument used to collect state-by-state data on the administration of federal elections. 

Additionally, execute studies statutorily mandated by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) that 

have sat idle due to years of insufficient funding. 

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U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

Fiscal Year 2023 Congressional Budget Justification 

-- Make critical investments in advancing agency management and performance, as well as establish 

dedicated staff aimed at assisting states in complying with voting laws and civil rights voting laws as a 

matter of focusing on equity advancement. 

-- Expand a critically under-staffed Communications department while also furthering the 

administration’s IT modernization agenda through website development and strong network 

administrators. 

-- Revamp the agency’s website to expand accessibility and usability, as well as modern tools to display 

critical data points, voter education material, and tools to assist all agency stakeholders. 

-- Administer a competitive Election Innovation Grant funding to states with qualified projects, ensuring 

funding is utilized efficiently and that states in need of such funding have an opportunity to request it. 

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U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

Fiscal Year 2023 Congressional Budget Justification 

Appropriations language 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

SALARIES AND EXPENSES 

(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) 

For necessary expenses to carry out the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-252), 

$30,087,000, of which $1,500,000 shall be made available to the National Institute of Standards and 

Technology for election reform activities authorized under the Help America Vote Act of 2002. 

ELECTION INNOVATION GRANTS (appropriation language) 

For the establishment of a competitive grants program to foster innovation, enhance processes and 

procedures, and improve the administration of federal elections, $250,000,000, to remain available 

through September 30, 2024; of which not to exceed 2 percent shall remain available until September 

30, 2028, for the administration and oversight of grants awarded under this heading: Provided, That the 

Election Assistance Commission shall, consistent with the purposes of the Help America Vote Act of 

2002, award grants to States and eligible units of local government on a competitive basis for projects 

that will have significant national, regional, or local impact in the improvement of the administration of 

federal elections through innovation, including, but not limited to, election administration; cybersecurity 

and statistically valid risk-limiting audits; security of election officials and locations; accessibility for 

voters, including those with disabilities and other specific access needs, and including vote-by-mail, 

voter education, language proficiency, usability, and voter technology; or other programs to enhance or 

reliably secure processes and procedures in administering federal elections without meaningfully 

impairing access: Provided further, That for purposes of this appropriation, the term State has the 

meaning given such term in section 901 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21141): 

Provided further, That for purposes of this appropriation, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 

Islands shall be deemed to be a State: Provided further, That for purposes of this appropriation, an 

eligible unit of local government is defined as a unit of local government with responsibility for the 

administration of Federal elections: Provided further, That a grant awarded under this heading shall be 

for an amount not greater than $10,000,000, and shall be available for obligation by the State or eligible 

unit of local government through September 30, 2028: Provided further, That not more than 10 percent 

of the total amount of funds made available under this heading may be awarded to projects in a single 

State. 

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U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

Fiscal Year 2023 Congressional Budget Justification 

Agency Background and Structure 

Congress established the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to help election officials 

improve the administration of elections and help Americans participate in the voting process. Congress 

charged the EAC with fulfilling its mission by administering a national election administration 

clearinghouse that studies election administration practices, provides best practices to the nation, helps 

voters register to vote and participate in federal elections, manages federal standards for voting systems, 

tests and certifies voting systems to the national standard, and distributes congressionally appropriated 

funds to states for the improvement of election administration. 

The EAC consists of four presidentially appointed Commissioners, professional staff, and four FACA 

committees. The majority and minority party each have the authority to recommend two of the four 

Commissioners who lead the agency, making the EAC a bipartisan commission by statutory mandate. 

The EAC’s three statutorily mandated FACA committees are the Board of Advisors, the Standards 

Board, and the Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC). The three groups advise the 

agency and help develop the EAC’s national voting system testing and certification standard, the 

Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG). 

The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) dictates the membership of the three committees. The Standards 

Board is a 110-member board consisting of 55 state election officials (the 50 states, the District of 

Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) selected by their respective 

chief state election official, and 55 local election officials selected through a process supervised by the 

chief state election officials. The Board of Advisors consists of groups representing governors; mayors; 

state legislatures; secretaries of state; state election directors; county recorders, election officials and 

clerks; voter advocacy groups; federal agencies; and professionals in the fields of science and 

technology. 

The TGDC helps the EAC develop its Voluntary Voting System Guidelines. It is composed of 14 

members appointed jointly by EAC and the Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National 

Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), who is the chairperson of TGDC. 

Additionally, the EAC established a fourth FACA Committee, the Local Leadership Council (LLC), in 

2021 to provide expert, unbiased analysis and recommendations to the EAC on local election 

administration topics. Membership in the LLC consists of 100 members with two members from each 

state who are currently or recently serving officers of each state’s local election official association. 

The first meeting of the LLC took place on December 10, 2021. the LLC also held its annual meeting in 

early 2022. 

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U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

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Goals and Structure of Budget Justification 

As established and detailed in the EAC’s strategic plan, the EAC’s operations and offices are aligned to 

address the Commission’s congressional mandates to serve as a clearinghouse of information on voting; 

test and certify voting systems; administer and maintain the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) 

voter registration form; assist states with administration of HAVA funds; and report to Congress on 

NVRA and Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) voting activity. 

The EAC’s current strategic plan sets forth three strategic goals and 10 strategic objectives. The three 

strategic goals are as follows: 

1. Strengthen American elections through the development and implementation of responsive and 

dynamic voting system guidelines and cyber resources for election officials; 

2. Encourage improvements to election administration through the development and distribution of 

resources that assist election officials in modernizing American elections; and 

3. Create operational excellence throughout agency management and programming. 

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Fiscal Year 2023 Congressional Budget Justification 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission Organization Chart 

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U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

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Fiscal Year 2021 Accomplishment Highlights 

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is a trusted, proactive, and responsive bipartisan 

federal commission that helps election officials administer and voters participate in elections. 

Established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), the EAC provides funds to state 

election offices to improve and strengthen security around federal elections, serves as 

the nation’s clearinghouse for information on election administration, conducts the Election 

Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS) and other studies, develops the Voluntary Voting 

System Guidelines (VVSG), accredits testing laboratories and certifies voting systems, and 

administers the National Mail Voter Registration Form in accordance with the National Voter 

Registration Act of 1993. From coast-to-coast, the EAC is providing services for state and local 

election officials and the voters they serve. Among the EAC’s most notable accomplishments 

during Fiscal Year 2021 are the following: 

HAVA Grants 

In 2018, it had been eight years since the EAC last received HAVA grant funding. Between 2018 

and 2020 the EAC received over 1.1 billion in grants funds. The grant funds did not come with an 

increase in operations funding to support administration and oversight. The workload, however, 

was significantly greater especially as the CARES funds came with a 20-day reporting requirement 

for grantees and a 23-day reporting requirement to Congress by the EAC after each primary and 

the general election. The EAC pursued Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) approval to ensure that 

the required reporting was standardized to the reduce reporting burden across grant recipients. The 

agency implemented official mid-year reporting for all HAVA grants in Q3 of FY 2021. Multiple 

training events were held to support the reporting requirements for CARES, and Federal Financial 

and Progress reporting for all HAVA grants. The emphasis of training at critical compliance points 

led to improved and increased reporting compliance. Grants staff reviewed over 700 financial and 

progress reports in FY 2021 including the 56 CARES 20-day reports from the General Election. 

The Grants Office developed Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), written guidance, and webinars 

to train grantees on the use of CARES funding and Election Security funds. The team responded to 

a high volume of inquiries regarding allowable, allocable, reasonable, and necessary expenditures 

and funding activities. 

CARES funding was only available to states until December 31, 2020, to prevent, prepare for, and 

respond to the coronavirus for the 2020 federal election cycle. Per HAVA, states have until March 

2022 to meet the matching requirements. To ensure any unexpended federal funds and 

unexpended federal interest is returned prior to closeout, the EAC stood up a debt collection and 

closeout process for the CARES grant. Training was provided to grantees on the upcoming 

closeout process and guidance was published to the EAC website. In FY 2021, half the expected 

unexpended CARES funds were recovered ahead of the project end date of March 2022 and 21 

grants were closed. 

In Q3 FY 2021, the EAC decided to make the Grants program into a standalone office to reflect 

the importance of the function at the agency. The Office of Grants Management now reports 

directly to the Executive Director. Additional personnel changes included hiring a full-time Grants 

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Specialist to oversee and support the increased grantmaking responsibilities for the agency and 

recruiting a second Grants Management Specialist with a start date anticipated in FY 2022. 

