Disaster Preparedness and Recovery | U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Natural and man-made disasters have the potential to throw elections into chaos, destroying infrastructure, displacing voters and potentially rendering the impacted system more vulnerable to security threats. Recent catastrophic hurricanes, wildfires, floods, volcanic eruptions, terrorist attacks and other disasters have unfortunately made election stabilization and recovery in the aftermath of such events a timely topic for election officials across the country.

When a disaster strikes close to Election Day, election administrators must ensure that elections are still conducted without any margin for error, and often, without any budgetary or scheduling adjustments. The following are interviews and resources from election officials who have succeeded in doing so.

Inaugural Meeting - April 10, 2019

The inaugural meeting of the Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Working Group will gather U.S. Election Assistance Commissioners (EAC) Commissioners and members of this group for an information sharing exercise that will inform future outreach to federal agencies and lay the foundation for future EAC products designed to assist election officials facing disasters.

Presentations:

Presentation: Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Working Group Presentation for U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Memphis, Tennessee

Mark Andersen, Bay County Supervisor of Elections - Bay County, Florida

Presentation: Conducting Elections in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

R. Kyle Ardoin, Secretary of State, Louisiana

Presentation: Empowering Democracy through Technology

Roberto E. Benítez, CIO Puerto Rico State Elections Commission

Presentation: Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Working Group Presentation for U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Memphis, Tennessee

Candace Grubbs, Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters in Butte County - Butte County, California

Presentation: Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Working Group Presentation for U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Memphis, Tennessee

Margaret Jurgensen, Montgomery County Election Director - Montgomery County, Maryland

Presentation: Florida’s Perspective Presentation for U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Working Group

Maria Matthews Esq., Director, Florida Division of Elections - Florida

Example Continuity Plans:

Business Continuity Plan for the Orange County, California Registrar of Voters

Use the National Mail Voter Registration Form to register to vote, update your registration information with a new name or address, or register with a political party.

Note: If you wish to vote absentee and are a uniformed service member or family member or a citizen living outside the U.S., contact the Federal Voting Assistance Program to register to vote.

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