Election Assistance Commission (EAC) definition
The Election Assistance Commission assists states with federal elections through funding, guidance, and voting system standards.
The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is an independent, bipartisan federal body that helps state and local officials run federal elections. The agency shares election administration information, sets voluntary voting system guidelines, and distributes federal election funds to states. The EAC also tests and certifies voting systems and accredits laboratories that test them.
States can decide whether or not to use the agency's guidelines and certification program.
The agency also publishes and updates the national mail voter registration form. Congress required the form in the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Voters send the completed form to their state or local election office, which processes the registration.
Congress created the EAC in the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
What is the Help America Vote Act?
The Help America Vote Act, known as HAVA, became law in 2002. It addressed problems with voting systems and voter access identified after the 2000 election.
HAVA sets minimum national standards for provisional voting, voting equipment, and statewide voter registration databases. It also provided funding to help states meet those standards, creating the EAC to assist states and distribute HAVA funds.
Who leads the Election Assistance Commission?
HAVA specifies four commissioners, nominated by the president based on recommendations from the majority and minority leadership of the US House and Senate. The US Senate confirms them.
Commissioners may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms, and the overall Commission makeup must be bipartisan — no more than two commissioners may belong to the same political party.
What data does the EAC collect?
The EAC runs the Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS) every two years, after each federal election. The survey goes to election officials in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five US territories.
The EAVS collects data on voter registration, early and mail voting, and voter participation. It also covers voting equipment, poll workers, and polling places.
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