In Q4, the EAC selected HHS’ GrantSolutions grants administration software as a service to 

improve and automate its grants administration functions so more time can be spent for strategic 

activities and technical support to grantees. Utilization of a grant system will reduce grantee time 

spent on administrative activities and free up staff time to execute and oversee grant activities. Up 

to this point, the Grants staff has been manually administrating and responding to inquiries 

regarding HAVA funding. All processing of applications, issuance of awards, review of reports 

and extraction and data mining of emails and PDF documents is handled by staff without a grants 

system to house and automate these functions. The GrantSolutions award management system will 

allow EAC to standardize financial assistance management procedures and increase transparency, 

accountability, and oversight for financial assistance funding. With a grant system, staff can 

develop better technical assistance training for award management, best practices, audit readiness, 

and education on federal assistance grants administration. The EAC conducted a fit gap analysis 

with GrantSolutions in September 2021 to assess current business processes against system 

capabilities and options. The EAC anticipates fully deploying the system by FY 2023 ahead of the 

next annual report deadline of December 29, 2022. 

Strengthening Election Security and Voter Confidence 

The EAC understands that voter confidence can be enhanced when election officials and their 

federal partners adequately prepare for and respond to election security challenges. As 

demonstrated in the 2020 elections, such challenges include election disinformation campaigns, 

malicious attempts to breach voter registration databases and other election systems, the use of 

ransomware, and other emerging and evolving threats to election infrastructure. 

As the agency positioned to communicate directly with election officials across the country, the 

EAC played an early and leading role in establishing trust and open lines of communications 

between state and local leaders and the federal government entities that work on election security. 

The EAC drove the development of the election security working group that eventually became the 

election infrastructure subsector’s Government Coordinating Council (GCC). Led by the EAC 

chair on the GCC executive committee, GCC members include the EAC chairperson and vice 

chair, as well as three state election officials and three local election officials drawn from the 

EAC’s federal advisory committees. The EAC’s remaining two commissioners serve on the GCC 

as ex officio members. In addition to the EAC’s work with the Department of Homeland Security 

(DHS) to establish the GCC, the Commission supported establishing the Sector Coordinating 

Council (SCC) comprised of private election equipment manufacturers and vendors. 

Beyond the GCC and SCC, the Commission takes a multifaceted approach to helping state and 

local election officials strengthen election security. This work includes testing and federally 

certifying voting systems, providing hands-on training and technical assistance on IT management 

and post-election audits, producing security-focused resources, and disseminating security best 

practice information and checklists to state and local election officials. 

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Election Technology, Advancing VVSG 2.0 

As states seek to invest in the purchase of new voting equipment, election leaders are continuing to 

turn to the EAC’s Testing and Certification Program as a key resource in ensuring the nation’s 

voting systems are tested to confirm the secure and accurate tabulation of ballots. This includes 

seeking information about how best to develop Requests for Proposals, information on the systems 

currently certified, and implementation of the next iteration of the Voluntary Voting System 

Guidelines, which is known as VVSG 2.0. 

The EAC took a number of steps in FY 2021 and 2022 to advance VVSG 2.0, following the 

unanimous vote of the Commissioners to adopt the new standards on February 10, 2021. These 

steps included: developing and publishing test assertions for requirements; creating and 

disseminating for feedback a VVSG lifecycle policy; creating an end-to-end verifiable voting 

system protocol properties and scope document to launch the evaluation process of these new 

election technologies; and working with the NIST National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation 

Program (NVLAP) to update their manual in preparation for accrediting voting system test 

laboratories (VSTLs) to VVSG 2.0. 

The EAC anticipates at least one VSTL will apply for accreditation to the VVSG 2.0 standard by 

the end of Q1 of 2022. When a VSTL obtains VVSG 2.0 accreditation, this allows the new 

program manuals to go into effect and also allows the VVSG lifecycle policy to be fully 

implemented. After a number of rounds of feedback from the EAC’s stakeholders and the public, 

the EAC anticipates approval of a final version of the VVSG lifecycle policy by the end of Q1 

2022. 

In addition to the work being done to advance VVSG 2.0, the EAC also began a pilot testing 

program for electronic poll books (e-poll books) with a public hearing conducted on November 

17th, 2021, and draft security and accessibility requirements being available by the end of Q1 

2022. The EAC plans to run the pilot with two candidate systems throughout 2022 with an 

evaluation period immediately after to determine next steps. The goal is to create a set of standards 

that can be used by the EAC or states to test and certify the security and accessibility of their e-poll 

book products. 

Information Technology Improvements 

Throughout 2021, the EAC continued to implement improvements to its information technology 

(IT) infrastructure. These include abilities to gain greater visibility into the health of all EAC 

endpoints, whether operating in a remote environment or utilizing our on-premises network. In 

May of 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14028 mandating all Federal Civilian 

Executive Branch agencies take measures to improve the cybersecurity posture of their 

organizations. One of the principal requirements of the Executive Order is to transition our 

infrastructure to a Zero Trust Architecture. The EAC has developed a plan to implement a Zero 

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Trust Architecture and will likely need additional funding and expertise to fully realize the 

transition. 

In addition to Executive Order 14028, a number of binding operational directives (BODs) and 

OMB memoranda have been issued related to improving cybersecurity. In particular, BOD 22-

01 requires the EAC to remediate vulnerabilities with known exploitations within 14 days of 

publishing on a CISA maintained list. This requirement has caused the EAC to accelerate existing 

plans for automated vulnerability detection and remediation and we are currently able to meet the 

timelines set out by CISA. Implementation of additional OMB guidance related to logging and 

multi-factor authentication is also ongoing throughout 2022. 

Finally, as part of the EAC's move from the Silver Spring, MD office to the Judiciary Square 

office in Washington, DC, all previously existing on-premises IT infrastructure has been 

decommissioned and moved to the cloud. The only remaining technologies are those required to 

provide internet and telecommunications capabilities at the office location and do not contain any 

data or processing capabilities. The new office space will provide greatly improved abilities to 

conduct public hearings, roundtables, and other events utilizing modern video and audio 

distribution capabilities. 

Conducting Essential Research on Election Administration and Infrastructure 

In August 2021, the EAC released the 2020 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS) 

Comprehensive Report and dataset. The biennial EAVS is the agency’s flagship research initiative, 

collecting nationwide data on election administration from nearly 6,500 local election jurisdictions 

across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. The EAVS collects state-bystate, jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction data on a wide variety of election administration topics, including 

voter registration, military and overseas voting, domestic civilian by-mail voting, polling 

operations, provisional ballots, voter participation, and election technology. EAVS data is utilized 

by countless stakeholders in the election community, including members of Congress, legislative 

staff, federal officials, journalists, academics, advocates, and election officials themselves. In 

today’s environment of heightened concerns regarding cybersecurity in elections, EAVS data is 

increasingly being used by intelligence analysts, members of the national security community, and 

other stakeholders who are working to secure U.S. election infrastructure. 

The EAC hosted an Election Data Forum, in August 2021, after the release of the 2020 EAVS 

report and its submission to Congress. The event convened state and local election officials, their 

federal partners, and other key election stakeholders to discuss EAVS findings and leveraging 

data-driven practices to improve election administration. 

EAC initiatives to improve the EAVS have focused on three interrelated goals: to reduce response 

burden; to strengthen data quality and completeness; and to make the data more accessible and 

useful, particularly for election officials. Respondents to the 2020 EAVS continue to have the 

option of completing the EAVS online, along with the option of using 

the traditional EAVS data collection template. The EAC plans to transition to a fully online survey 

experience in the coming years. 

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As part of the agency’s efforts to make EAVS data more accessible and useful, the EAC released 

individualized 2020 EAVS Data Briefs for each state and territory in January 2022. The briefs are 

snapshots of key EAVS data points. Complementing these efforts, the EAC also released the 2020 

EAVS Data Interactive. The EAVS Data Interactive is an online tool that allows visitors to 

explore, visualize, and compare election jurisdictions’ EAVS responses. 

The EAC is currently preparing to administer the 2022 EAVS. Since the completion of the 2020 

EAVS, the EAC has conducted needs assessments and user testing with several states on how the 

2020 EAVS went and on how the 2022 EAVS can be improved. The EAC, as of this writing, is 

going through the OMB approval process for the 2022 EAVS, accepting public comments, and 

making updates to the survey instruments. 

