|
 Commissioner Thomas Hicks began his year-long term as EAC Chairman on February 24, with Commissioner Christy McCormick serving as Vice Chair. They continue to serve alongside EAC Commissioners Ben Hovland and Donald Palmer.
Chairman Hicks identified the following areas he would like to build on as priorities for the agency in the coming year:
- Increasing the reach of the EAC’s in-person and online training programs.
- Continuing discussions and progress on the EAC’s evaluation programs for electronic poll books, electronic ballot delivery systems, voter registration systems, and election night reporting systems.
- Expanding existing resources and research to help all eligible Americans cast their ballots and have them counted accurately, especially working with election officials to better serve voters with disabilities under HAVA.
- Continuing to work on the implementation of the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) 2.0 for the most up-to-date voting systems.
- Working with state and local election officials to gather their input to better serve the American people.
|
|
This month, the EAC is highlighting: |
|
 |
|
Recap of February 18 Election Audit Standards Hearing |
 |
|
USPS Election Mail Updates |
|
 |
|
New Resources: Effective Design Report & Disaster Quick Tips |
 |
|
Clearies Winners Spotlight & More! |
|
|
2026 EAC Annual Board Meetings
Mark your calendars! The EAC is holding annual meetings for the Local Leadership Council (LLC) on April 14 and 15, and the Standards Board on April 16 and 17 in Chicago, Illinois. The EAC will hold the Board of Advisors Annual Meeting on April 28 and 29 in Washington, DC. These meetings are open to the public (registration is required) and will not be livestreamed. More information will be available on eac.gov/events.
|
|
Election Audit Standards Hearing Focuses on How Audits Increase Trust in Elections
On February 18, the EAC hosted a hearing on Election Audit Standards. The participants provided information on election audit principles and best practices for the agency as it develops work products to assist election officials. Interest in audits has increased from the public, election officials, and policymakers in recent years.
The EAC’s Commissioners led discussions with current and former election officials and experts on how they have implemented audits to boost public trust in elections. As part of this conversation, they discussed how audit standards, which have professionalized audit practices in other industries, can be applied to elections. EAC staff also presented on the agency’s work to gather information on audit principles. Audits are used before, during, and after elections, and speakers highlighted how they can be tools for accuracy, transparency, and security of elections.
For key quotes from the hearing, read the EAC’s blog post, and watch the full event on the EAC’s YouTube channel.
|
|
Request for Comment: Election Audit Standards
The EAC is requesting feedback from the public on the agency’s proposed Voluntary National Election Audit Standards. Comments must be submitted in writing by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, April 27, 2026. More information on the public comment process is available on the Federal Register Notice. View the draft standards here. If you have any questions, please contact clearinghouse@eac.gov.
|
|
|
USPS Election Mail Webpage for Election Officials
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has a new webpage to assist local and state election officials with their election mail needs. This includes resources on requesting election mail design review, reporting a problem, and contacting customer relations. Election officials will also find answers to FAQs, an official election mail guide, and more.
|
|
|
As of January 18, 2026, prices for USPS shipping services, including Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and USPS Ground Advantage, have increased. First-Class Mail stamp prices will remain at 78 cents, but a mid-year increase is likely.
 |
|
Read the EAC memo for a summary of these changes and for highlights on how they may affect election-related mailing and shipping activities. This memo and other election mail resources are available on the EAC’s website. |
|
|
Updated Resource: Effective Design for the Administration of Federal Elections
- Printed and Online Voter Information Materials
- Polling Place and Mail Voting Materials
- Ballots
- Post-Election Materials
Information design principles include knowing your audience, using plain language, organizing content with hierarchy and structure, and consistently using typography, imagery, and color. Election officials are encouraged to use these best practices, which are informed by extensive design expertise, election official feedback, research, testing, and evaluation. Check out this resource and other design best practices on the EAC's website.
|
|
|
New Resource: Disaster Quick Tips
 EAC Commissioners Ben Hovland, Donald Palmer, and Thomas Hicks meet with election officials in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Election officials must continue operations, even during a crisis. Disaster Quick Tips includes ways election officials can support their jurisdictions in preparing for, mitigating, responding to, and recovering from natural and man-made disasters.
Many thanks to the election officials who took part in the EAC Disaster Roundtable, held in September 2025 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and contributed to these quick tips. This and other resources to support disaster recovery and response are available at eac.gov/recovery.
|
|
2025 Clearie Winners to be Announced This Spring!
Thank you to everyone who applied or nominated an election office program for a 2025 Clearinghouse Award. The submission period is now closed, but winners will be announced in spring 2026.
|
|
|
Clearinghouse Awards 10th Anniversary: Winners Spotlight
Pierce County Elections, Washington, 2024 Clearie Award Winner
In the latest blog post, the EAC features Pierce County Elections’ 2024 Clearinghouse Award for Innovation and New Tools in Election Security and Technology.
In this Q&A, Elections Manager Kyle Haugh discusses the office’s winning program, which uses a method to securely process voter email attachments.
|
|
Data Updates to the 2024 Election Administration and Voting Survey Report
The 2024 Election Administration and Voting Survey Report (EAVS) includes data from all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Following the initial publication of the comprehensive report and the EAVS and Policy Survey datasets, states requested corrections to their data submissions.
|
Corrections made as of February 12, 2026, include:
For questions or requests to issue a data correction, election officials may contact research@eac.gov.
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
The 2026 EAVS is Open for Public Comments Until March 16 |
The EAC is accepting public comments on the draft 2026 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS) and Policy Survey until Monday, March 16. We are looking for feedback on:
- Ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents
- Any additional feedback on the survey itself
- Whether the survey questions and instructions are clear
- What questions should be added or removed
- Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected
Learn more about the EAVS at eac.gov/research-and-data.
|
|
|
|
|
