EXCELLENCE IN 

ELECTIONS 

2016 

ANNUAL 

REPORT 

U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 1

EAC

8,000+

JURISDICTIONS 

SURVEYED

16

JURISDICTIONS 

VISITED ON ELECTION 

DAY 

>200

MEDIA 

INTERACTIONS

IN 2016

10

VOTING SYSTEM

CAMPAIGNS AND 

MODIFICATIONS

$8.1M

FY2016 

APPROPRIATIONS

>200M

REGISTERED VOTERS

>1.1M

UNIQUE VISITORS 

TO EAC.GOV

55

STATE AND TERRITORY 

ELECTION JURISDICTIONS
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 2

EAC’s Value to America
	

Elections are the foundation of American democracy. Their importance 

cannot be overstated. They affect every person’s life in a direct and 

meaningful way. Because of this, millions of voters flock to voting booths every 

year in each state. To election officials and administrators, this powerful 

showing of civic engagement is motivational, but it also presents immense 

logistical, planning, and administrative issues to work through and solve. 

 

The Constitution grants states the responsibility of administering 

elections. This grant decentralizes elections and creates 55 independently 

operating election systems. Complicating matters further, states are not 

required to create a unified system, which means local election jurisdictions 

often make the final determination on election technology, policies, 

procedures, and regulations. These factors result in a complex system of more 

than 8,000 unique election jurisdictions constituting the “American Election 

System.” The complexity of this system makes the U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission’s mission even more important. 

In the middle of this multifaceted system sits the U.S. Election 

Assistance Commission (EAC) facilitating conversation, sharing best 

practices, certifying voting machines, and helping thousands of election 

jurisdictions prepare for and administer elections. The Help America Vote Act 

(HAVA) created the EAC to do what the name implies, help America vote. This 

is not an easy task, but the EAC commissioners and their staff take this 

responsibility seriously as they work to ensure secure, accessible, and 

accurate elections. 

This report covers the EAC’s 2016 activities and achievements, but a 

brief overview of the Commission’s core responsibilities is merited. The EAC 

conducts the definitive survey and report on American election administration, 

administers the leading voting machine certification program, is a critical 

source of information for Congress and the Federal Government on election 

administration issues, and provides valuable information sharing resources to 

election administrators and voters. 

2016 was an excellent year for the EAC. Election administrators have 

heralded the EAC’s BeReady16 campaign, 47 states relied on the EAC’s 

voting machine certification process, and the Commissioners had more than 

200 media interactions in just the three months leading up to the election. 

Confidence in elections is essential to the country. Throughout 2016, the EAC 

ensured and confirmed this confidence for the American people. There may 

be more than 8,000 election jurisdictions, but this has not stopped the EAC 

from providing real, tangible value to the election community, the American 

voter, and the country as a whole. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mission of the EAC
	

The Commission shall serve as a national clearinghouse 

and resource for the compilation of information and 

review of procedures with respect to the administration of 

Federal elections by — 

(1) creating and maintaining voluntary voting system 

guidelines 

(2) providing for the testing, certification, 

decertification, and recertification of voting system 

hardware and software by accredited laboratories 

(3) periodically conducting and making available to 

the public studies regarding election administration 

issues 

(4) making payments to states to help them procure 

new voting equipment 

(5) developing and carrying out the Help America 

Vote College Program 

- Public Law 107-252 

“We [received] requests for boxes of materials [Your Federal Voting Rights 

Cards]. . . I constantly hassled the staff at 

the EAC for more cards.” 

- Michelle Bishop, 

National Disability Rights 

Network 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 3
 

 

Top: The three current EAC 

Commissioners hold a public meeting 

on the 2016 election. 

Bottom Right: Commissioner 

Masterson discusses election day 

logistics with Stan Martin, the chief 

election official of Adams County, 

Colorado. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 4
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 5

Contents
	

I. Messages - The EAC’s Value 2
	

 - Letter from the Chair 6
	

II.Commission Information

 - Commissioner Biographies 8
	

II. The EAC as:
	

 an Authority 10
	

 - Federal Resource 11
	

 - Media Appearances 12
	

 - Thought Leader 13
	

 - Testing and Certification 15
	

 a Clearinghouse 18
	

 - Connecting Experts 21
	

 - Language Access 27
	

 - New Multimedia Resources 28
	

 a Researcher 33
	

 - EAVS 34
	

 - State Compendium 35
	

 - Election Worker Management 35
	

an Innovator 36
	

III. Advisory Boards
	 38
	

IV. Appendix 49 

 - Tally Votes 49 

 - Agency Statistics 49 
 

 

Message from the Chairman: 

As the EAC entered 2016, I knew its primary responsibility was to help America 

prepare for the coming general election. My fellow commissioners and I charged the EAC staff 

with the responsibility of ensuring that the country was ready. It was a large undertaking, but 

I’m proud to report that we accomplished this important mission. 

The EAC’s motto and twitter hash-tag for the year was #BeReady16. We built entire 

suites of products around this framework. We produced 22 instructional and facilitative videos; 

held ten public meetings, summits, and roundtables; and added 11 new topic areas to our 

clearinghouse function. We provided tool kits, accessibility training, elections administration 

logistics training, and two original major research products. We designed our products to help 

voters, election administrators, elections vendors, and the Federal Government. 

We took an active role in public and congressional affairs. With questions of foreign 

influence in American elections and claims of potential hacking of voting machines, we 

investigated the issues and spoke with a resounding voice that said, “our elections are secure.” 

In just the three months leading up to Election Day, the EAC had more than two hundred 

interactions with the media. From appearances on news stations such as CNN and C-SPAN to 

opinion pages of The Washington Post, at every turn the EAC reassured the American voter to 

have confidence, volunteer as a poll worker, and vote. 

The EAC also served as a critical expert on election administration to Congress and 

other federal agencies. I testified before Congress, and my fellow commissioners, the EAC 

staff, and I worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS), the United States Postal Service, and the Department of Health and 

Human Services to make sure that our elections would be secure, accessible, and accurate. 

The EAC was also an essential intermediary between federal entities, state officials, 

and election administrators. As federal agencies focused their resources on ensuring the cyber 

security of the election, the EAC liaised between states and DHS and FBI, educating these 

agencies on the election administration landscape while translating DHS communications for 

the states. This allowed state officials to focus on running their elections while providing 

federal agencies with the information they needed to help secure the elections. Since the 

election, many election administrators have thanked us for the steps we took in this role. We 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 6
 

 

are proud to say that we directly helped the American elections run smoother. We continue our 

relationships with DHS and the FBI, and we look forward to growing these relationships. As 

we continue to play this role, we see it as essential to the success of future efforts to secure and 

improve elections. 

The EAC also continued to administer the premiere voting machine certification 

program in the country. In fact, 47 out of 50 states use our program in some way. In 2016, we 

certified or modified the certification of five voting systems, and when Virginia needed to 

quickly replace their voting machines before the election, we helped them navigate the 

process. In December, our testing and certification program celebrated its tenth anniversary. 

In June, as part of our ongoing work to ensure accessible and independent voting, the 

EAC held a Summit on Language Access. At this Summit, experts on language access came 

together and shared their practices, stories, and recommendations. The event featured a series 

of short talks where personal and professional stories motivated and educated the crowd. At 

times, people were moved to tears because of these powerful talks. Videos of this event are 

available on our YouTube channel. 