Election Accessibility 

The EAC continues to support language accessibility in elections and has done so since its 

inception in 2002. This includes creating glossaries and phrase books of common election 

terminology, providing Help America Vote Act funds to states to improve language accessibility, 

and offering the National Mail Voter Registration Form in 21 languages. 

In addition, the EAC continues to actively engage voters with disabilities and advocacy groups 

focused on accessibility. This included distributing copies of the EAC’s disability voting rights 

pamphlet, which uses plain language to spell out federal voting rights for persons with disabilities 

in large print and Braille. EAC Commissioners and staff also participated at key stakeholder events 

focused on voting for persons with disabilities, including a February 2021 Legislative Seminar 

with the American Council of the Blind. 

In February 2021, the EAC released the “Disability and Voting Accessibility in the 2020 

Elections” comprehensive national report. The EAC conducted this study with Rutgers University 

to identify advancements and gaps in accessibility for voters with disabilities. A public, virtual 

roundtable on accessibility lessons learned from the 2020 election was also held in February to 

discuss the results and get feedback from election officials and advocates. In further commitment 

to supporting voters with disabilities, the EAC hired a Senior Subject Matter Expert (SME) that 

infuses accessibility best practices in all EAC work products. 

Clearinghouse 

Established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), the EAC is charged with serving as a 

clearinghouse for election administration information. In 2021, the EAC created a Clearinghouse 

department within the Executive Director’s office, to ensure the agency can meet this mission. 

Made up of former election officials, experts in election administration, election law, and 

accessibility, the Clearinghouse department expanded in 2021 to include six Senior Subject Matter 

Experts (SMEs). The department now has over 40 years of combined experience administering 

elections at the county and city level. 

The SMEs collectively produced various products to address timely and pressing needs of election 

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officials. These resources included a best practices guide to assist election officials with chain-ofcustody procedures, a Testing and Certification 101 document, an FAQ toolkit, a Guide to 

Redistricting, and an updated Glossary of Election Terminology to provide standardized election 

definitions for nearly 1,300 election terms in 21 languages. 

In March 2021, the EAC announced the 2020 Clearinghouse Award winners, also known as the 

“Clearie” Awards, for best practices in election administration. The EAC launched the Clearies in 

2016 to further the clearinghouse mandate and to promote best practices in elections while 

celebrating the accomplishments of election officials. 

The award categories include innovation in election administration; improving accessibility for 

voters with disabilities; best practices in recruiting, training, and retaining poll workers; and creative 

and original “I Voted” sticker design. The EAC also announced a new category in 2021 for 

innovation in election cybersecurity and technology. Winners were selected by two independent 

panels of election officials from the EAC’s advisory boards with the EAC Commissioners serving 

as judges for the sticker category. 

Honorees included jurisdictions of varying sizes, from large states with more than 8 million 

registered voters to townships of around 75,000 voters. Many of the programs were adapted or 

created in response to the pandemic, but the concepts behind them can help voters for years to 

come. 

The EAC continued to add more state-specific resources to its website, directing voters to trusted 

sources for voter registration, options to cast a ballot, and contact information for where they are 

registered. 

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Operating Plan Summary

Salaries and Expenses

FY 2021 Enacted

FY 2022 

President’s 

Budget

FY 2023 

Request

Full-Time Equivalent Staff (FTE) 46 65 78

Payroll – Personnel Compensation 5,219,737 6,605,492 8,451,563

Subtotal Personnel Compensation 5,219,737 6,605,492 8,451,563

Personnel Benefits 1,764,170 2,870,925 3,662,098

Subtotal PC&B 6,983,907 9,476,417 12,113,661

Travel / Transportation of Things 45,969 500,000 600,000

Rent, Communications, Equipment 

Rentals 391,634 682,309 682,309

Printing, Reproduction 15,084 24,000 25,000

Other Services 7,555,527 10,321,304 14,969,694

NIST 1,500,000 1,500,000 1,500,000

Supplies and Subscriptions 93,709 129,578 90,000

Equipment 340,615 195,528 100,000

Financial Transfers (OIG) 3,776 4,395 6,336

Subtotal, Non-personnel 9,946,315 13,357,114 17,973,339

FY 2021 Year-End Unobligated 69,778

Total Salaries and Expenses 17,000,000 22,833,531 30,087,000
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

Fiscal Year 2023 Congressional Budget Justification 

Election Innovation Grants FY 2021 Enacted 

FY 2022 

President’s 

Budget 

FY 2023 

President’s 

Budget1 

Full-Time Equivalent Staff (FTE) - - 5 

Full-Time Staff - - 5 

Payroll Full-Time Personnel - - 532,350 

Personnel Benefits - - 228,150 

Subtotal PC&B - - 760,500 

Travel - - 27,300 

Other Services - - 815,000 

Supplies and Subscriptions - - 4,000 

Grants 100,000,000 245,000,000 

Subtotal, Non-personnel - 1,606,800 

Total Election Innovation Grants - 100,000,000 246,606,800 

1 Reflects operating plan for first year of five-year funding. Payroll costs include five full-time 

staff, as well as necessary split-pay funding for other agency personnel contributing to program 

administration. 

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U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

Fiscal Year 2023 Congressional Budget Justification 

FY 2023 Budget Request Highlights 

In November 2022, the nation will administer and participate in the 2022 midterm election. The EAC’s 

FY 2023 budget justification highlights the agency’s plans to continue to help election officials 

efficiently and effectively administer secure and accessible elections by developing and sharing best 

practices, as well as research and report election administration data. The agency’s budget submission 

also looks to build on its recent growth and make key investments in areas that have been underfunded 

and neglected for years, such as initiating several statutorily required election studies and piloting a 

much-needed audit program for voting systems. Additionally, the EAC looks to strategically apply 

critical administrative funding internally to advance agency equity and diversity, enhance agency 

management and performance, and make substantial improvements in the areas of cybersecurity, 

communications, and web development. 

The EAC is also excited to propose a competitive grants program in 2023 aimed at promoting 

innovation in the area of election administration. Compared to the past practice of formula grants, this 

program looks to efficiently distribute much-needed funding to those states that specifically request it 

and propose qualified projects in the areas of voting technology, cybersecurity and other security 

safeguards, election accessibility, language proficiency, voter education, usability, and other innovative 

proposals in the area of election administration. This approach aims to ensure election funding is 

strategically targeted to those that need the project funding. 

Voting System Audits / Election Technology Requirements 

As a part of its FY 2023 budget request, the EAC requests funding to pilot field inspections of certified 

voting systems and post-manufacturing audits of voting system equipment. This would allow the EAC 

to ensure configurations of fielded EAC certified systems are compliant and that voting system 

equipment adheres to manufacture supply chain risk management strategies and manufacturing 

specifications. These requests are in direct support of HAVA and the administration’s cybersecurity 

priority. It is critical that the EAC have adequate funding to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and 

availability of certified voting systems that are in the field. To perform the required quality monitoring 

the EAC requires in its current manual, adequate staff must be placed regionally to provide support to 

election offices throughout the nation. The current EAC program does not have dedicated personnel to 

perform hash value checks or other anomaly detection on behalf of election officials to ensure the 

integrity of the EAC testing and certification program. 

Additionally, the EAC aims to establish specialty requirements and guidelines specific to equipment 

used for election support technology that are not necessarily covered under VVSG, such as electronic 

pollbooks, voter registration databases, and ballot delivery systems. As part of this initiative, the EAC 

intends to hire election technology specialists dedicated to executing these election support technology 

efforts. In addition, the EAC will fund expert contractors to assist with the development of these new 

programs covered in HAVA. 

Lastly, to improve the EAC Testing and Certification program the EAC seeks to invest funds in 

the procurement of systems that allow for efficient vulnerability disclosure programs and software that 

allows for robust tracking of testing and certification of all voting systems or their components. The 

EAC would need to procure software, hardware, and services to enhance the programs record keeping 

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and allow for both secure and efficient handling of reported bugs and anomalies, and the remediation of 

these bugs as needed. As the only national testing and certification program, the EAC needs specialized 

software to track all models of systems and where they are in the lifecycle of voting systems. 

Communications / Web Development 

As a part of its FY 2023 budget request, the EAC requests funding to acquire necessary legislative 

affairs staff to assist the agency in mission-critical responsibility of tracking necessary legislation from 

not only a federal level, but also a state level. Legislation at the federal and state levels often impacts 

how elections are administered by requiring new systems, changing deadlines, and updating processes. 

