Category Archives: Election Assistance Commission

President Trump Issues Dangerous Executive Order That Would Shift to Presidency More Power Over the Conduct of Federal Elections and Potentially Disenfranchise Millions of Voters

March 25, 2025, 2:03 pmelection administration, Election Assistance Commission, Election Meltdown, election subversion risk, Elections Clause, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

I am still making my way through this new Trump executive order on election administration (helpfully posted by Chris Geidner). There is a lot in here, but let me make four initial points as I still digest this. An executive… Continue reading

“The federal agency dedicated to elections is, once again, in turmoil ahead of the 2024 elections”

January 19, 2024, 2:16 pmelection administration, Election Assistance CommissionRick Hasen

Jessica Huseman for VoteBeat: Some news: The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has fired its executive director, Steven Frid, who held the job for less than a year. Frid was the agency’s third executive director in as many years. The agency… Continue reading

The Federal Role in U.S. Elections, in One Picture

July 26, 2023, 4:19 amDepartment of Justice, election administration, Election Assistance Commission, federal election commissionDan Tokaji

Bipartisan Policy Center has this explainer, which “identifies the primary entities from each branch of the federal government with a role in elections and their overlap and inter-agency collaboration to equip election stakeholders to better use existing resources and… Continue reading

“The self-inflicted voting machine misinformation crisis looming over 2024”

July 3, 2023, 7:32 amelection administration, Election Assistance Commission, The Voting Wars, voting technologyRick Hasen

Politico: The federal government is about to change its certification guidelines for voting machines — and election officials across the country are bracing for a wave of misinformation that erodes trust in the 2024 election. Election officials are not-so-quietly freaking… Continue reading

“U.S. elections official takes part in secretive GOP conference, sparking backlash”

April 14, 2023, 8:32 amElection Assistance Commission, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Zachary Roth: A commissioner of a federal elections agency recently spoke at a secretive conference of conservative voting activists and Republican secretaries of state and congressional staff — a step that election experts call highly improper for an official charged… Continue reading

“HAVA at 20: Building Trust in Elections”

August 18, 2022, 8:40 amElection Assistance CommissionRick Hasen

This looks like a great event on September 1, and there will be a simultaneous webcast: The Pepperdine School of Public Policy (SPP) and the US Election Assistance Commission will host a series of panels in recognition of the 20th … Continue reading

GAO Report on 2020 Elections

July 11, 2022, 4:27 pmabsentee ballots, Election Assistance CommissionDan Tokaji

From GAO’s summary of the report, entitled “2020 Elections: State and Local Perspectives on Election Administration during the COVID-19 Pandemic”: GAO surveyed state election offices and local election jurisdictions about steps they took to prepare for and conduct the… Continue reading

“Inside the push that landed a Trump legal adviser on a federal election advisory board”

May 22, 2022, 5:08 pmchicanery, Election Assistance Commission, Election Meltdown, election subversion riskTabatha Abu El-Haj

CNN reports on how individuals who promote baseless voter fraud claims have been promoted for seats on an Advisory Board to the Election Assistance Commission. “Emails obtained by CNN reveal how the push extended to a federal election advisory… Continue reading

“How Trump ally Cleta Mitchell won a seat on the EAC advisory board”

November 21, 2021, 2:46 pmchicanery, Election Assistance Commission, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Jessica Huseman for Votebeat: Mitchell’s selection resulted from an unorthodox process by the Civil Rights commission, according to two people with direct knowledge of the process. In April, the commission changed the nominating procedures for members of the EAC… Continue reading

EAC Commissioner Hovland calls on “Congress to act boldly and to stand up for our democracy”

November 18, 2021, 11:43 amelection administration, Election Assistance CommissionTabatha Abu El-Haj

Center for American Progress Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, Michael Sozan has this new interview with Election Assistance Commissioner, Ben Hovland. The interview also highlights successes of 2020 including the recruitment of poll workers. “[T]he untold or… Continue reading

“Election Assistance Commission:Assessment of Lessons Learned Could Improve Grants Administration”

November 8, 2021, 11:30 amElection Assistance CommissionRick Hasen

New GAO report.

“Why did this EAC commissioner talk to the senator behind Arizona’s audit?”

October 9, 2021, 2:06 pmchicanery, Election Assistance Commission, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Jessica Huseman (in Votebeat’s indispensable weekly newsletter): A newly revealed text message about Christy McCormick, a commissioner and past chair of the Election Assistance Commission, raised eyebrows among election observers this week. The exchange between two Arizona state senators… Continue reading

U.S. Election Assistance Commissioner Christy McCormick Continues Her Embarrassing Tenure by Undermining American Elections

October 6, 2021, 8:13 amElection Assistance Commission, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Just wow.

Federal court sends states’ “proof of citizenship” requirement back to EAC for reconsideration

September 20, 2021, 9:58 amElection Assistance CommissionDerek Muller

In an underdiscussed opinion from last week, Judge Richard J. Leon in the District Court of the District of Columbia issued a decision in League of Women Voters v. Harrington (once League of Women Voters v. Newby). This longstanding dispute… Continue reading