We also produced materials to directly help voters with disabilities and the election 

administrators who serve them. Most notably, we produced a voting rights card that quickly, 

concisely, and accessibly listed voters with disabilities’ rights. We connected it to a web page 

so that voters who are visually impaired could use screen readers, and we printed Braille over 

the standard text so that voters with visual impairments who did not have access to a computer 

could read the cards. The EAC distributed more than 15,000 of these cards, and at our last 

public meeting, members of the accessibility community told us that they consistently received 

requests for boxes of these cards to hand out. 

I worked on the Hill when the Help America Vote Act, the EAC’s chartering 

legislation, was implemented, and I can confidently say that providing this level of assistance 

is exactly why the EAC was created. I am proud of our staff, and I am excited for you to read 

through this report. 

As the EAC continues its work in 2017, we are seeking out new and innovative ways to 

assist American elections. We are moving in a direction where we will augment the amount of 

substantive research we produce so that we can be of better service to elections researchers, 

including Congressional staff; we are creating new ways to serve election administrators; and 

we are innovating internally so that we can always stay on the cutting edge of the field. I invite 

you to read through this report as an opportunity to learn how we might better serve you. We 

welcome your interaction, and we look forward to serving voters, states, and the Federal 

Government as we move forward. 

Sincerely, 

Thomas Hicks, 

Chairman 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 7
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commissioners
	 The EAC is a four member, bipartisan commission. It currently consists of three 

commissioners. Each Commissioner brings a vast amount of experience in elections, 

government, law, and management to his or her position. Key stakeholders consistently 

comment on their value. The Commissioners believe in helping American elections by 

listening to election administrators, serving the states and the Federal Government, and 

providing real value to the American Voter. 

Chairman: Thomas Hicks 

Chairman Hicks is a dedicated public servant who has 

spent more than twenty years working for the Federal 

Government. He spent more than ten of these years 

working in the field of elections. As Chairman, he has 

championed EAC‘s dedication to American elections both 

domestically and abroad. Chairman Hicks is a graduate of 

The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of 

Law and Clark University. 

Vice-Chairman: Matthew Masterson 

Vice-Chair Masterson is an experienced election official. 

Prior to his time as an EAC Commissioner, he served as 

Deputy Director of Elections for the State of Ohio; Ohio 

Secretary of State’s Chief Information Officer, Deputy Chief 

of Staff, and Interim Chief of Staff; and an EAC staff 

member. Vice-Chair Masterson is a graduate of The 

University of Dayton School of Law and the Miami 

University in Oxford, Ohio. 

Commissioner: Christy McCormick 

Commissioner, and immediate past Chairwoman, 

McCormick has worked in voting and elections for over 25 

years. Prior to the EAC, she was a Senior Trial Attorney in 

the Voting Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil 

Rights Division. She was also detailed to the U.S. 

Embassy in Baghdad to work on Iraq elections and rule of 

law matters. Previously, she served as an Assistant 

Attorney General in Virginia. Commissioner McCormick 

graduated from the George Mason University School of 

Law and the University of Buffalo. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 8
 

Commissioners 

in the Field 

Helping states run elections 

requires a continuous 

awareness of the needs of 

the election administration 

community. Traveling to local 

election offices and 

conferences is a must. On 

these visits, commissioners 

listen to local administrators’ 

needs so they can help the 

Commission better serve 

them. Election administration is local and is best helped after input from the field. 

Commissioners also tell administrators and officials about existing EAC tools and 

resources and get hands on experience with the issues that election officials face so the 

EAC can be a better resource to other federal entities. The EAC Commissioners were 

tireless in their pursuit of this mission in 2016 and in doing so they visited the following 

locations: 

 Atlanta, GA  Memphis, TN 

 Austin, TX  Myrtle Beach, SC 

 Boston, MA  Nashville, TN 

 Brasilia, Brazil  New Delhi, India 

 Carlsbad, CA  New Orleans, LA 

 Champaign, IL  New York, NY 

 Charlotte, NC  Newport, OR 

 Chicago, IL  Orlando, FL 

 Cincinnati, Oh  Philadelphia, PA 

 Clearwater, FL  Phoenix, AZ 

 Cleveland, OH  Portland, OR 

 Columbia, SC  Sacramento, CA 

 Columbus, OH  Salt Lake City, UT 

 Denver, CO  San Diego, CA 

 Englewood, CO  Santa Ana, CA 

 Flagstaff, AZ  Sikeston, MO 

 Hagatna, Guam  Somerville, NJ 

 Havana, Cuba  Spokane, WA 

 Kansas City, KS  Springfield, MA 

 Las Vegas, NV  St. Louis, MO 

 Lexington, KY  Tampa, FL 

 Long Beach, CA  Vienna, Austria 

 Los Angeles, CA  Williamsburg, VA 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 9
 EAC 10

The EAC as an:
	

Authority
	

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as an Authority 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EAC: Federal Elections Authority - Source for the Federal Government 

- Source for the Media 

- Thought Leader 

Above: Chairman Hicks testifies before the Information Technology Subcommittee of 

House Oversight and Government Reform alongside Dr. Andrew Ozment, Deputy Secretary Department of Homeland Security, and Brian Kemp, Georgia Secretary of State. 

Authoritative Source to the Federal Government 

The EAC is the Federal Government’s source for election administration 

information, and its role as an authoritative source for the Federal Government has never 

been more apparent than when the integrity of the 2016 general election was called into 

question. The EAC provided expert testimony before the Information Technology 

Subcommittee of the House of Representative’s Committee on Oversight and 

Government Reform. The EAC also worked with the Department of Homeland Security to 

help its personnel navigate the complex election administration landscape as DHS sought 

to provide cyber security resources to the states during the general election. 

In 2016, Congressional committees, federal executive agencies, and individual 

members of congress relied on the EAC to navigate the field of election administration 

and to serve voters. Congressmen and congressional staff from both sides of the aisle 

leaned on the EAC to help them understand issues ranging from voter registration 

processes to laws regulating media presences at polling places. Additionally, the EAC 

worked with the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, 

and the U.S. Postal Service to help them serve American Voters. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as an Authority EAC 11
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Authority on Elections to the Media
	

212 29
	 Media Interactions in % Increase in Social 

2016 Before Election Media Impressions 

Day Over 2015 

The media intensely focused on the general election in 2016. Topics 

ranging from hacking and cyber-threats to voting machines and voter registration 

sprawled across newspaper headlines daily. As the federal authority on election 

administration, the EAC was at the center of many of these stories. 

The topic of the year was undoubtedly cyber security and claims of 

potential hacking of the election. As the federal authority on election 

administration, it was important to the Commissioners that rumors and 

speculation did not diminish voters’ motivation to vote and faith in the process. 

So the Commissioners spoke with a uniform voice, conveying that the election 

process has integrity and that everyone should vote. Chairman Hicks led this 

charge by appearing on CNN, C-SPAN, and many other television and radio 

stations. 

The Commissioners also encouraged citizens who had questions or 

concerns to volunteer as poll workers so they could see the security and integrity 

of the process for themselves. This was an important suggestion because, when 

followed, it instilled grass-roots-level confidence in the security of America’s 

elections. The Commissioners spread this message through media channels 

including the nation’s most prominent publications such as The Washington Post, 

The New York Times, and the Associated Press so that all voters could hear it 

and have confidence in their own elections. 

Left: Acting as a 

responsive and assuring force 

in the field, all three EAC 

Commissioners co-authored 

OPINION an opinion piece asserting that 

the elections and the voting Don’t believe the hype. Foreign hackers machines on which elections 

will not choose the next president rely were secure. The 

By: Thomas Hicks, Matthew Masterson, and Washington Post published 

Christy McCormick this Opinion Piece on October 

18, 2016. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as an Authority EAC 12
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thought Leaders
	

Domestic:
	

Universities, non-governmental organizations, industry groups, and many others 

regularly invite the EAC to comment on current events, participate in their events, and 

educate their audiences about election administration. The EAC excels in this role. 