Each state is different and election officials often rely on the expertise of other officials to implement 

and communicate election administration changes to voters and local officials. The EAC, in its 

Clearinghouse function, compiles and promotes best practices to help election officials administer 

secure, accurate and accessible elections. Elections are also decentralized, and to adequately understand 

the nuances of each state and updates that impact election administration, additional legislative staff is 

needed to help assist officials and America's voters. 

In addition to legislative staff, the EAC also requests funding to expand the communications department 

staff with additional writers and social media staff. It is paramount to the EAC mission that the EAC 

produce documents in plain language and provide materials that are truly valuable. Without researching 

trends, obtaining feedback, having a robust strategy to disseminate work product, and having expert 

communication specialists on board, the EAC risks not getting critical information out to its 

stakeholders in a timely and practical manner. These staff members will help the agency develop 

additional resources that fit the needs of election officials and make sure officials are aware of the wide 

range of EAC resources available. Additional communications staff will increase the agency's capacity 

and the effective distribution of agency materials. 

In support of the Administration’s FY 2023 goal of IT modernization, the EAC also plans to improve the 

EAC’s website. That includes acquiring necessary web developers to develop new tools and evaluate 

how to ensure the website is organized and accessible so any visitor can find the information they are 

looking for. In support of the same goal, the EAC requests funding to redevelop its website to further the 

agency’s core mission of providing assistance to the electorate. The volume of information on the EAC's 

website is extensive. A redesign of the website will ensure this information can reach voters, election 

officials, and other stakeholders. For example, the EAC's website includes extensive state-by-state 

grants reporting and voting information, local jurisdiction information on poll worker recruitment and 

voting systems, and a growing number of in-depth reports and resources on a variety of election 

administration topics. The content of the agency's website will continue to grow and as it does, we need 

to make sure this primary tool for the agency is not only informative and fits the needs of stakeholders 

but is also secure and accessible to all visitors. 

The EAC also plans to utilize the necessary developers to create tools and apps that provide for better 

training for election officials and better voter education for voters. These tools, in combination with an 

updated EAC website, will allow the agency to provide information in new, streamlined, and accessible 

ways. To make the website more friendly to diverse groups of people, the EAC plans to translate useful 

best practices in multiple languages, continue to ensure 508 compliance, and implement a new modern 

website and applications customized for the EAC’s unique mission. 

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The EAC partners with the General Services Agency (GSA) on vote.gov. As the subject matter experts 

on elections, the EAC helps GSA update the site and provides guidance on elections and voting. 

Executive Order 14019 on Promoting Access to Voting orders the modernization of vote.gov. As part of 

that order, GSA is coordinating with the EAC to modernize and improve the user experience. As the 

mission of vote.gov expands, so will the EAC's role in supporting that effort. Additional funds are being 

requested to expand the EAC’s capacity to provide subject matter expertise and other technical 

assistance to support the GSA-hosted vote.gov. Having a one stop shop for trusted information is 

important to help combat the spread of mis- and dis-information. Funds utilized to allow the EAC to 

assist GSA in expanding vote.gov will provide an immediate benefit to the voting public. 

Statutorily Mandated HAVA Studies 

The EAC requests funding for three statutorily mandated studies outlined in the Help America Vote Act 

(HAVA) that have gone unaddressed in recent years due to low funding and staffing levels. These 

include: 

1. HAVA Sec 241(b)(11): Federal and State laws governing the eligibility of persons to vote: 

The EAC will complete a periodic research study that will examine federal and state laws used to 

determine individuals that are qualified and eligible to vote in any election. This study will 

explore standards, practices, and procedures applied under such law or laws with the intent of 

providing stakeholders with up-to-date guidance and best practices for future implementation. 

2. HAVA Sec 241(b)(13): Laws and procedures used by each state concerning recounts, what 

constitutes a vote, and contesting ballots: The EAC will conduct a periodic research study that 

will examine states' laws and procedures used to govern: a) recounts of ballots cast in elections 

for federal office; b) contests of determinations regarding whether votes are counted in such 

elections; and c) standards that define what constitutes a vote on each type of voting equipment 

used in the state to conduct elections for federal office. This study will be conducted with the 

intent of identifying best practices (as identified by the Commission) that are used by states with 

respect to the recounts and contests. Through this study, the EAC will also explore whether or 

not there is a need for more consistency among state recount and contest procedures used with 

respect to elections for federal office. 

3. HAVA Sec 244: Study and Report on Voters Who Register by Mail and Use of Social 

Security Information: The EAC will complete a study of the impact of section 303(b) on 

voters who register by mail. This study will examine of the impact of section 303(b) on: a) first 

time mail registrant voters who vote in person, including the impact on voter registration, b) the 

accuracy of voter rolls, including preventing ineligible names from being placed on voter rolls 

and ensuring that all eligible names are placed on voter rolls, c) existing state practices, such as 

the use of signature verification or attestation procedures to verify the identity of voters in 

elections for federal office, and an analysis of other changes that may be made to improve the 

voter registration process, such as verification or additional information on the registration card. 

In addition, this study will explore the feasibility and advisability of using Social Security 

identification numbers or other information/identifiers compiled by the Social Security 

Administration to establish voter registration or other election law eligibility or identification 

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requirements, including the matching of relevant information specific to an individual voter, the 

impact of such use on national security issues, and whether adequate safeguards or waiver 

procedures exist to protect the individual identity of a voter. 

Advancing Agency Management and Performance 

As the EAC continues to grow, maintaining a quality management and performance curriculum will be 

critical in the next few years for EAC leadership and staff. The EAC aims to do its part to further the 

administration’s FY 2023 priority of Advancing Agency Management and Performance with consulting 

services to assist with performance management and the potential development of measurable 

performance metrics for the agency. Leadership training and performance management guidance to the 

agency will be critical in the short term, and the EAC has included in its FY 2023 budget request 

funding for these investments. 

Advancing Equity 

Unlike larger agencies, the EAC does not currently have an Office of Civil Rights (OCR) or an 

equivalent office focused on equity and diversity. The agency aims to fill this void by assigning 

dedicated staff tasked with advising, representing, and assisting the EAC’s Executive Director, Office of 

Human Resources, and Office of General Counsel on civil rights and equal opportunity matters. These 

matters relate both internally to the EAC and externally to states and other stakeholders. For example, 

the individual will ensure: 

 The continued promotion of equal employment opportunities in the recruitment, hiring, 

development, and retention of a highly skilled, diverse, and effective workforce. 

 Equal access and compliance with internal civil rights programs and services affecting EAC 

employees and applicants for employment. 

 Equal access and compliance with external civil rights programs and services relating to the 

beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries of Help America Vote Act (HAVA) programs receiving 

federal financial assistance through EAC, including assisting states in complying with voting 

laws and civil rights voting laws. 

It is important that the work of the EAC’s equity-focused personnel is in alignment with the goals of the 

agency, which are as follows: 

 Strengthen American elections through the development and implementation of responsive and 

dynamic voting system guidelines and cyber resources for election officials; 

 Encourage improvements to election administration through the development and distribution of 

resources that assist election officials in modernizing American elections; and 

 Create operational excellence throughout agency management and programming. 

Cyber Access and Security Program 

In FY 2023, the EAC will continue to build on its Cyber Access and Security Program, providing 

cybersecurity support both to internal EAC operations and external customers. FISMA documentation 

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and compliance functions as well as technical cybersecurity expertise are provided by the program in 

support of the EAC’s IT operations. Externally, the program provides training, best practices, and other 

materials to assist election officials, voters, and others improve the cybersecurity posture of their 

systems, practices, and procedures. The program works with other federal partners through the 

Government Coordinating Council to ensure its products are focused and relevant and do not duplicate 

the efforts of other agencies. 

Competitive Election Innovation Grants 

The EAC requests $250,000,000 for grants under the Election Innovation Grants program with a 2%, not 

to exceed $5,000,000, administrative reserve to be available and used by the EAC to implement, 

administer, and oversee the funds over the life of the competitive grant program. The EAC aims to foster 

an environment of innovation in the areas of voting technology, cybersecurity and other security 

safeguards, comprehensive election accessibility, language proficiency, voter education, usability, and 

other areas. This approach will foster innovation and enhance processes and procedures in the 

administration of federal elections. 

