User:Addienae/sandbox

OUTLINE

I. Intro Within any and every election, there are administrators in charge of the process. From the selection process, to the day-to-day tasks, these men and women are the "nuts-and-bolts" of almost every election across the country. Also vital to the selection and functioning of Election Administrators, are the laws such as HAVA that dictate what is and is not allowed.

A. what is an EA, how are they chosen? Election administrators requires only a few hours of training to become eligible for the job. Those who apply to become an election administrator for any United States county have to pass basic requirements in order to process their application. Any person who puts in an application for the position of Election Administrator has to acquire a college Bachelor degree, along with additional government requirements. According to the “Secretary of State; Elections & Voting” website there are five initial requirements needed to complete to obtain an election administrators certificate. The Election Administrators Certification requires, •	“Attend a two day orientation class (Elections 101). •	Pass the Administrator Certification Exam. •	Acquire 40 hours of additional education (30 of the total 40 hours must be election-specific training). •	Two years of service in an elections office during the three year period immediately prior to the request for initial certification. •	Submit a completed Application for Initial Certification. “- www.sos.wa.gov Obtaining this certificate and additional education completes the requirements to become an election administrator for state and federal elections.

B. What is the structure? The structure of the Election Administration office is not ran by the Federal Government, but by the states and localities. The states are the primary architects of election law and the local jurisdictions (counties, cities, townships) are primarily responsible for administration. Each state now has a chief election officer (CEO), which is an elected official, usually the secretary of state. Most CEO’s have the rulemaking authority but typically do not employ of fund local election officials (LEOs). The people who staff polling places on Election Day are the street-level bureaucrats over whom election officials can exert little direct control.

C. what are their tasks The tasks of an Election Administrator vary from day-to-day, and are far more than the handing out of "I Voted" stickers. These administrators are also responsible for voter registration and maintenance of voter files, a year-round task. Included in these tasks are finding the physical location to hold a polling place; this can be an especially difficult task in larger cities. Furthermore, Election Administrators must also register poll workers to work the polls on Election Day. After the election, the administrators must then go through to count and audit the results. If the outcome is not contested, then the prevailing candidate will then be declared the winner,

D. HAVA and it's effects on election HAVA, or the Help America Vote Act, was enacted shortly after the 2000 Presidential Election, in which Bush was declared winner after a highly debated recount. After taking into consideration the National Commission on Federal Election Reform in 2001, the election system got a facelift of sorts. Within the Act were provisions for easier access to polling places as well as identification requirements; a compromise between Democrats and Republicans. In continuance, the law provided better oversight of election officials as well as discretion for most administrators.

E. Conclusion Election Administrators have an array of different tasks in front of them at any given time. Those chosen must be very capable of dealing with large crowds of people wanting to register all at once, much like Black Friday shopping. Just as important, perhaps, is the structure. From the Secretary of State to the polling place worker, it is important to have a strong group of people working to make elections go smoothly. By making polling places more accessible, HAVA has also helped Americans make their voiced heard throughout the world. But, without the Elections Administrators efforts, the wheels of democracy would grind to a halt.