Commissioners spoke on cybersecurity panels, student education panels, election 

administrator conferences, and to many other thought leaders in the field. 

Left: Chairman Hicks 

participates in a cyber security 

discussion and panel hosted by 

The Washington Post. The 

conversation was rigorous, and 

the Chairman delivered the 

message “Elections are 

secure.” 

International 

Chairman Hicks was invited to visit both India and Cuba, and Commissioner 

McCormick was invited to visit Brazil and Austria. In all four countries, the Commissioners 

represented American elections and participated in international talks regarding election 

administration. The EAC also spoke at the International Federation for Electoral Systems 

international conference in Washington, DC, and participated in the Organization of 

American States conference on elections. Additionally, the EAC hosted delegations from 

New Zealand and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the 

leading international organization on election administration. The OSCE’s report on 

American Elections commented “The work of the Election Assistance Commission had a 

positive impact for state and county officials.” 

Chairman Hicks also travelled to Cuba as a part of the State Department’s 

dialogues on human rights. While there, he represented the U.S. and more specifically, 

the U.S. Electoral System. He was the only federal election official to be selected to 

participate in this critical U.S. mission to Cuba. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as an Authority EAC 13
 

 

 

 

 

Above: Chairman Hicks outside the United States Embassy in Cuba. He 

travelled to Cuba as a member of the State Department’s mission to create 

and continue human rights dialogues with Cuba. He was the only federal 

election official to be selected to participate in this trip. 

Below: Chairman Hicks attended the International Conference on Voter 

Education for Inclusive, Informed & Ethical Participation conference in India 

where he represented the U.S. election system. This conference is one of 

the premier international election conferences. While at this conference, 

Chairman Hicks spoke on two topics: U.S. military and overseas Voting and 

Educating Students on Elections and Democracy. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as an Authority EAC 14
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The EAC’s Testing & Certification program helps increase election officials 

confidence as they select voting machines that ensure a high quality of elections around 

the country. Testing & Certification produces voluntary guidelines for voting machine 

quality and then tests vendor-produced voting systems against this standard. If an EAC 

certified lab determines that the machine has met the standard set out in the Voluntary 

Voting System Guidelines (VVSG), then it is certified as meeting that version of the 

guidelines. Testing & Certification also audits systems as time passes to ensure that the 

systems still meet the standard against which they were initially tested. State and local 

election administrators also use this certification to help them decide which voting 

systems to procure. 

In 2016, the EAC was honored to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Testing & 

Certification Program. This program has become the most successful and most 

implemented voting machine testing and certification program in the country. Forty-seven 

states use it in some way when deciding which voting systems to procure. Over the past 

ten years, it has handled 56 campaigns, and it currently works with 15 vendors. In 2017, 

Testing & Certification will continue to be an instrumental part of the American election 

administration system, and the EAC staff is constantly working to adapt to the changing 

field and improve the standards. 

10 

Campaigns 

5 

New Systems Certified 

and Modified 

Voting machine testing and certification is a complex and nuanced field. One must 

be skilled in technology, management, business, and government relations to operate in 

the space. As evidenced by the program’s success, the EAC staff has an excellent mix of 

experience, skill, and dedication. The Testing & Certification staff includes skilled 

computer engineers, experienced managers, and dedicated programmatic specialists. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as an Authority EAC 15
 

 

 

 

 

 

Voluntary Voting System Guidelines
	

The Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) 

are the standard against which EAC labs test voting 

systems. The EAC staff leads the development of these 

guidelines and works with election officials, election 

VVSG 2.0 

administrators, private sector groups, academics, private 

citizens, the National Institute of Standards and 

Technology, and other Federal agencies to build the best VVSG 1.1 

guidelines possible. 

In 2015, EAC Testing & Certification began work 

on the next set of guidelines, VVSG 2.0. When starting VVSG 1.0 

this process, the EAC took a fresh look at how the guidelines were originally developed 

and updated. Instead of relying on closed groups of experts, the EAC began using public 

and open working groups that leverage the election community, public sector, private 

sector, and interest groups to create the highest quality guidelines possible. There are 

two types of groups: (1) subject matter groups and (2) constituency groups. The subject 

matter groups are experts in and focus on the technical subjects necessary for the 

functioning of a voting system. The constituency groups examine the work done by the 

subject matter groups to be sure that it meets the standards that their interests and 

organizations require. These interests include cyber security, usability, and accessibility. 

VVSG 1.1 is the current version of the guidelines. The EAC and the working 

groups are currently developing the next iteration, VVSG 2.0, and plan to finish it in early 

2018. VVSG 2.0 will be the highest standard against which voting systems can be 

commercially tested in the United States. The EAC looks forward to implementing and 

using the new standards. 

Voting Machines Certified in 2016:
	

 ES&S EVS 5.2.1.1  Hart Verity Voting 2.0
	

 ES&S EVS 5.2.0.4  Hart Verity Voting 2.2
	

 ES&S Unity 3.4.1.4
	

Staff: Ryan Macias, Certification Specialist 

Ryan Macias joined the EAC’s Testing & Certification Program 

in May 2016. Ryan manages voting system testing and 

certification campaigns and assists with the development of 

version 2.0 of the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines. Before 

the EAC, Ryan worked for the California Secretary of State for 

10 years. There, he was integral in modernizing California’s 

voting system testing and certification process and served as 

California’s representative on the EAC’s Standards Board. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC 16
 

ENSURING CONFIDENCE
	

In 2016 Chairman Thomas Hicks delivered a 

uniform message to television and radio 

audiences. It was: “Our elections are secure. 

Have confidence in them.” 

Above: Chairman Hicks appears on C-SPAN. 

“It’s all about the voters 

That’s why we’re here.” 

- Chairman Hicks 

2016 ELECTION
	

The EAC visited 24 states in the 2016 

election season to help them prepare for 

the general election. 

We delivered best practices guides, 

quick tips, and shared best 

administration practices in the field. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 17
EAC 18
 

The EAC as a:
	

Clearinghouse
	

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Clearinghouse 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Executive Director: 

Brian D. Newby is a dedicated public servant 

and a skilled businessman. Before being 

appointed executive director in November 

2015, Newby served as the Election 

Commissioner in Johnson County, Kansas, for 

11 years. There, he administered more 

elections and had higher levels of voter 

participation than any of his predecessors and 

was the only Election Commissioner in state 

history to have been appointed by both 

Republican and Democratic Secretaries of 

State. Mr. Newby has won many awards for 

election administration. Previously, he was part 

of Sprint’s Senior Leadership team, and he 

served as a City Councilman of Shawnee 

Kansas. Mr. Newby earned an MPA and a B.A. 

from the University of Missouri. 

It’s difficult to be one step ahead of election administrators, who generally already 

are coming up with Plan C before someone asks if they have thought of a need to 

prepare for Plan B. 

It’s even more difficult to try to be 45 days ahead of election administrators, yet that 

was the 2016 mission for EAC’s staff as we supported our colleagues during this 

presidential election year. Our goal was to hit the street with timely and beneficial 

guidance six weeks before election officials encountered their next operational milestone. 

That way, our Clearinghouse function—one of the sustainable and ongoing 

requirements of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA)—could best provide immediate and 

actionable guidance. Nowhere was this more evident than our “45 before 45” webisode 

related to timely distribution of ballots to overseas and military voters. The webisode 

featured the Director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program and EAC Chairman 

Thomas Hicks. The 45-day theme was the cornerstone of each of our #BeReady16 

initiatives, recognized nationally by election administrators through a continual social 

media tagline that provided a drumbeat throughout this historic election cycle. 