The 2020 federal election cycle saw unprecedented challenges, including a worldwide pandemic, but 

also an adverse shift in voter confidence fueled by a wave of misinformation. This placed additional 

strain on voters and election officials, with consequences for ballot access and future participation. The 

EAC aims to take a proactive approach by distributing resources on a competitive basis to those States 

and eligible local government that can provide innovative solutions to issues surrounding the 

administration of federal elections. 

The Election Innovation Grants program will allow the EAC to distribute funds in a competitive manner 

to ensure this initiative supports projects that foster innovation, enhance processes, and address 

emerging needs. Emerging needs can include ensuring physical safety of election officials and sites, 

accelerating modernization of voting systems, creative use of information technology, promotion of 

voter access (including vote by mail), safeguarding the voting experience for all voters, including those 

with disabilities or other needs, veterans, those facing language barriers and overseas voters, and 

supporting projects to combat election process misinformation, including pilot initiatives. These 

programs will advance election administration with innovative approaches and the latest technology, as 

well as explore new trends and processes that can be replicated to improve the field overall. 

Under this program, the EAC will solicit, review, and award all funds by the end of the availability 

period. Grant funds will be available to grantees for a period of three years. EAC will adhere to 

evaluation criteria weighted on the quality of the proposal, project design, demonstrated capacity of the 

applicant to deliver, potential scalability and replicability, the long-term impact of the project, and the 

cost-effectiveness of proposed activities. The EAC will also consider compliance history and past 

performance for any applicants who have or had prior EAC funding. Proposals that emphasize funding 

by the State to local election jurisdictions will be prioritized. An analysis of current preexisting HAVA 

funding available for the proposed activity and/or demonstrated funding gaps will also be considered a 

factor in selection. 

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Mandatory Formula Grants 

In addition, the Budget proposes legislation to support critical state and local election infrastructure, 

through a significant and sustained Federal investment to improve equitable access and ensure our 

elections are secure. The legislation will provide $10 billion in 2023, to be expended over ten years 

through formula grants administered by the Election Assistance Commission, to enable crucial electionrelated capital investments such as upgrades to registration databases, voting systems, and physical 

structures; support recruitment, training, and retention of election workers; improve physical and cyber 

security; and improve voters' access to reliable elections. 

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23

Budgetary Changes: President’s Budget Request, FY22-23

(In whole dollars)

Personnel Compensation and Benefits: +$2,637,244

Assumes full annualized rate for existing personnel, those assumed under the FY 2022 

President’s Budget, and an FY 2023 increase of 13 FTE with associated cost of living 

adjustment.

Travel: +$100,000

Increase assumes post-COVID travel will resume.

Other Services: +$4,648,390

Includes contracts and other services reflected in the FY 2023 budget request, such as 

website enhancements, pilot for voting equipment audit, and cyber training/IT 

modernization programs.

Miscellaneous: -$132,165

Equipment: -95,528

Supplies: -39,578

Printing & Reproduction: +$1,000

Financial Transfers: +$1,941

Grants: +145,000,000

Includes grants to States aimed at improving election administration, cybersecurity or other 

security safeguards, security of election officials, accessibility for voters with disabilities 

and other access needs, including vote-by-mail, voter education, language proficiency, 

usability, voter technology, or other programs to enhance processes and procedures in 

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Budget Requests and Performance Measures by Strategic Goal 

The EAC’s request is presented in terms of its three strategic goals. The full strategic plan can be 

found on the EAC’s website (https://www.eac.gov/about-eac/operations): 

1. Strengthen American elections through the development and implementation of responsive 

and dynamic voting system guidelines and cyber resources for election officials; 

2. Encourage improvements to election administration through the development and 

distribution of resources that assist election officials in modernizing American elections; and 

3. Create operational excellence throughout agency management and programming. 

Strategic Goal 1 

Strengthen American elections through the development and implementation of responsive 

and dynamic voting system guidelines and cyber resources for election officials. 

Staff from the Clearinghouse, Communications, Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer, Research, and Testing and Certification Divisions collaborate toward the 

success of Goal 1. Objectives and success indicators for the goal are as follows: 

OBJECTIVES 

Objectives of the goal include continuing to evolve the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines and 

related policies, developing programs under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) to bolster security 

and accessibility standards of election technology, and leveraging and expanding the EAC’s existing 

technical expertise to provide timely resources to increase the security posture of critical 

infrastructure including voting systems, e-poll books, and other areas. 

SUCCESS INDICATORS 

The anticipated success indicators of the goal are the yearly review of the Voluntary Voting System 

Guidelines (VVSG) for potential updates, the certification of a VVSG 2.0 compliant system, the 

successful piloting of a program for e-poll book testing and certification leading to the creation of a 

permanent program, conducting a pilot program for other election supporting technology, the 

creation of an online training system with courses focused on election cybersecurity fundamentals, 

and the successful cybersecurity defense of 2022 midterm and 2024 presidential elections. 

1. Audit of Field Voting Systems, Manufacturing, & Election Supporting Technologies 

Standards Development 

Under HAVA, the EAC is responsible for assisting states with improvements of voting systems 

through the distribution of federal funds and by creating and administering a voluntary voting system 

testing and certification program. The Testing and Certification program creates and maintains 

standards against which voting systems can be tested, works with EAC-accredited voting system test 

labs to test voting systems against these standards, and certifies voting systems that successfully pass 

these tests. This standard is called the VVSG). States’ use of this standard and the EAC’s 

accompanying testing and certification program are voluntary, but most states choose to use the 

standard or its testing program in whole or in part. The VVSG helps states and localities, which are 

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charged with selecting their own voting systems, select high-quality, secure, and accessible voting 

systems with confidence. 

In FY 2023, the EAC plans to pilot a Testing and Certification Audit Program, including the hiring 

of field auditors and quality monitoring specialists to add support for its Quality Monitoring 

Program. Under the authority of HAVA, the EAC also plans to establish specialty requirements and 

guidelines specific to equipment used for election supporting technologies such as electronic 

pollbooks, voter registration databases, and ballot delivery systems. Hiring election technology 

specialists and contract support is required to support and execute this effort. 

In addition to voting system certification and laboratory accreditation, the EAC and its 110-member 

Standards Board, 37-member Board of Advisors, and 14-member Technical Guidelines 

Development Committee (TGDC) continue to work together to update and implement voluntary 

testing guidelines for voting systems. 

2. Cyber Access and Security Program 

The EAC will continue to build on its Cyber Access and Security Program, providing cybersecurity 

support both to internal EAC operations and external customers. FISMA documentation and 

compliance functions as well as technical cybersecurity expertise are provided by the program in 

support of the EAC’s IT operations. Additionally, the EAC will continue to bolster its cyber 

defenses to achieve full zero-trust capability. Externally, the program provides training, best 

practices, and other materials to assist election officials, voters, and others improve the cybersecurity 

posture of their systems, practices, and procedures. The program works with other federal partners 

through the Government Coordinating Council to ensure its products are focused and relevant and do 

not duplicate the efforts of other agencies 

The FY 2023 Request 

For FY 2023, the EAC requests funds to meet its congressional mandates to create, manage, and 

administer voluntary voting system standards and accompanying testing and certification program as 

well as provide resources that help election officials administer elections and help Americans 

participate in the voting process. Specifically, the EAC will: 

 Continue an election audit program to assist election administrators with conducting postelection audit pilots, compliance audits, and developing best practice guides. 

 Produce and publish best practice resources such as toolkits, videos, educational tools, blogs, 

and white papers on topics including developing and maintaining complex online registration 

databases, set up and use of accessible voting equipment, registering to vote, training and 

managing poll workers, and cybersecurity. 

 Continue to implement VVSG 2.0, which includes expanding efforts to support additional 

testing of voting systems and regular functionality review as technology advances. 

Strategic Goal 2 

Encourage improvements to election administration through the development and distribution 

of resources that assist election officials in modernizing American elections. 

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Staff from the Clearinghouse, Communications, Finance, Office of the General Counsel, Grants, 

Office of the Chief Information Officer, Research, and Testing and Certification Divisions 

collaborate toward the success of Goal 2. Objectives and success indicators for the goal are as 

follows: 

OBJECTIVES 

The objectives of the goal are to serve as a clearinghouse of election best practices by continually 

creating resources that help election officials improve the administration of elections and help voters 

participate in elections, increase confidence in America’s elections and transform the common 

understanding of election administration through commissioning innovative research, and effectively 

and efficiently distributing federal resources to EAC stakeholders. 

