League Urges Rejection of EAC Termination in House Appropriations Bill

The League sent a memo to members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government urging them to reject provisions in the Financial Services Appropriation Bill, HR 115, that would terminate the Election Assistance Commission.

June 29, 2017

To:   Members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government 

From:  Chris, Carson, President

Re:          HR 115, Financial Services Appropriation Bill

The League of Women Voters respectfully urges you to oppose termination of the Election Assistance Commission in the Financial Services Appropriation Bill, HR 115. With continuing controversy about the accuracy, conduct and participation in American elections, this is not the time to abolish the only federal entity devoted exclusively to improving election administration on a bi-partisan basis.  

The Election Assistance Commission (EAC), though it receives little attention, does invaluable work to improve our nation’s election systems on a voluntary, non-regulatory basis.  The EAC seeks to ensure the efficacy, reliability, and trustworthiness of our nation’s election systems by conducting research, collecting data, and sharing information among elected officials, the public, and interested organizations.

For example, the Commission is charged with developing voluntary standards for voting systems.  Unfortunately, the EAC lacked a quorum for several years, leaving states and localities without guidance or assistance.  The result:  Many jurisdictions ran the 2016 election with outdated, broken voting machines and many voters waited in line for hours to cast their ballots. 

Now, however, the EAC has voted to accredit a new voting system test laboratory after a recommendation by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The lab will test new voting equipment against the voluntary voting system guidelines, which are themselves receiving the attention of the EAC.

Importantly, the EAC has played a central role in improving the accessibility of voting for the country’s more than 37 million voters with disabilities. Although further steps are still needed, the EAC’s leadership is essential to continuing the effort to offer all Americans the right to vote “privately and independently.” 

Terminating the EAC and transferring the full duties it performs to the National Institute of Standards and Technology would not be wise. Rather than eliminating the EAC, Congress should provide the agency with resources and a renewed commitment to sponsoring and encouraging information sharing among state and local officials, EAC committees, the non-partisan voting rights community, technical experts and others.  

Elections are the life blood of a democracy. We strongly urge to actively oppose provisions to terminate the Election Assistance Commission in H.R. 115.