We can all benefit from the learnings of others in the field. Technological 

innovation—as well as, unfortunately, cyber threats that come with this technology—will 

continue to drive new voting standards and equipment certification needs. We are 

actively working with election officials, voters with unique accessibility needs, and 

interested parties from all walks of life to develop these new voting standards. Just as 

state election officials are always striving to be one step ahead of any challenges that 

may arise, the EAC is constantly working to improve the ways we assist them to maintain 

and improve voter confidence in our election system. That’s our goal. The work is neverending, and it’s a journey we are honored and privileged to undertake. 

-Brian Newby, 

Executive Director 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 19
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clearinghouse
	 HAVA mandates that the EAC create a national clearinghouse for election 

administration information. This is one of the EAC’s most important tasks because of the 

way elections are administered in the United States. States run elections, and within each 

state there are many individual bodies that administer elections. In total, there are more 

than 8,000 governmental bodies that administer a national election. Each of these has 

freedom in how it chooses to administer elections. This means that practices wherein one 

entity can learn from another’s experience, such the documentation and sharing of best 

practices, can add great value. The EAC creates this value by the administration of its 

clearinghouse. 

The EAC’s clearinghouse can be divided into two categories: (1) actions that 

connect members of the election administration field to one another in an effort to share 

knowledge and experience, and (2) the creation of new products in-house using input 

from field experts or EAC research. 

Connect Create
	

 Roundtables  Webisodes 

 Summits  TechTime Videos 

 Public Meetings  45 Before 45 

 Public Hearings  Legends of Elections 

 Best Practices  Hands on Help 

 Online Examples 

“The EAC team was great. We looked to the EAC for help to guide us through the 

[voting machine procurement] process. We certainly took advantage of the portal on 

the website...It made our work a lot easier.” 

- Rob Rock 

Rhode Island Director of Elections 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Clearinghouse EAC 20
 

 

 

Connect
	

1 55 8,000+ 

Country States, Territories, and Election Jurisdictions 

District of Columbia 

∞ Opportunities for 

Collaboration
	

There is no singular, central election system in the United States. The country’s 

election system is the aggregation of 55 independently operating state and territory 

election systems. These vary from each other in form, strategy, and composition, and 

contained within these fifty-five independent systems are more than 8,000 election 

jurisdictions. These laboratories of democracy are always trying and implementing new 

strategies, tactics, and methods. 

The EAC sees this decentralized system of independent jurisdictions as an asset 

and an opportunity. We see each jurisdiction’s and each election system’s expertise as 

information that should be shared and from which lessons can be learned. As such, the 

EAC has built its clearinghouse function into two parts: (1) an online clearinghouse of 

information from around the country and (2) as a convener in the election administration 

community. Our website and social media accounts are the primary hosts for this 

information. If it is a document, we post it. If it is a convention or interview of people, we 

video it. Everything can be easily accessed at all times. 

11 New Topics Added 5 Convening Events 

Held 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Clearinghouse EAC 21
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11
	 New Topics Added
	

The EAC clearinghouse is an overarching and guiding concept that drives all that 

the Commission does, and it is an ongoing effort. Every year, the EAC collects practices, 

techniques, methods, work products, samples, and other information from around the 

country and posts it to eac.gov so that election officials can view it and use it. 

The EAC’s online clearinghouse was a principal part of the EAC’s BeReady16 

campaign. As election administrators began preparing for the coming general election, 

the EAC added information, documents, trainings, and best practices from around the 

country so that election administrators could compare what they were doing with their 

peers’ practices. To do this, the EAC must collect information from each state, private 

sector business, non-governmental organization, and other federal entities that produce 

information in this space. 

Additionally, the EAC staff added 11 new topics to the clearinghouse during the 

BeReady16 campaign. These 11 topics, listed below, were all aimed at helping election 

officials prepare for the 2016 General Election, but the clearinghouse generally focuses 

on many different non-election specific aspects of election administration. 

Election officials from around the country heralded the EAC’s clearinghouse as an 

indispensable resource at the EAC’s December public meeting. These officials made 

mention of the usefulness of the EAC’s products and real cost savings that they 

experience through using the EAC clearinghouse. This is truly the purpose of the 

clearinghouse, helping elections run smoother and more efficiently by helping election 

administrators do their job easier. 

New Clearinghouse Topics in 2016 

 E-Pollbook Requirements  Election Security Preparedness 

 Voting Technology Procurement  Election Official & Voter Toolkit 

 Contingency Plans  Election Workers 

 Managing Election Technology  Poll Watchers 

 Accessibility  Post Election: Audits & Recounts 

 Vote By Mail 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Clearinghouse EAC 22
 

 

 

2016 Election Worker Best 

Practices Competition Winners 

One of the best ways to share the best practices is to celebrate those people who 

are pushing the boundaries of excellence in their field. The field of elections is no 

exception. In 2016, the EAC created the Election Worker Best Practices Competition to 

do just this. This new, annual competition celebrated five election districts that developed 

cutting edge practices and technologies to recruit, train, and manage poll workers. 

Election workers everywhere deserve recognition, but in 2016, we at the EAC honored 

the following five. 

Practice Makes Brevard County, Perfect Lab 

Florida 

Champions of 

Democracy Franklin County, 

Ohio 

Hamilton County, Recruiting, Training, and 

Retaining Precinct Election 

Ohio Officials 

Precinct Performance Report Montgomery County, 

Maryland 

Hanover County, Election Official 

Resource Portal 

North Carolina 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Clearinghouse EAC 23
 

 

 

 

The EAC BeReady Toolkit
	

One of the EAC’s new clearinghouse 

topics is the EAC BeReady Toolkit. The 

Toolkit aggregated useful tools created by 

NGOs, government agencies, universities, 

and the EAC into one convenient place. 

These tools are all designed to help election 

administrators manage the logistics of and 

plan for elections. There are twenty tools in 

total in the EAC toolkit. These tools include 

but are not limited to: 

 Trainings 

 Calculation Tools 

 Voter Registration Tools 

 Reporting Tools 

Diverse Partners 

In order to create the BeReady Toolkit, the EAC partnered with many 

organizations. The following is a non-exhaustive list of some of those with whom we 

collaborated. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Clearinghouse EAC 24
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5
	 Convening Events Held 

The EAC holds multiple types of meetings to facilitate 

conversation and best practice sharing. These include 

summits, round tables, and public meetings focused around 

certain topics. The information shared in these 

conversations is rich and robust. Experts and election 

officials share stories from the frontlines, and they challenge each other with varying viewpoints. 

The EAC is truly proud of our convenings. These meetings are available online and are easily 

accessible via the EAC’s website or YouTube Channel. 

Throughout 2016, our speakers spoke about data-based decision making, motivations for 

advocating for language access resources, leadership practices in elections offices, recruiting and 

training poll workers, resource allocation, serving military voters, relationship building, and more. 

2016 EAC Convening Meetings and Talks 

 Election Preparedness in Battleground States 

 Polling Place Management and Line Optimization 

 2016 Language Summit 

 How to Make Sure Your Vote-By-Mail-Ballots Count 

 Public Hearing Concerning Accessibility and Voting Machines (April) 

 Public Meeting on Recruiting and Managing Poll Workers (May Public 

Meeting) 

 2016 Election Debrief (December Public Meeting) 

Above: Monica Crane Childers of Democracy Works and Kurt Sampsel, Tiana EppsJohnson, and Whitney May, from the Center for Technology and Civic Life discuss in 

detail why visualizing data is useful, share practical tips and best practices on how to 

visualize data, provide a variety of examples of election officials visualizing their data, 

and how visuals can be used in policy and budget discussions. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Clearinghouse EAC 25
 

Right: Amber McReynolds, 

Director of Elections Denver 

Colorado leads an EAC talk 

on how election officials can 

use data to find efficiencies 

in their work processes. 

