IFES - United States Elections Services

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The United States of America

Trainer Jim Heilman and Jennifer Collins-Foley show how to cast a ballot using the optical scan machine.

Americans affirmed their commitment to the vitality of their election system through the passage of the Help America Vote Act in 2002, committing $3.6 billion to upgrade, standardize and professionalize the conduct of elections in this country. The Help America Vote Act requires the adoption of new technologies and procedures, increasing the capacity and efficiency of election officials, and helping voters to understand and accept these changes. With nearly 20 years of experience in election assistance to governments at all levels, IFES stands ready to help America's election authorities to meet the challenges ahead. IFES can help State and local jurisdictions, private partners, and non-government institutions:

• Meet the requirements of the Help America Vote Act
• Offer on-site poll worker training and training material design
• Set performance goals and measures
• Meet federal audit reporting requirements
• Upgrade general election administration
• Conduct voter education and election administration training
• Adopt new election procedures and voting technologies
• Develop or evaluate solicitations and proposals
• Advise and support voter registries
• Develop election staff and process management tools and systems
• Develop and implement mapping and redistricting strategies
• Improve election accessibility for citizens with disabilities
• Enfranchise historically disadvantaged groups
• Offer campaign finance monitoring support
• Develop emergency preparedness and disaster plans
• Adjudicate election disputes
• Monitor and observe elections and training

IFES works directly with local, state, federal, and private partners in supporting technical assistance initiatives and projects. IFES has direct access to American election specialists whose talents include administration, training, education, material development, outreach, technology transference, and legal review and analysis. IFES technicians and specialists hail from across the United States.

Past Projects

EAC

IFES is helping the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) train pollworkers and conduct research into improving the United States' election process.

Evaluating Fulton County, Georgia's Registration & Elections Department

In February 2006, IFES was awarded a sub-contract under TCBA (a professional services firm) to offer management and technical advisory services to the Registration and Elections Department of Fulton County, Georgia. Under the contract “Organizational Evaluation & Service Delivery Plan to Action,” IFES is actively engaged in 1) assessing the department’s current organizational structure, delivery systems, benchmarking structure and service delivery system (against other local registration and election departments), 2) identifying service gaps, 3) assisting in reevaluating and reaffirming the department’s current vision and mission, 4) anticipating social, environmental and economic changes within the community that impact future delivery service, 5) anticipating changes in federal, state and local law that impact future delivery service and 6) assisting the department to develop core strategies and new goals to address future needs.

Pollworker Manual & Training in Ohio

In January 2006, IFES was awarded a contract with Franklin County, Ohio where we played a core technical role under the direction of the County's Board of Elections in preparation for the May 2006 Primary Elections. IFES trained training assistants, revised and updated the pollworker training manuals and worked with the County to update visual presentations for use in the trainings, lectures, and hands-on demonstrations for more than 5,400 pollworkers. IFES also wrote the training script for a County-wide DVD presentation.

Technical Advisory Report to the city of St. Louis, Missouri

IFES was contacted by the Missouri Secretary of State and the Board of Election Commissioners for the City of St. Louis to conduct a review of election preparation processes for the November 5, 2002 election. IFES dispatched two advisors to work with officials and staff of the St. Louis Election Board to review preparation activity and procedures. IFES continued our relationship with the Board through the development and delivery of a post-election analysis and review.

Technical Assessment and Monitoring Mission to Miami-Dade County, Florida

In October 2002, Miami-Dade County signed an agreement with the Center for Democracy to provide pre-election technical review and election monitoring services aimed at the quickly approaching November 5 general elections in Miami-Dade. The first deliverable included a technical report to be presented no later than 5 calendar days prior to the November 5, 2002 election, containing an analysis of the adequacy of the County’s election preparations. IFES solicited the services of five experienced technical experts in election administration, disabilities, training and monitoring to enhance the Center’s staff in reviewing Miami-Dade County’s election preparations. The first report focused on the pre-election preparations in Miami-Dade County. IFES then delivered a team of five monitors who then focused on activities from November 3 to 6. A post-election report was then delivered to Miami-Dade County which included Election Day observations and longer-term recommendations. These reports are listed below.

Technical Assistance to the District of Columbia's Board of Elections and Ethics

Technical Assistance to the District of Columbia's Board of Elections and Ethics

In July 2004, the District of Columbia contracted with IFES for services with the District of Columbia’s Board of Elections and Ethics (BOEE) to support their professional team with its active efforts to train more than 4,000 pollworkers to serve in 142 precincts throughout the District of Columbia in advance of the September 14 Primary and the November 2 Presidential General Elections. This project includes co-developing a trainer’s manual and updating other training tools and materials for use in both hard copy and web formats. In addition, the IFES team is supporting the BOEE’s efforts to recruit multilingual pollworkers. This effort will further enhance their ability to serve the community on Election Day. At the completion of this project, IFES and the BOEE will evaluate the effectiveness of the training.

Technical Assistance to the Secretary of State of Minnesota

On October 28, 2003, IFES and the Office of the Secretary of State of Minnesota initiated a targeted off-site technical advisory project to support Minnesota's efforts to successfully implement new voting technologies and meet requirements mandated under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). IFES activities are coordinated by Cameron Quinn, Elections Advisor, who shares an intimate knowledge of HAVA and is an experienced leader in election administration. To find out more about developments in election reform please visit Minnesota's State HAVA Plan.

Technical Assistance to the Secretary of State of Nebraska

Beginning in May 2003, IFES initiated an on-site technical advisory project in Lincoln to support Nebraska’s Secretary of State and State Election Director and his staff on their efforts to successfully meet requirements mandated under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). IFES assisted the Election Director and his office as they improved the administration of elections, accessibility and quantity of polling places, and voting systems and technology. Led by a dedicated on-site IFES senior election advisor specializing in election law and administration, IFES has accomplished a number of tasks including drafting of a comprehensive legislative package that was enacted by the Nebraska Legislature; development of procedural guidelines on a number of key election administration components; formal recommendations to integrate provisional ballot and absentee voting in RFP; and participation in training sessions aimed at County Clerks. IFES and the State Election Director identified target working areas that included the adaptation of administrative regulations on voter registration, vote counting and petition verification; develop a uniform statewide poll worker training manual; and review election forms and designs in order to meet new procedures and requirements.

Technical Assistance to the Virginia State Board of Elections

In late March 2004, IFES began working with CACI and the Virginia State Board of Elections to review current Virginia voting equipment security policies and help establish and develop uniform policy, standards and guidelines (PSGs) for the deployment of new direct recording electronic (DRE) voting systems within the state. The IFES-CACI team is a dynamic unit comprised of an information security specialist and voting equipment and election specialists with extensive experience coordinating the development of policy recommendations to state and local government.

Voter Information in New Orleans, Louisiana

In March 2006, IFES arrived in New Orleans under a contract with Louisiana’s Secretary of State to assist in efforts to inform as many voters as possible about new polling place locations prior to the city’s April 22, 2006 mayoral elections. IFES directly supported the Commissioner of Elections by assisting in voter outreach and coordination efforts with local non-government organizations (NGOs). These NGOs volunteered their vast capacity and membership to distribute valuable voter information materials to citizens, groups and organizations for placement in appropriate public locations. These materials informed citizens about new voting locations created as a result of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. IFES reported to the Secretary of State the breadth of material distribution, recommended future efforts, and monitored the impact on-site of these and other voter information efforts.