SUCCESS INDICATORS 

Congress charged the EAC with acting as the nation’s clearinghouse of election administration 

information by a) crafting and managing a national voluntary standard and testing program for 

voting system testing and certification, b) collecting and publishing information and research on 

election administration information and data, and c) collecting and distributing election 

administration best practices. In Strategic Goal 2, the EAC fulfills these mandates by using its 

expertise to build and manage these clearinghouse and grants resources. 

In FY 2023, the EAC will continue to expand the nation’s comprehensive understanding of 

American election administration by managing and maintaining the nation’s clearinghouse of 

election administration information and practices, analyzing 2022 Election Administration and 

Voting Survey (EAVS) data, conducting research of best practices and emerging topics in election 

administration in areas such as cybersecurity, accessibility, language access, and technology, and 

effectively distributing federal resources to stakeholders. 

The success indicators for the clearinghouse of information on election administration are the use of 

EAC resources by election officials, the production and release of resources on top priorities as 

identified by EAC advisory boards, steady growth of engagement with the agency by election 

officials via newsletters and social media, and an increase in the use of the EAC website. 

Additionally, anticipated success indicators of this goal include an analysis of EAVS data that 

produces insights into U.S. election administration; successful creation of tools to make responding 

to EAVS and analyzing EAVS data easier; increases in the number of entities providing information, 

research, and data related to U.S. election administration; and the ability to better design EAC 

assistance products for the agency’s stakeholders. 

Through its activities under this goal, the agency works to ensure the resources and expertise of the 

EAC and the broader federal government are distributed effectively, efficiently, and responsibly. In 

the last three years, Congress has appropriated $1.2 billion of federal funds for the improvement of 

election administration including a focus on election security. Congress designated the EAC to 

administer, monitor and audit these funds. In furtherance of this goal, the success indicators of the 

distribution of federal resources are the timely and accurate disbursement of funds, the resolution of 

audit findings, the timely closing of grants, and accurate and complete financial reporting. 

The election administration space continually moves at a fast pace as it is increasingly 

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interconnected due to increased scrutiny from the media and national security efforts such as DHS’s 

Critical Infrastructure framework. For these reasons, the EAC plans to continue extensive work 

under Strategic Goal 2 into FY 2023 in order to best serve the nation. 

Note: The EAC’s OIG activities impact the EAC’s work under strategic goal 2. The EAC’s OIG 

request is detailed starting on page 27. 

1. Clearinghouse 

Congress charged the EAC with building and maintaining a national clearinghouse of election 

administration information and best practices. Maintaining this clearinghouse requires the EAC to 

regularly research current election administration practices, pressing election administration issues, 

and needs, as well as collect best practices from across the country. Previously, the EAC produced 

nation-leading resources on risk limiting audits, critical infrastructure, language access, accessibility 

for voters with disabilities, and general election security for states, localities, and voters. 

As the only federal agency that focuses on the whole of elections, the EAC’s clearinghouse work 

serves as a powerful central hub and single “go-to” location for election officials and voters as they 

work to improve the administration of and participate in in their elections. EAC stakeholders 

regularly use these resources to improve the administration of their elections, educate voters, and 

generally increase voters’ confidence in the nation’s elections. State and local election officials, 

Congress, other federal agencies, and voters regularly leverage these EAC resources. 

In FY 2023, the EAC will continue to add best practices resources that focus on topics such as 

cybersecurity, contingency planning, absentee and mail voting, and other topics that emerge during 

the 2020 and 2022 elections. The EAC collects these best practices through hearings, in-person and 

virtual meetings, leveraging its advisory boards’ extensive knowledge and experience, commissioner 

led hearings, and an innovative annual contest. Through each of these means, the EAC learns from 

the diversity of approaches taken by the nation’s thousands of election jurisdictions and helps the 

rest of the nation learn from their peers. These election administration best practice areas regularly 

include: 

 Poll worker recruitment, management, and training; 

 Voter registration list management; 

 Polling place management; 

 Procurement of voting and voter registration systems; 

 Data collection and management; 

 Accessibility for voters with disabilities; and 

 Access for voters with limited English proficiency. 

Additionally, the EAC will continue its work with the Local Leadership Council (LLC), a fourth 

FACA committee established in 2021, to provide unbiased analysis and recommendations to the 

EAC on local election administration topics. Membership in the LLC consists of 100 members with 

two members from each state who are currently or recently serving officers of each state’s local 

election official association. 

The clearinghouse is hosted on the EAC’s website, https://www.eac.gov, and it contains best 

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practices, research, instructional videos, and white papers on a wide variety of topics such as voter 

registration, voter registration list management, poll worker recruiting and management, staff 

training, voting system information, election system procurement help, risk limiting audits and 

critical infrastructure, and cybersecurity. These resources are essential to the nation as its election 

officials face the new and ever-evolving cybersecurity threats. Election officials regularly look to the 

EAC as a starting place when understanding new issues and the EAC is dedicated to ensuring that 

when election officials look for help defending their cyber systems they are provided with what they 

need. 

The EAC’s website is a popular resource for voters and election officials as they seek help in either 

participating in or improving elections. On the EAC’s website, the agency hosts downloadable 

copies of all current and legacy resources. The most popular set of resources on the EAC’s website is 

the agency’s resources for voters, particularly voter registration. Every day, voters and potential 

voters come to the EAC’s website to learn how to register to vote. Information like dates and 

deadlines, links and other updates requires regular monitoring to make sure the information provided 

is accurate. In 2020, the EAC added more information for registration and options to cast a ballot as 

well as information about becoming a poll worker. This request includes funds for continued 

maintenance of the EAC’s website and other similar digital outreach platforms. 

In FY 2023, the EAC will continue to host election information and best practices on its public 

facing website, undertake a redesign to enhance the usability and functionality of the website, hold 

events and hearings, and it will continue to meet its congressional mandate by researching further 

topics. 

2. Election Administration & Voting Survey and subsequent congressional report 

Congress mandates that the EAC study a number of election administration topics, and the EAC 

must study others to effectively carry its charge as the national clearinghouse. The additional topics 

that the EAC chooses to study are selected based on legislative mandates and the current and 

expected future needs of election officials and voters. 

The EAC administers and oversees the biennial Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS), 

the only comprehensive collection and report of data on election administration and voting systems 

of its kind. Through the EAVS, the EAC surveys the 50 States, the District of Columbia, American 

Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The survey, 

performed in conjunction with the Department of Defense’s Federal Voting Assistance Program 

(FVAP), collects data for more than 400 variables related to voter registration, military and overseas 

voting, absentee ballots, polling places, poll workers, and provisional ballots. The survey data is 

used by election officials, academics, and others to improve their methods, metrics, and tactics in 

serving voters and maintaining voter registration lists. EAVS falls under the President’s 

Management Agenda goal to leverage data as a strategic asset. The data collected in EAVS provides 

a unique perspective in election administration that can drive program decision making within the 

agency. The EAC looks forward to using data to enhance program areas that can produce more 

resources for election officials and voters. Currently, the EAC has limited resources to further 

synthesize the data and to provide more meaningful reports. 

Much of the data collected through EAVS is congressionally mandated. The EAC uses the survey to 

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help inform Congress on the impact of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) on the 

administration of elections for federal offices, and on the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee 

Voting Act (UOCAVA). The EAC also uses the survey data to develop reference guidance for state 

election officials. 

3. Monitoring and Providing Technical Assistance on Federal Grant Funds to Ensure 

Improvements to the Administration of Federal Elections 

Under HAVA, the EAC is responsible for awarding, monitoring and providing technical assistance 

to state and territory election offices. This work expanded dramatically beginning in 2018 with new 

appropriations for Election Security and CARES grants. The EAC’s grant portfolio doubled from 

about 100 grants to over 200. The EAC ensured these funds were distributed to states expeditiously 

and is mandated to oversee, monitor and provide technical assistance on their use. The EAC’s 

Inspector General also audits the states’ use of the funds, and EAC staff members provide technical 

assistance to the states as they design and implement their plans to use the federal funds. EAC staff 

members monitor the use of the funds by the states through semi-annual progress and financial 

reports. 

For 2023, the EAC’s work to monitor and provide technical assistance to these grantees will 

continue. We will continue to oversee expenditure of the funds and must increase our capacity to 

conduct on-site monitoring of compliance with post award administration of federal funds and 

assistance and provide technical assistance to those states with staff turnover in person. The EAC 

must invest in a system of record with functionality to improve end-to-end grant lifecycle processes, 

enhance efficiencies and provide for better performance measurement, data collection, and analysis 

to drive decisions and follow up actions for the current and any future federal grant funding. 