Left: Doug Lewis discusses his 

experience as an election official as 

part of the Legends of Elections 

Video Series. Doug was the 

Election Center’s Executive 

Director from 1994 - 2015. 

Staff: Simona Jones, Webmaster 

Simona Jones joined the U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission in October 2016. Simona manages critical 

components of the EAC’s clearinghouse, website, and 

social media accounts. Previously, Simona worked for the 

Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), where 

she redesigned DJS’ web and intranet sites, the agency 

logo and marketing materials, as well as managed the 

agency’s social media accounts. She is a graduate of the 

University of Connecticut and Quinnipiac University. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Clearinghouse EAC 26
 

 

 

 

In June of 2016, the EAC partnered with the Democracy Fund Action to bring 

together election officials, voting experts, and language officials from across the country 

to discuss the challenges of serving voters with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) voters 

and to highlight the many resources and opportunities that are available to help them 

vote. At the Summit, speakers gave short, impactful talks about voter language access 

and the tools they used to help voters span the language divide. Commissioner 

McCormick also moderated a panel on complying with the legal requirements relating to 

minority language coverage that the Federal Government mandates. Speakers included 

representatives from the Department of Justice, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, 

Secretaries of State, election directors, NGO executives, former legislators, and authors. 

Videos of the talks are available on EAC’s website. 

Left: Mee Moua, President and 

Executive Director of Asian 

Americans Advancing Justice 

speaks on why language 

accessibility in elections matters to 

her and why it should matter to 

everyone else. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Clearinghouse EAC 27
 

 

Create
	 The EAC creates new resources to fulfill its duty as a national 

clearinghouse for election administration. The EAC primarily does this by creating 

instructional and facilitative videos because as the world becomes increasingly 

digital, the EAC wants to meet its audience where it is. These videos are easy to 

access on any device, and election administrators can imbed them in their own 

training materials. This makes it easy for election administrators to not only use the 

trainings themselves, but also to train others with these videos. 

Videos are not the only medium through which the EAC provides new 

resources for practitioners in the field to use. In 2016, the EAC also produced its 

State Compendium of Election Worker Laws as well as its Statutes and the Best 

Practices Guide for Poll Worker Recruitment, Training, and Management. More 

information about these products are on page 35. 

Videos
	

The EAC produced 22 instructional and facilitative videos in 2016 to help 

election administrators prepare for the general election. These videos capture best 

practices, experience, wisdom, and instructions in an easy to digest format that 

election administrators may use at their convenience. We produced five categories 

of videos: (1) Legends of Elections, (2) Tech Time, (3) 45 Before 45, (4) 

Webinars, and (5) Unique Interests. Each had a unique purpose and was designed 

as such, but primarily the videos consisted of the EAC Commissioners interviewing 

experts about their field of expertise. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Clearinghouse EAC 28
 

 

HAVA Mandates that the EAC act as a clearinghouse for election administration 

information. A key component of this is capturing the experience and wisdom of election 

officials and sharing it with others. Some of the most valued members of the election 

administration community are those with the most experience. Unfortunately, every year 

some of those election administrators retire. To make sure that the EAC captured these 

individual’s wisdom and experience, Commissioner Masterson championed the Legends 

of Elections initiative. 

Legends of Elections is a video series in which Commissioner Masterson 

interviews some of the longest serving and best election administrators from around the 

country. Commissioner Masterson asks them to share practices, insight, and their 

experience in the areas in which the legend was most proficient. In total, three legends 

helped the EAC create four videos that can be found on the EAC’s website and are listed 

below. 

Shelley McThomas Doug Lewis Peggy Nighswonger 

Shelley McThomas is the Doug Lewis was the Peggy Nighswonger was 

former Democratic Director Executive Director of the Wyoming’s Election Director 

of the Kansas City, Missouri, Election Center from 1994 for nearly twenty years. 

Board of Elections where she until 2015. He led the 

served for nine years. Election Center’s education 

efforts. 

Left: Doug Lewis discusses his experience as 

an election official as part of the Legends of 

Elections Video Series. Doug was the 

Election Center’s Executive Director from 

1994 -2015. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Clearinghouse EAC 29
 

 

 

Today’s election officials are both public servants and IT administrators. This is a 

new role for many, but it is a role that is essential to administering the election systems 

that are used in every district in the country. To help administrators transition to their new 

IT role and effectively administer their elections, the EAC created the Tech Time video 

series. These videos cover topics such as data visualizations, polling place management 

tools, and social media. Below is a list of the Tech Time videos that the EAC produced in 

2016. 

Right: Dave Bjerke uses his 

jurisdiction as a case study to inform 

other election administrators how they
	

can use social media to communicate 

with their voters. 

2016 Tech Time Videos: 

 Data Visualization, 

Center for Technology and Civic Life 

 Harnessing Social Media in Smaller Jurisdictions 

Elections Director, Falls Church, VA 

 Data Analytics with the Poll Worker Predictive tool 

Los Angeles County 

 Voting Information Project/App 

The Pew Charitable Trusts 

 Election Day Command Center, 

Cook County, IL 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Clearinghouse EAC 30
 

 

 

 

The EAC also produced six more general use clearinghouse videos in 2016. As 

with all clearinghouse products, the goal of these videos was to share best practices and 

help election administrators learn from one another. These general use videos can be 

divided into two categories: (1) general use webisodes and (2) videos that help election 

administrators serve communities with unique interests and needs. 

Webisodes
	

The EAC produced two general-use webisodes in 2016: (1) How to Make Sure 

Your Vote By Mail Ballots Count and (2) Innovations and Best Practices for Recruiting, 

Training, and Managing Election Workers. 

“How To Make Sure Your Vote By Mail Ballots Count” is an instructional video
	

that helps election administrators navigate the new, increasing popularity of voting by
	

mail. 2016 was the first year that whole states moved to vote by mail systems. This 

webisode was created to help election administrators adapt to this new system and
	

administer efficient elections. 

Election administrators often rely on part-time and seasonal staff to administer 

their elections. This labor force comes with its own unique issues. “Innovations and 

Best Practices for Recruiting, Training, and Managing Election Workers” is a webisode 

that helps election administrators learn from each other’s methods and tactics in 

working with election workers. 

Videos Regarding Serving Specific Communities 

Election administrators must 

 Lawyers Committee for serve many communities with unique 

interests and needs. This is essential to Civil Rights Under Law 

ensuring that all voters have access to  Asian Americans an independent and secret ballot. To 

help administrators do this, Chairman Advancing Justice 

Hicks held four interviews with members 

 National Disability Rights from the civil rights and accessibility 

communities. These videos, listed to the Network 

right, are accessible on EAC’s YouTube  ProjectVote page. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Clearinghouse EAC 31
 

 

 

 

 

Serving Military Voters
	

The EAC has a clear mandate from Congress to serve military voters. To do this, 

the EAC works with the Department of Defense’s Federal Voting Assistance Program 

(FVAP), the U.S. Postal Service, and state and local partners. In 2016, the EAC created a 

central source of information for overseas and military voters, Votebymail.gov. This 

central website is a one-stop-shop for everything that an overseas or military voter might 

need to successfully submit his or her ballot. Additionally, the data team at the EAC 

partnered with the Council for State Governments and FVAP to create a working group to 

review the section of the EAVS survey that collects information about overseas and 

military voters, so that all election officials can better serve these important voters. 

