WASHINGTON – Today, the Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on Elections called upon officials from the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to answer questions regarding operational challenges and the Commission’s failure to update the Federal Mail Voter Registration Form.

Testimony provided by witnesses, including the four EAC commissioners and the EAC’s Inspector General, indicate that the Commission must work to improve the current policies and procedures that dictate the accuracy, consistency and transparency of the Commission’s actions. Recent reports issued by the EAC’s Inspector General, Curtis Crider, were highly critical of the Commission’s strategic planning, inability to measure performance, procurement processes and overall governance structure.

The IG’s fourth report, released today, debunked recent allegations that the EAC improperly edited a 2006 vote fraud report. According to the report, the IG, “found no evidence to support allegations that the changes were made to the report due to improper reasons or political motivations.” While the findings of the IG’s investigation clearly demonstrate that the EAC did not improperly edit the vote fraud report, it did highlight the inadequacies of the EAC’s procurement processes and general oversight.

In addition to operational challenges, Subcommittee Members also expressed grave concerns over the Commission’s repeated failure to make the necessary updates to Federal Mail Voter Registration Form, also known as the Federal Form. The Commission’s Federal Form is a generic voter registration form designed to allow eligible voters from across the country to register in their home state. However, the Commission’s failure to include pertinent state registration requirements hinders voters’ ability to participate in the election process.

In her testimony submitted to the Elections Subcommittee, Arizona Secretary of State, Janice Brewer, claimed that, “the EAC is unnecessarily disenfranchising voters using the Federal Form by refusing to properly instruct them regarding Arizona’s citizenship requirement.”

For more information, please contact the Committee press office at (202) 225-8281