Program Honored by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission for Innovation, Sustainability, and Replicability
(Boise, Idaho) – The Idaho Secretary of State’s Office announced that they were recognized for excellence in election administration with a national Clearinghouse Award for Contingency Planning and an Honorable Mention for Creative and Original “I Voted” Stickers. Also known as the “Clearies,” the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) presents the awards program annually to celebrate the hard work of election offices across the country. Now in its ninth year, this year’s Clearie Awards honored programs that took place during the 2024 presidential election year.
The Idaho Secretary of State’s Office was recognized for “A Proactive and Collaborative Approach to Election Security & Threat Response,” an initiative to prepare for the 2024 primary and general elections by partnering with several local, state, and federal agencies as the Elections Security Group to prepare for unforeseen situations that could arise on Election Day and affect elections. The collaborative approach incorporated election security management, monitoring, tracking, advice, and response throughout the 2024 election cycle. Serving as the statewide nerve center, the Election Security Group coordinated response, assistance, and messaging for large-scale cybersecurity, physical security, and natural disaster events before, during, and after the 2024 general election.
“It’s great to see Idaho recognized, once again, for leading the nation with our innovative approach to Election Security,” said Secretary Phil McGrane. “I’m surrounded by an incredible team whose passion for elections is what really stands out in our work. Our Chief Information Officer, Cody McRoberts, had the vision and led the way in creating the Election Security Group. It shows what we can accomplish when federal, state, and local government partners work together with a shared purpose. I want to thank Cody and this team for their hard work and congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition. Efforts like these made the 2024 Election so successful in Idaho.”
EAC Chairman Donald Palmer, Vice Chair Thomas Hicks, and Commissioners Christy McCormick and Ben Hovland praised the 2024 Clearie winners in a joint statement:
“This year’s Clearinghouse Award-winning programs truly shined amid the high voter turnout in 2024. They are examples of the outstanding work election officials did to support tens of millions of voters during the presidential election. After nearly a decade, the Clearinghouse Awards continue to grow with a record number of entries received this year. These programs show how state and local election offices are the incubators of innovation. We are pleased to lift their ideas up and celebrate them on a national stage.”
The Office also received an honorable mention for the Creative and Original “I Voted” Stickers category for the “My Hooman Voted” sticker and its accompanying social media campaign that featured pets donning the sticker as a fun, engaging, and unconventional way of encouraging voting.
The Clearies play an essential role in fulfilling the EAC’s mission to serve as a clearinghouse for election administration information under the Help America Vote Act. The EAC is an independent, bipartisan federal agency solely focused on election administration. Submissions were judged on innovation, sustainability, outreach, cost-effectiveness, replicability, and the generation of positive results.
More information on the Clearies and each awardee is available on eac.gov.