The 45 Before 45 video is a multimedia-accessible interview with Matthew 

Boehmer, Director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program, by Chairman Hicks. The 

name, 45 Before 45, comes from the federally mandated 45 day deadline before which 

election officials must mail ballots to military and overseas voters. The 45-day deadline is 

an important deadline because it ensures that military voters are able to vote in time for 

their ballots to count. It can, at times, be difficult for election administrators to meet this 

requirement. In order to help administrators meet this deadline, Director Bohmer and 

Chairman Hicks discuss recommendations, practices, and tips for serving overseas 

voters and advice on how to meet the deadline. The EAC distributed the video to its 

stakeholders when it was produced, and it is available on the EAC’s website. 

Left: Matthew Boehmer, Director 

of the Department of Defense’s 

Federal Voting Assistance Program 

discusses how election 

administrators can best serve 

military voters. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Clearinghouse EAC 32
EAC 33
 

The EAC as a:
	

Researcher
	

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Researcher 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Election Administration 

and Voting Survey (EAVS) 

About the Survey: The Election Administration and 

Voting Survey (EAVS) is the EAC’s biannual survey 

that collects the most comprehensive nationwide data 

about election administration and voting in the United 

States. The survey contains more than one million data 

points collected from the more than eight thousand 

election jurisdictions in the country. 

Election administrators, researchers, and academics use 

the survey to study exactly how elections are 

administered. It truly provides the definitive view of 

how Americans vote. 

8,000+ 66 1m+ 

Election Jurisdictions Primary Questions Data Points 

Surveyed 

Staff: Sean Greene, Program Management Specialist, 

oversees the EAC’s research including the Election 

Administration and Voting Survey. Sean joined the EAC in 

June of 2016. Before the EAC, Sean was a Project Director 

at The Pew Charitable Trusts, managing research and other 

work of their Election Initiatives program. He earned a 

B.A. in Government from Colby College and a Masters in 

International Affairs from George Washington University.

"Sean has been an invaluable part of 

the Pew elections team since before 

there was a Pew elections team! He's 

irreplaceable, but our loss is the EAC's 

gain. I know we'll all continue to benefit 

from his insight in his important new 

role.” 

- David Becker, Director of Election Initiatives, The Pew 

Charitable Trusts 

"The EAVS is the only available, 

comprehensive data set on election 

administration that covers the entire 

United States.” 

- Charles Stewart III, Ph.D., 

Professor at M.I.T. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Researcher EAC 34
 

 

State-By-State 

Compendium: 

Election Worker Laws & Statutes 

About the Compendium: The State-By-State 

Compendium is a comprehensive view of all fifty-five 

states’ and territories’ laws relating to election workers. 

Topics covered include, but are not limited to, age 

requirements, compensation requirements, restrictions 

regarding party affiliations, training requirements, and 

student participation. 

The goal of the compendium is to allow states to learn 

from each other by providing a central access point for 

researching these laws and policies. 

55 >500 One 

States and Data Points Central Place to 

Territories Surveyed Access it All 

Election Worker 

Successful Practices: 

Recruitment, Training, and Retention 

About the Manual: The manual is a collection of the 

best practices used by election administrators to manage 

election workers. In 2016, the EAC produced this 

manual in both hard copy and digital form. The digital 

version is available on the EAC’s website. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as a Researcher EAC 35
EAC 36
 

The EAC as an:
	

Innovator
	

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Internal Innovations
	

The EAC strives to impact election administration in the best way possible. To do 

this, the EAC must innovate so that it is always providing cutting edge services to its 

stakeholders. The EAC’s drive to innovate manifests itself across the agency in many 

ways. For example, an innovative EAC construct that combines two types of open-to-thepublic working groups works collaboratively to build the Voluntary Voting System 

Guidelines. EAC staff leads these groups, but the structure leverages private sector 

insight, public sector resources, and private citizen’s vigilance to create the best 

guidelines possible. 

Innovation continues throughout the rest of the agency as well. The EAC has 

increased its emphasis on core competency hiring practices to ensure a high level of 

efficiency. 

A Fresh Look at a Big Survey 

Federal legislation mandates the 

EAVS (more on this survey on page 34). It 

is the most comprehensive election 

administration and voting survey in the 

country. 

The survey contains more than one 

million data points. The EAC staff 

continually take steps to adapt the survey 

and its processes in order to collect the 

required data in a manner that increases its 

integrity. 

For example, the data team is 

working to eliminate duplicate questions 

and make the survey easier to complete in 

coming years. The data team is also 

working with its contractor, Fors Marsh 

Group, to create a series of trainings and 

webisodes designed to help survey 

participants understand how to most easily 

complete the survey. The goal is to 

increase state participation rate and 

attention to produce a more robust set of 

data. 

Staffing Techniques 

Staffing a federal agency comes with 

its own unique set of considerations. One 

wants to ensure that needs are met, both 

current and future, and that the staff have 

the appropriate drive to serve the public. 

EAC Human Resources (H.R.) has 

increased emphasis on a platform to help 

ensure a high quality of hiring at the EAC. 

H.R. now uses a core competency-based 

hiring platform to vet potential hires. 

Potential hires are analyzed to see if they 

possess certain core competencies, 

professional attributes and proficiencies that 

have been identified as those that will help 

move the agency in the right direction. 

Among these competencies are: public 

service, drive to foster team building, 

diversity, and self initiative. 

The EAC has hired new staff this 

year to right-size and right-focus the agency 

in line with its HAVA-mandated mission. 

Some of these hires are highlighted 

throughout this report. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report : EAC as an Innovator EAC 37
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guidance and Oversight Boards
	

There are three HAVA-mandated guidance and oversight boards that help the 

EAC complete its mission. They are: (1) the Standards Board, (2) the Board of Advisors, 

and (3) the Technical Guidelines and Development Committee (TGDC). Each board is 

composed of experts from the field and representatives of the government. HAVA 

mandates that the Standards Board and the Board of Advisors shall review the Voluntary 

Voting System Guidelines and best practice recommendations. The TGDC is tasked with 

drafting and recommending versions of the VVSG. 

After drafting and finalizing a recommended version of the VVSG, the TGDC 

presents the VVSG to the Executive Director of the EAC for approval. After the Executive 

Director approves that new version of the VVSG, it is then presented to the Standards 

Board and the Board of Advisors, both of which must then approve the new standard by 

means of a vote. 

TGDC 

The TGDC is a 15-member committee that produces the recommended versions 

of the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines. Members are appointed by statutorily 

designated organizations. These organizations were selected for their technical expertise 

and their ability to represent interests critical to the efficient and accessible administration 

of elections. The members of the TGDC are listed on page 39. 

Standards Board 

The Standards Board is composed of 110 members. Fifty-five of these members 

are State election officials selected by each state’s chief State Election Official. Fifty-five 

are local election officials also selected by each state’s chief State Election Official. The 

members of the Standards Board in FY2016 are listed on pages 40-45. 

Board of Advisors 

The Board of Advisors is a 37 member board composed of representatives from 

the federal government, state government associations, local government associations, 

and other key stakeholders. The members of the FY2016 Board of Advisors are listed on 

pages 46-48. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 38
 

 

Technical Guidelines 

Development Committee 

The Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC) develops the VVSG 

and presents new versions to the EAC’s Executive Director for approval. Representatives 

from fourteen statutorily mandated organizations constitute the TGDC. Representatives 

are selected for their technical and scientific expertise related to voting systems and 

equipment. The members serve on the committee without pay or compensation. The 

2016 members of the committee are as follows. 

