EAC training walks election offices through creating a COOP to keep voting operations running during emergencies

The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) released a training video guiding election offices on how to develop a continuity of operations plan (COOP) to maintain critical election functions during emergencies. The presenter, representing the EAC, said the training walks offices through defining the COOP’s scope, naming a continuity team, documenting recovery procedures and testing the plan.

The presenter defined a COOP as a roadmap for preserving operations and communications during disruptions "from natural disasters to power or technology outages," and said the plan helps ensure voters can continue to exercise their rights and that election security is maintained. "Keep in mind that any thoughtful plan is better than having no plan at all," the presenter said.

The video highlights three starting points for drafting a COOP: determine the plan’s scope (focus on essential functions rather than every task), identify who will be on the continuity team (for example, an agency head and a continuity coordinator, plus IT, communications, emergency management and vendor contacts), and list the steps and timeline to put the plan into effect.

Offices are urged to list and prioritize essential functions such as processing voter registrations, operating voting locations and equipment, and reporting unofficial election results. Using an election‑night reporting example, the presenter recommended documenting a lead and alternate for the essential function, noting contact information and the critical time window (the presenter identified the 12 hours after polls close as the critical period for reporting), and listing alternate locations where results can be processed if the primary site is unavailable.

The training calls for documenting the specific technology and backups that support each function (the county website, social media accounts, spreadsheets used to update results, printed paper copies and the election management system database) and identifying backup options. It also recommends assembling a call tree to activate the recovery team quickly, updating contact information regularly, and listing external partners and vendors such as local emergency management, state election offices, contracted IT vendors, ballot printers, utilities and the U.S. Postal Service.

The presenter recommended testing COOPs through tabletop exercises (TTX) and using the EAC’s election scenario test deck to work through realistic incidents. Finally, the video advises reviewing and updating COOPs at least once a year, documenting the last update date, and incorporating lessons learned from exercises or real incidents.

The EAC’s COOP template and the scenario test deck are presented as customizable tools; the presenter directed viewers to the links provided with the video and encouraged offices to adapt the template to local needs. The training concluded with a call for election offices to adopt, test and routinely update COOPs to reduce disruption risk and preserve election continuity.