U.S. Election Assistance Commission outlines HAVA support, testing and training for Idaho elections

Don Palmer, vice chair of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, told the Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee that the federal commission’s core mission is to support states and local election officials through testing, standards development and grants created by the Help America Vote Act.

“In a nutshell, it’s a small federal agency that was created by Congress after the 2000 election,” Palmer said, summarizing HAVA’s origin and the EAC’s role in testing and setting voluntary standards for voting systems.

Palmer told the committee the EAC runs a testing-and-certification program for voting equipment, operates advisory boards made up of state and local election officials, and distributes federal HAVA funds for equipment, cybersecurity and accessibility programs. He said the EAC adopted Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) 2.0 about a year ago and is in transition from the older standards; several systems were under federal…