 Dr. Willie E. May, Chair  Diane Golden, 

National Institute of Standards and Scientific Expert 

Testing 

 Jeremy Gray, 

 Robert Giles, Scientific Expert 

Standards Board Representative 

 David Wagner, 

 Greg Riddlemoser, Scientific Expert 

Standards Board Representative 

 Scott Cooper, 

 Linda Lamone, ANSI Representative 

Board of Advisors Representative 

 Jeremy Epstein, 

 Helen Purcell, IEEE Representative 

Board of Advisors Representative 

 Lori Augino, 

 Marc Gurthrie, NASED Representative 

ACCESS Board Representative 

 Ross Hein, 

 Mat McCollough, NASED Representative 

ACCESS Board Representative 

 McDermot Coutts, 

Scientific Expert 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 39
 

Standards Board ARKANSAS 

Designated State Election Official: ALABAMA Chad Pekron, Esq.
	

Quattlebaum, Grooms, Tull & Barrow
	 Designated State Election Official: 

John H. Merrill Designated Local Election Official: Alabama Secretary of State Melanie Clark 

Jackson County Clerk Designated Local Election Official: 

Steven L. Reed CALIFORNIA Probate Judge, Montgomery County 

Designated State Election Official: ALASKA 

Vacant Designated State Election Official: 

Josie Bahnke Designated Local Election Official: Director, Division of Elections, State of Alaska Neal Kelley 

Registrar of Voters, Orange County 

Designated Local Election Official: COLORADO Carol Thompson 

Absentee & Petition Manager, Alaska Designated State Election Official: Division of Elections Dwight K. Shellman III 

County Support Manager, Colorado AMERICAN SAMOA Department of State, Elections Division 

Designated State Election Official: Designated Local Election Official: Uiagalelei Lealofi Rudy Santos Commissioner of Elections Chief Deputy Clerk, Weld County Clerk & 

Recorder’s Office Designated Local Election Official: 

Fiti Tavai CONNECTICUT IT/Data Systems & UOCAVA Division Head 

Designated State Election Official: ARIZONA Peggy Reeves 

Assistant to the Secretary of the State for Designated State Election Official: Elections, Legislative and Eric H. Spencer,
	 Intergovernmental Affairs State Election Director
	

Designated Local Election Official: Designated Local Election Official: Timothy T. DeCarlo Reynaldo Valenzuela Jr. Registrar of Voters Assistant Director of Elections 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 40
 

DELEWARE HAWAII 

Designated State Election Official: Designated State Election Official: 

Elaine Manlove Aulii Tenn 

State Election Commissioner, Delaware Counting Center Section Head 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Designated Local Election Official: Shirley Magarifuji 

Howard G. Sholl, Jr. Election Administrator, County of Maui 

Deputy Director, Department of Elections for 

New Castle County IDAHO 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Designated State Election Official: 

Tim Hurst 

Designated State Election Official: Chief Deputy Secretary of State 

VACANT Designated Local Election Official: 

Patty Weeks 

Designated Local Election Official: County Clerk 

VACANT Illinois 

FLORIDA Designated State Election Official 

Becky Glazier 

Designated State Election Official: Assistant to Executive Director 

Maria Matthews 

Division Director Designated Local Election Official: 

Lance Gough 

Designated Local Election Official: Executive Director, Chicago Board of 

Paul Lux Election Commission 

Supervisor of Elections 

INDIANA 

GEORGIA 

Designated State Election Official: 

Designated State Election Official: J. Bradley King 

Brian Kemp Indiana Election Division Director 

Secretary of State, Georgia 

Designated Local Election Official: Designated Local Election Official: 

Lynn Bailey Terri J. Rethlake 

Richmond County Elections Director Clerk of Circuit Court, St. Joseph County 

GUAM IOWA 

Designated State Election Official: Designated State Election Official: 

Maria I.D. Pangelinan Carol Olson 

Executive Director, Guam Election Deputy Secretary of State 

Commission 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Designated Local Election Official: Grant Veeder 

Joseph P. Iseke Black Hawk County Auditor 

Election Program Coordinator 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 41
 

KANSAS MASSACHUETTS 

Designated State Election Official: Designated State Election Official: 

Bryan Caskey Michelle K. Tassinari 

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Director/ Legal Counsel, Elections 

Division, Office of Secretary of the 

Designated Local Election Official: Commonwealth 

Pauline Lee 

Atchison County Clerk Designated Local Election Official: 

John McGarry 

KENTUCKY Executive Director, Elections Commission, 

City of Brockton 

Designated State Election Official: 

Maryellen B. Allen MICHIGAN 

Executive Director 

Designated State Election Official: 

Designated Local Election Official: Sally Williams 

Barbara “Bobbie” Holsclaw Director, Election Liaison Division, 

Jefferson County Clerk Michigan Bureau of Elections 

LOUISIANA Designated Local Election Official: 

Jan Roncelli 

Designated State Election Official: Clerk, Bloomfield Township 

Angie Rogers 

Commissioner of Elections MINNESOTA 

Designated Local Election Official: Designated State Election Official: 

Louis Perret Gary Poser 

Clerk of Court, Lafayette Parish Director of Elections 

MAINE 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Designated State Election Official Sharon Anderson 

Julie L. Flynn Auditor-Treasurer of Walker, MN 

Deputy Secretary of State 

MISSISSIPPI 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Katherine L. Jones Designated State Election Official: 

Portland City Clerk Hawley Robertson 

Senior Attorney, Elections Division 

MARYLAND 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Designated State Election Official: Baretta Mosley 

Nikki Baines Charlson Lafayette County Circuit Clerk 

Deputy Administrator, Maryland State Board 

of Elections 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Katie Brown 

Election Director, Baltimore County Board of 

Elections 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 42
 

MISSOURI NEW JERSEY 

Designated State Election Official: Designated State Election Official: 

Julie Allen Robert Giles 

Director of Elections Director, New Jersey Division of Elections 

Designated Local Election Official: Designated Local Election Official: 

Dennis Von Allmen Linda Von Nessi 

Howell County clerk Essex County Clerk of Elections 

MONTANA NEW MEXICO 

Designated State Election Official: Designated State Election Official: 

Lisa Kimmet Kari Fresquez 

Deputy, Elections and Government Bureau of Elections Director 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Charlotte Mills Designated Local Election Official: 

Clerk and Recorder/ Election Administrator Dave Kunko 

Chaves County Clerk 

NEBRASKA 

NEW YORK 

Designated State Election Official: 

L. Neal Erickson Designated State Election Official: 

Deputy Secretary of State for Elections Douglas A. Kellner 

Commissioner, Co-Chair, NYS Board of 

Elections 

Designated Local Election Official: 

David Shively Designated Local Election Official: 

Lancaster County Election Commissioner Rachel L. Bledi 

Commissioner 

NEVADA 

NORTH CAROLINA 

Designated State Election Official: 

Justus Wendland Designated State Election Official: 

HAVA Administrator Veronica DeGraffenreid 

Election Preparation & Support Manager 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Joseph P. Gloria Designated Local Election Official: 

Registrar of Voter, Clark County Michael Dickerson 

Mecklenburg County Director of Elections 

NEW HAMPSHIRE 

NORTH DAKOTA 

Designated State Election Official: 

Anthony Stevens Designated State Election Official: 

Assistant Secretary of State Jim Silrum 

Deputy Secretary of State 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Robert Dezmelyk Designated Local Election Official: 