The FY 2023 Request 

For FY 2023, the EAC requests funds to continually meet its congressional mandate to serve as the 

national clearinghouse of election administration information by doing the following: 

 Analyze EAVS data and conduct additional research on cyber security programs and other 

areas of election administration that will assist with decision -making on the state and federal 

level. 

 Produce and publish best practice resources such as videos, educational tools, blogs, and 

white papers on topics including developing and maintaining complex online registration 

databases, set up and use of accessible voting equipment, registering to vote, training and 

managing poll workers, and cybersecurity. 

 Provide regular staff-level contact with election officials to collect and share information. 

 Conduct forums, town halls, webinars, and hearings to gather information about potential 

best practices and information pertinent to election administration by bringing together 

election officials, technology innovators, individuals with disabilities, accessibility 

equipment and voting system manufacturers, academics, computer programmers and security 

experts, voting system standards developers, and website developers and designers. 

 Explore and study how states are using congressionally appropriated HAVA funds. 

 Initiate three statutorily mandated HAVA studies. 

 Administer a competitive Election Innovation Grant to applicants with qualified projects, 

ensuring funding is utilized efficiently and those in need of such funding have an opportunity 

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to request it. 

 Improve Vote.gov by providing technical assistance to GSA in order to enhance voter-facing 

information, as well as engaging in promotional activities supporting anti-disinformation 

campaigns. 

 Revamp the EAC’s website and streamline existing clearinghouse resources for election 

officials. 

Strategic Goal 3 

Create operational excellence throughout agency management and programming. 

Staff from the Clearinghouse, Communications, Finance, Office of the General Counsel, Grants, 

Human Resources and Administration, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Research, and 

Testing and Certification Divisions collaborate toward the success of goal 3. Objectives and success 

indicators for the goal are as follows: 

OBJECTIVES 

The objectives of the goal are to increase customer service to key stakeholders and partners, update 

internal structures and policies to optimize performance, develop and continue to manage internal 

structures and tools that produce a culture of innovation and a driven workforce, and continue to 

build a skilled, diverse, and effective workforce. 

SUCCESS INDICATORS 

The anticipated success indicators of the goal are the existence of interagency programs that provide 

unique value or generate efficiencies; continuing compliance with federal regulations and mandates; 

and internal strategic planning capacity development at the division and programmatic levels. 

The EAC is dedicated to functioning as a modern, strategic agency supported by qualified, 

innovative professionals who help the agency achieve its mission in an efficient and impactful 

manner. Through Strategic Goal 3, the agency reaffirms its dedication to being good stewards of 

public funds, contributing positively to the federal government, and continuing to build and operate 

an agency that is diverse and impactful. The agency has been historically underfunded. In recent 

years the agency has received incremental funding allowing for the improvement of its operational 

structure. The EAC aims to create operational excellence by increasing customer service to key 

stakeholders, updating internal structures and policies to optimize performance, maximizing minimal 

resources, and building a skilled, diverse, and effective workforce 

1. Advancing Agency Management and Performance 

As the EAC continues to grow, maintaining a quality management and performance curriculum will 

be critical in the next few years for EAC leadership and staff. The EAC aims to do its part to further 

the administration’s FY 2023 priority of Advancing Agency Management and Performance by 

procuring consulting services to assist with performance management, and the potential development 

of measurable performance metrics. Leadership training and performance management guidance to 

the agency will be critical in the short term and the EAC has included in its FY 2023 budget request 

funding for these investments. 

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Fiscal Year 2023 Congressional Budget Justification 

2. Advancing Equity 

The agency intends to hire dedicated staff tasked with advising, representing, and assisting the 

EAC’s Executive Director on civil rights and equal opportunity matters that ensure: 

 The elimination of barriers that prevent individuals from realizing their full potential. 

 The promotion of equal employment opportunities in the recruitment, hiring, development, 

and retention of a highly skilled, diverse, and effective workforce. 

 Equal access and compliance with internal civil rights programs and services affecting EAC 

employees and applicants for employment. 

 Equal access and compliance with external civil rights programs and services relating to the 

beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries of Help America Vote Act (HAVA) programs 

receiving federal financial assistance through EAC. 

3. Cyber Access and Security Program 

The EAC will continue to build on its Cyber Access and Security Program, providing cybersecurity 

support both to internal EAC operations and external customers. FISMA documentation and 

compliance functions as well as technical cybersecurity expertise are provided by the program in 

support of the EAC’s IT operations. Additionally, the EAC will continue to bolster its cyber 

defenses to achieve full zero-trust capability. Externally, the program provides training, best 

practices, and other materials to assist election officials, voters, and others improve the cybersecurity 

posture of their systems, practices, and procedures. The program works with other federal partners 

through the Government Coordinating Council to ensure its products are focused and relevant and do 

not duplicate the efforts of other agencies 

The FY 2023 Request 

For FY 2023, the EAC requests funds to create operational excellence throughout agency 

management and programming by doing the following: 

 Procuring services to implement performance management assistance including the 

development of performance metrics. 

 Provide leadership training and performance management guidance to agency staff. 

 Hire dedicated staff to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in EAC agency 

operations. 

 Utilize dedicated staff to advise on compliance with external civil rights programs and 

services related to the agency mission. 

 Expand the Cyber Access and Security Program to support internal operations including 

compliance and training, and to advance the EAC to full zero-trust capability. 

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Attachment A 

Office of Inspector General 

BACKGROUND 

The United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is a bipartisan Commission created and 

authorized by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). The Office of Inspector General (OIG) 

was established by HAVA and the Inspector General Act of 1978 (IG Act), as amended, to provide 

independent and objective reporting to EAC and Congress through its audit and investigative 

activities. 

Charged with the identification and prevention of waste, fraud, and abuse of federal resources, the 

OIG strives to promote economy, efficiency and effectiveness in EAC programs and operations. To 

accomplish this goal, the OIG conducts regular audits of recipients of grant funds distributed by the 

EAC, annual audits of EAC’s operations, and periodic reviews and audits of EAC program 

operations and transactions. In addition, the OIG conducts investigations in response to allegations 

against EAC, its grant recipients, or other third parties involved in EAC programs. 

THE BUDGET IN SUMMARY 

The OIG’s fiscal year (FY) 2023 request of $1,920,018 includes $6,336 as a transfer to the Council 

of Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) in keeping with the provisions of the 

Inspector General Reform Act of 2008. The request also includes $21,250 for costs associated with 

training and professional development for the OIG’s full-time employees. 

OIG ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS 

The OIG primarily engages in three activities or projects: 1) auditing EAC’s grant programs, 2) 

conducting audits of EAC’s internal programs and operations, and 3) conducting investigations in 

relation to EAC’s operations and of grant recipients or other third parties related to EAC programs. 

Auditing Grant Programs 

 

Section 902 of HAVA gives EAC and other agencies making a grant or payment the authority to 

conduct audits of any recipients of HAVA funds. EAC is further authorized to conduct regular audits 

of funds distributed under HAVA. The OIG conducts those audits. 

Until 2017, the OIG focused on auditing the grants distributed to states under Title II of HAVA.

These grants represented the vast majority of grant funds distributed by the EAC through fiscal year 

2010. 

In fiscal year 2018, EAC received an appropriation in the amount of $380 million in formula grants 

to the States to improve the administration of elections for federal office, including to enhance 

technology and make election security improvements. The OIG began auditing these HAVA 

Election Security Fund grants in fiscal year 2019. In December 2020, the EAC received $425 

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Fiscal Year 2023 Congressional Budget Justification 

million in appropriations for additional election security grant funding. In March 2020, under the 

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the EAC received $400 million in 

grant funding to provide the States with additional resources to prevent, prepare for, and respond to 

coronavirus, domestically or internationally, for the 2020 federal election cycle. 

Starting FY 2021, the OIG’s grant audits included the states’ expended portions of the total $1.2 

billion distributed since 2018, including any funds expended from the funding distributed through 

2010. States are generally selected for audit based on the OIG’s risk assessment, which evaluates a 

variety of factors, such as prior audit outcomes, funding received and spent, and other factors. 

The OIG’s mission to ensure economy, efficiency and integrity in the use of funds is not limited to 

conducting audits. The OIG has also worked with the EAC to help educate states on the 

requirements that are associated with audits of federal funding. 

