The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) recently announced that the City of Rochester Hills, Mich. was the recipient of a 2018 "Clearie" Award for Outstanding Innovations in Elections. Rochester Hills received the award for an Election Day Precinct Support Portal.
Born of the EAC's mandate to serve as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration, the annual "Clearie" awards recognize best practices in election administration and highlight exemplary models which can serve as examples to other officials and jurisdictions.
"Election officials are some of the greatest civic leaders our nation has to offer," said EAC Chairman Thomas Hicks. "They are the stewards of the bedrock of our democracy, who often implement innovative solutions with limited budgets and zero margin for error. The annual Clearie awards give the EAC an opportunity to recognize their vital contributions on a national stage and highlight best practices within the field of election administration. Each recipient of this award represents the very best of what it means to be an election administrator. We at the EAC applaud them for their dedication, and hope their work can serve as an example to others."
The City of Rochester Hills' Election Day Precinct Support Portal allowed precinct workers to submit requests or questions via a smart phone or tablet using a simple Google Form. Form submissions were fed into a shared Google Sheet in real time that was monitored by phone staff and runners moving between precincts. Support calls were ranked by priority and dropped to the bottom of the Google Sheet once they were resolved. In this way, Rochester Hills was able to provide critical Election Day support across 32 precincts with just three staff. Election Inspectors were able to submit the request with the assurance that someone was responding. The Portal also generated valuable data, including requests per precinct, individual responder rates and a breakdown of the different assigned priority levels.
Now in its third year, the "Clearie" awards recognize the innovative efforts of election officials across America. Entries were judged based on each initiative's efficacy, innovation, sustainability, outreach efforts, cost-effectiveness and replicability.
This year's Clearie awards are dedicated to the life and legacy of Wendy Noren and R. Brian Lewis. Wendy Noren served as Boone County Clerk for over three decades and was a member of the EAC's Board of Advisors before passing away in March 2018 following a long battle with cancer. R. Brian Lewis served as Counsel to the Office of the Senate Majority Leader and the Senate Rules and Administration Committee before his passing, and was an early and steadfast proponent of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and election officials. Both were luminaries in the field of election administration who will long be remembered for their hard work, integrity and friendship.
Published: Thu, Feb 21, 2019
