--News Release--

Washington, DC - During testimony before Congress, members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) today reported to congressional leaders that election reforms mandated under the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) are working and asked them to support full implementation of the law that preserves the delicate balance between state and federal government.

“Our role is to serve as a resource for states as they spend their federal funding to make HAVA a reality, but at the same time, we must fulfill our responsibility to provide due diligence to protect the interests of the federal government and voters,” noted EAC Chair Gracia Hillman. “If the 2004 election taught us anything, it’s that HAVA is a success story in progress, but the story has not ended and we must all continue our work.”

While acknowledging that the 2004 election cycle was not without problems, the Commissioners urged congressional leaders to let HAVA implementation continue unabated in order for all HAVA reform measures to be realized. According to preliminary findings of an EAC Election Day 2004 Survey combined with other sources, the law contributed to or directly impacted the 2004 election with the following results:

• National Election Data: An EAC Election Day 2004 Survey was the federal government’s first effort to gather quantitative election data from the states on HAVA implementation and election administration. With 47 states and territories reporting, there was an eight percent increase in registered voters in the U.S., totaling about 13 million new voters.
  
  
• Provisional Voting: Over 1 million provisional votes were counted in the November 2004 elections. Seventeen states used provisional voting for the first time, and 1.5 million people cast a provisional ballot, of which more than one million (68 percent) were counted.
  
  
• Funding for States to Meet HAVA Requirements: More than $2.2 billion was distributed to 46 states and territories to enhance the election process and to help states meet HAVA requirements, including provisional voting, voter identification, voter information and polling place accessibility.
  
  
• New Voting Equipment: Since 2000, at least 25 percent of the nation’s voters have used new voting equipment, with another 30 percent to be using new equipment by 2006.
  
  
• Statewide Voter Registration Databases: At least nine states had developed and used a statewide voter registration database to help increase access to the process and reduce opportunities for fraud. All states and territories must have a statewide database by January 1, 2006.
  
  
• Poll Workers: An increase in the number of trained poll workers who served across the country on Election Day. In the EAC survey, 12 states have reported a full complement of poll workers in 2004.

Congress created the four-member EAC under HAVA, which authorizes $3.9 billion for states to enact a variety of election reforms, including the replacement of outdated voting equipment, the creation of statewide voter registration systems, the use of provisional ballots to ensure that eligible voters are not turned away and improvements to poll worker training and voter education programs.

“Now that the first federal elections have occurred under HAVA, our theme for 2005 is ‘Building a Framework of Excellence for the Future’,” added EAC Vice Chairman Paul DeGregorio. “We are pursuing an aggressive research agenda this year and will use our clearinghouse role to share good ideas with state and local election officials as HAVA intended.”

In 2005, EAC will focus on the following initiatives:

• Updated voluntary voting systems standards and recommendations for making voting more secure, as well as guidance on provisional voting, voting information, the impacts of HAVA voter identification requirements and statewide voter registration databases.
  
  
• New processes for the testing and qualification of voting systems with the support of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
  
  
• Continued national data collection efforts, specifically with the Election Day 2004 Survey, Military and Overseas Absentee Ballot Survey, and a National Voter Registration Act Survey.

Congress created the four-member U.S. Election Assistance Commission under HAVA, which has provided approximately $3 billion in funding for election reform. EAC is charged with disbursing payments to states for replacement of voting systems and election administration improvements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse for the collection of information regarding election administration. EAC is also charged with providing guidance to states on a variety of election reform topics. EAC Commissioners are Gracia Hillman, Chair; Paul DeGregorio, Vice Chair; Ray Martinez III; and DeForest Soaries, Jr.