In the coming fiscal years, the OIG will continue to work to protect the federal investment in the 

electoral process and to promote economy, efficiency, and integrity in EAC grant programs through 

its audits and collaborative work with EAC management. 

Investigations 

When allegations are made concerning the misappropriation of HAVA funds, the OIG is responsible 

for investigating those allegations. The OIG has instituted activities to improve and increase 

information available to EAC employees and the general public about how and when to make 

complaints of fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement. The OIG has a website that includes the 

ability to file an on-line complaint via an electronic form or by sending an email directly to the OIG. 

In addition, the OIG manages a hotline number. Complainants can also reach the OIG regarding 

allegations concerning EAC programs and operations when reporting fraud, waste, and abuse via 

IGNET.gov and Oversight.gov. 

The OIG does not currently employ an investigator. The OIG has an interagency agreement with 

Department of Interior OIG for investigative services when issues arise that require an investigation. 

Internal Audits 

The OIG is also responsible for conducting reviews, audits, and investigations of EAC’s internal 

policies, procedures, and actions. These audits assess the efficiency of EAC’s operations and its 

compliance with governing statutes and regulations, including compliance with the Federal 

Information Security Management Act (FISMA), the Digital Accountability and Transparency 

(DATA) Act, and the Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act. The OIG contracts with 

independent public accountants to conduct many of these audits, including the annual audit of the 

EAC’s financial statements.

 OIG GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 

In FY 2023, the OIG will continue to monitor spending by EAC grant recipients, auditing EAC 

programs and operations, and investigating allegations concerning EAC programs as needed. 

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U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

Fiscal Year 2023 Congressional Budget Justification 

The OIG is currently staffed by two full-time employees, the Inspector General and an Audit 

Director. We anticipate hiring additional audit staff in 2022 to address the workload increases 

stemming from the increase in grant audits, EAC’s restructuring of its grant management 

procedures, and other audit requirements. The OIG’s increase in staffing resources will allow the 

OIG to regularly issue grant audit reports and perform reviews of EAC’s internal operations, 

supporting the President’s vision to restore the public trust in the federal government by keeping the 

public informed about the States’ use of federal funding, and the efficiency and effectiveness of 

EAC operations. 

The current budget request includes funding for the Inspector General, Deputy Inspector General, 

Audit Director and one additional staff member. The OIG will continue to use contract auditors in 

FY 2023 to supplement the capacity of its audit staff in fulfilling its expanding oversight 

responsibilities. The OIG will also rely on interagency agreements with other OIGs for investigative 

and legal services. 

GOAL 1: Protect the Federal investment in our electoral system. 

The federal government has made a sizable investment in the American electoral system. Congress 

had appropriated $3.25 billion in grant funds to the States for improvement of election infrastructure 

and processes through 2010 and, since 2018, an additional $1.2 billion to States for election security 

and pandemic response grants. 

The OIG relies primarily on contract auditors to conduct audits of the grants to the States, and the 

OIG performs the required oversight in accordance with the Inspector General Act of 1978 to ensure 

its contract auditors are performing audits that are compliant with Generally Accepted Government 

Auditing Standards (GAGAS) and all other applicable federal requirements. 

For FY 2023, we anticipate increasing the audit coverage of state grant audits by contracting for 

grant audits during the fall and summer. These audits will cover all grant funding that has been 

issued or reissued to the States by EAC, including the States required matching funds for all 

applicable grant awards. 

GOAL 2: Promote economy, efficiency and integrity in EAC programs and operations. 

A critical portion of the OIG mission is to promote economy and efficiency in government programs 

and operations and to detect and prevent fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in government 

programs and involving government resources. The OIG fulfills this portion of its mission by 

conducting audits and evaluations of EAC operations. The audits include statutorily required audits 

such as an annual audit of financial statements and a review of compliance with the Federal 

Information Security Management Act (FISMA). While these two audits cover a large portion of 

EAC’s operations on an annual basis, the OIG also conducts discretionary risk-based audits and 

evaluations of programs or specific EAC transactions to promote integrity in EAC programs and 

operations. 

The OIG is also charged with investigating waste, fraud and abuse in EAC programs and operations. 

To meet this requirement, the OIG provides the public and EAC employees the ability to file 

complaints via telephone, email, an on-line complaint form, and U.S. mail. The methods for filing a 

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U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

Fiscal Year 2023 Congressional Budget Justification 

complaint to the OIG are communicated to those persons involved with EAC and its programs, as 

well as those impacted by those programs to ensure they know how and where to make complaints 

of fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement. The OIG communicates these methods via its webpage, 

contractual clauses, and audit reports. 

Complaint submissions as well as information from audits and evaluations can identify potential 

civil or criminal wrongdoing. When the OIG identifies potential wrongdoing, it can initiate an 

investigation. In these instances, the OIG will continue to rely upon interagency agreements with 

other offices of Inspector General to conduct investigations of fraud, waste, abuse and 

mismanagement. 

GOAL 3: Effectively communicate successes and opportunities for improvement. 

The OIG uses various tools to communicate with the EAC, Congress, and the general public 

concerning the status of EAC’s programs and operations as well as the OIG’s activities in 

conducting audits, evaluations, and investigations. The OIG issues reports following each formal 

engagement, regardless of type. Reports are disbursed to the entity that is the subject of the audit or 

evaluation, as well as the EAC and, when appropriate, oversight and appropriations committees of 

Congress. All Semiannual Reports to Congress, reports of Top Management Challenges, and reports 

that contain recommendations are posted to the EAC OIG website and to Oversight.gov. 

The OIG produces semi-annual reports to Congress in each fiscal year. Those reports summarize the 

audit, evaluation, and investigation reports issued by the OIG during the relevant six months. The 

report also includes statistics such as recommendations outstanding, the amount of costs that were 

questioned, as well as how much in federal funding could be put to better use as a result of OIG 

reports. 

The OIG also uses technology to communicate with its stakeholders and the public. The OIG 

manages a website where it makes information available concerning its operations, issued reports, 

rights and protections for whistleblowers, as well as an on-line form for making complaints of fraud, 

waste, abuse and mismanagement. 

In FY 2023, the OIG will continue its outreach efforts to keep EAC, Congress and the public 

informed of the OIG’s activities as well as its reviews of EAC programs and operations. 

GOAL 4: Effective and efficient OIG operations. 

As the OIG evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of EAC programs and operations, it is 

important for the OIG to ensure that its operations are effective and efficient, including having the 

needed policies, procedures and practices to underpin its operations. In FY 2023, we will continue to 

implement modules of our audit management software to continuously improve the efficiency and 

effectiveness of OIG operations. Specifically, we plan to implement technology that will allow EAC 

management, and the OIG improve the efficiency of tracking, updating, and reporting on the status 

of OIG report recommendations. The current funding request includes continued support for the 

OIG’s audit management software tool. 

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U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

Fiscal Year 2023 Congressional Budget Justification 

The FY 2023 funding request also includes salary and benefits for additional staff to assist the IG in 

covering the increased workload created by the new election security and pandemic response grant 

funding and to provide continuity in the OIG activity in the event of vacancies. The additional 

staffing also accounts for increases in expected training costs. 

The OIG will focus on advancing equity within OIG operations by providing a supportive working 

environment including providing professional education and training for its employees. All OIG 

employees will be required to meet the continuing education requirements applicable under the 

Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards. 

The OIG also participates in the CIGIE peer review program by conducting peer reviews of other OIGs 

and by undergoing triennial peer reviews as well. These peer reviews provide additional assurance that 

the work of the EAC OIG meets or exceeds the highest professional standards. 

OIG BUDGET REQUEST BY OBJECT CLASS 

FY 2021 

Enacted 

FY 2022 

Requested 

FY 2023 

Request 

Salaries and Benefits 

11.1 Full-time permanent 407,221 540,545 563,724 

11.9 Total personal compensation 407,221 540,545 563,724 

12.1 Civilian personnel benefits 150,627 199,071 212,783 

Contractual Services and Supplies 

21 Travel, training and oversight 15,000 21,250 21,250 

24 Printing and reproduction 1,000 -

25.2 Other services 507,746 639,285 1,055,925 

25.3 Other purchases of goods and 

services from Government accounts 55,000 56,000 56,000 

26 Supplies and materials 2,000 2,454 2,000 

Acquisition of Assets -

31 Equipment 2,000 2,000 2,000 

94 Financial Transfers 3,776 4,395 6,336 

Total Program $ 1,144,370 $ 1,465,000 1,920,018 

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