Moderator, Town of Newton Casey Bradley 

County Auditor 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 43
 

OHIO PEURTO RICO
	

Designated State Election Official: Designated State Election Official: 

Patricia Wolfe Ramón Allende Santos 

Election Administrator Ayudante del Comisionado 

Designated Local Election Official: Designated Local Election Official: 

Steve Harsman Walker Vélez Martinez 

Deputy Director, Montgomery Co. Board of Secretario 

Elections 

RHODE ISLAND 

OKLAHOMA 

Designated State Election Official: 

Designated State Election Official: Rob Rock 

Carol Morris Director of Elections 

Assistant Director of Support Services, 

Oklahoma State Election Board Designated Local Election Official: 

Designated Local Election Official: VACANT 

Doug Sanderson 

Secretary, Oklahoma County Election Board SOUTH CAROLINA 

OREGON Designated State Election Official: 

Marci Andino 

Designated State Election Official: Executive Director 

Vacant 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Designated Local Election Official: Shirley L. Black-Oliver 

Derrin (Dag) Robinson County Election Director, Clarendon 

Harney County Clerk County Registration & Elections 

PENNSYLVANIA SOUTH DAKOTA 

Designated State Election Official: Designated State Election Official: 

Marian K. Schneider Kristin Kellar 

Deputy Secretary for Elections and SD HAVA Coordinator 

Administration 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Designated Local Election Official: Jerry Schwarting 

Sheri Brewer Mellette County Auditor 

Director, Butler County Board of Elections 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 44
 

TENNESSSEE VIRGINIA 

Designated State Election Official Designated State Election Official 

Mark Goins Edgardo Cortes 

Coordinator of Elections Commissioner of Elections 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Designated Local Election Official: Greg S. Riddlemoser 

A.J. Starling General Registrar 

County Election Commissioner 

WASHINGTON 

TEXAS 

Designated State Election Official 

Designated State Election Official Stuart Holmes 

Keith Ingram Election Information Services Supervisor 

Director, Elections Division 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Designated Local Election Official: Kristina Swanson 

Dana DeBeauvoir Cowlitz County Auditor 

Travis County Clerk 

WEST VIRGINIA 

UTAH 

Designated State Election Official: 

Designated State Election Official: Layna Valentine-Brown 

Mark Thomas State Election Director 

Director of Elections 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Designated Local Election Official: Brian Wood 

Sherrie Swensen Putnam County Clerk 

Salt Lake County Clerk 

WISCONSIN 

VERMONT 

Designated State Election Official 

Designated State Election Official: Michael Haas 

William Senning Elections Division Administrator 

Director of Elections & Campaign Finance 

Designated Local Election Official: Designated Local Election Official: 

Sandra “Sandy” Pinsonault, MMC Barbara K.D. Goeckener 

Dorset (VT) Town Clerk Germantown Village Clerk 

VIRGIN ISLANDS WYOMING 

Designated State Election Official Designated State Election Official 

Caroline F. Fawkes Kai Schon 

Supervisor of Elections State Election Director 

Designated Local Election Official: 

Designated Local Election Official: Jackie R. Gonzales 

Genevieve Whitaker Albany Count Clerk 

Deputy Supervisor of Elections 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 45
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOARD OF ADVISORS
	

National Governors Association
	

Vacant Vacant 

National Conference of State Legislatures 

Senator David Blount Senator John Murante 

Mississippi State Legislature 

National Association of Secretaries of State 

The Honorable Tom Schedler The Honorable Denise Merrill 

Louisiana Secretary of State Connecticut Secretary of State 

NASS President NASS President-Elect 

National Association of State Election Directors
	

Christopher Thomas Linda H. Lamone 

Director, Bureau of Elections Administrator of Elections 

State of Michigan Maryland State Board of Elections 

National Association of Counties
	

Wendy Noren Helen Purcell 

Boone County Clerk Maricopa County Recorder 

National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and 

Clerks 

Neal Kelley Ricky Hatch 

Registrar of Voters, Orange County (CA) Weber County, Clerk/ Auditor 

United States Conference of Mayors 

Vacant Vacant 

The Election Center 

Tim Mattice Ernie Hawkins 

Executive Director Chair, Board of Directors 

The Election Center The Election Center 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 46
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Association of Clerks Recorders, Election Officials, and
	

Treasurers 

Michael B. Winn 

Travis County Director of Elections 

Linda Von Nessi 

Clerk of the Essex County 

Board of Elections 

United State Commission on Civil Rights 

Patricia Timmons-Goodson Michael Yaki 

USCCR Vice-Chair USCCR Commissioner 

Architectural and Transportation Barrier Compliance Board 

Marc Gutherie Matt McCullough 

Public Member, U.S. Access Board Public Member, U.S. Access Board 

Chief, Office of Public Integrity, United States Department of Justice 

Richard C. Pilger Mr. Chris Herren 

Director, Election Crimes Branch Chief, Voting Section 

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division 

Director Federal Voting Assistance Program, 

U.S. Department of Defense 

David Byrne
	

Interim Director, Federal Voting Assistance Program
	

Speaker of the House 

Vacant 

House Minority Leader 

Philip B. Stark
	

Associate Dean, Mathematical & Physical Universities of California—Berkley
	

Senate Majority Leader 

Sarah Ball Johnson
	

City Clerk, Colorado Springs CO
	

Senate Minority Leader 

Dr. Barbara Simons, Ph.D.
	

Associate for Computing Machinery
	

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 47
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

House Administration - Chair
	

Vacant Vacant 

House Administration - Ranking Member 

Gregory T. Moore James R. Burn, Jr. 

Senate Rules & Administration Committee - Ranking Member 

James C. Dickson Barbara Bartoletti 

Co-Chair, Voting Rights Task Force Legislative Director 

National Council on Independent Living League of Women Voters 

Senate Rules & Administration Committee - Chair
	

Kathyrne Harper Shane Schoeller 

Howard County Clerk Greene County Clerk 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 48
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix: 

EAC Statistics: 

Chartered by:
	

Help America Vote Act (2002) (Pub. L. 107-252)
	

Current Appropriations:
	

$8.1m ($9.6m - $1.5m NIST pass-through)
	

2016 Commission Tally Votes 

Vote Certified Date 

Appointing Brian Newby as Executive Director 10/22/15 

Appointing Clifford Tatum as General Counsel 10/22/15 

Appointing Roger La Rouche as Inspector General 11/2/15 

Appointing Patricia Layfield as Inspector General 1/28/16 

Appointing Thomas Hicks as Chair and Matthew 

Masterson as Vice-Chair 

2/2/16 

Leadership 

Commissioners 

Thomas Hicks, Chairman 

thicks@eac.gov 

Matthew Masterson, Vice Chairman Christy McCormick, Commissioner 

mmasterson@eac.gov cmcormick@eac.gov 

Senior Executives 

Executive Director: Brian Newby bnewby@eac.gov 

General Counsel: Clifford Tatum ctatum@eac.gov 

Inspector General 

Patricia Layfield, 

Inspector General 

playfield@eac.gov 

HAVA Grant and Payment Reports 

Information on HAVA grants, payments, and reports from grantees and recipients of 

HAVA payments can be found on www.eac.gov. Additionally, the EAC publishes an 

annual Expenditure Report, and this can also be found on the EAC website. The most 

current expenditure report is the FY15 report. 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 2016 Annual Report EAC 49
 

 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission
	

1335 East West Highway, Suite 4300 

1-866-747-1471
	

havainfo@eac.gov
	

Silver Spring, Maryland 20910