Latest news with #ClearinghouseAward
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thurston County commissioners honor auditor's office for national communications award
May 7—The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) honored the county auditor's office after it recently won a national Clearinghouse Award from the United States Election Assistance Commission, recognized for excellence in voter education and communications. The auditor's office's "Your Neighbors, Your Elections" video series won the award, beating out other counties in the large jurisdictions category such as Pierce County and Los Angeles County, according to Auditor Mary Hall. "Your Neighbors, Your Elections" highlights the real people behind Thurston County's elections: local residents who volunteer their time to show how elections work and to build trust in county elections. Additionally, the auditor's office received an honorable mention in the accessibility category for "Expanding Access: Public Transit Partnerships for Accessible Elections." Hall visited the Tuesday BOCC meeting to highlight the work done by the auditor's office communications team en route to the Clearinghouse Award, which she dubbed the "Academy Award of election awards." "Every county in the country applies for these, and we have many times, but I'm thrilled that we won the award for outreach effort," Hall said. "We are big believers in that the way to build trust in elections is really through transparency, and elections are conducted by people. There are a lot of rumors out there of what's really happening. So we brought people together, and we wanted to show the community who really is behind elections, and it's really your neighbors." Hall thanked the volunteers for their courage in a climate in which she said elections workers and officials have received threats, including a fentanyl-laced envelope last year. "It was very courageous of them to step up. We've really redefined what voter education looks like. It's personal, it's honest, and it's proven to be effective," she said. "All of this was done in house with very minimal cost. This is government at its best." Emmett O'Connell, communications manager at the auditor's office and creator of the effort, said the idea to highlight the people behind the elections came from research about effective ways to build trust in elections. The "Your Neighbors, Your Elections" videos are unscripted, he said, and they allow volunteers to explain what they enjoy about working in elections and what motivates them. "The most measurable measure with this project was the change in tenor in online comments when we went to our digital ad campaign in the fall. As you might imagine, people have a lot of strong thoughts about elections when presented to them in their social news feeds," O'Connell said. "It's a lot of negative. Once we put money behind these ads, it was breathtaking. People were so kind. The people who did decide to jump into those comment threads and say negative things were chastised, not by me but by other people." Commissioner Emily Clouse called for a round of applause after the auditor's office presented one of the videos in the series to the commissioners. She lauded Hall and her team for the care they put into the elections process. "I've seen firsthand how much you care. I've had the pleasure of touring the ballot processing center twice, and once was actually on election day," Clouse said. "Everyone was locked in. They were so focused on what they were doing, but you could still see how much joy there was, and you could feel it in the room because people care so much about making sure we have fair and transparent elections."
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ottawa County Elections Division wins national award for voter education series
OTTAWA COUNTY— The Elections Division of The Ottawa County Clerk's Office has received national recognition for its innovative approach to helping voters understand the election process. The office was announced as a winner of a national Clearinghouse Award for Distinguished Voter Education and Communications Initiatives by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on Wednesday, April 16. The award recognizes innovation, sustainability and replicability in election administration during the 2024 presidential election. Ottawa County was one of 53 programs across the country recognized. Ottawa County earned the award for its 'Not a Podcast – Ballots and Banter" series, created in collaboration with the Ottawa County Communications Department. More: Ottawa County voters should have an easier time finding results in May. Here's why The series of short videos with Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck and Elections Supervisor Katie Bard addressed topics such as voter registration, election security, how to obtain absentee ballots and more. The goal was to deliver clear and accessible voter information by using a casual podcast format. 'As election officials, it's critical that we communicate information to voters in the many ways they receive their information,' Roebuck wrote in a release. 'I'm so proud of our innovative Elections Team and thankful for the partnership we have with our County Communications Department. This national award is a well-deserved recognition of their collaboration to educate voters.' The series was initially posted on Facebook and Instagram, but can also be viewed on YouTube. The EAC is an independent, bipartisan federal agency solely focused on election administration. The organization's Clearinghouse Awards, also known as Clearies, are presented annually and are now in their ninth year. Submissions were judged on innovation, sustainability, outreach, cost-effectiveness, replicability and the generation of positive results, according to a release. — Cassidey Kavathas is the politics and court reporter at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at ckavathas@ Follow her on Twitter @cassideykava . This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Ottawa County Elections wins national award for voter education series
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tazewell County clerk's office earns national award for election security work
The Tazewell County Clerk and Recorder of Deeds Office announced Wednesday it was recognized by the United States Election Assistance Commission for excellence in election administration. The EAC presented the county with a Clearinghouse Award, also known as a "Clearie," given annually to celebrate the work of election officials throughout the nation. The Clerk and Recorder of Deeds Office won its award for 'Security: Innovations and New Tools in Election Security and Technology,' for an initiative to remove the requirement that election judge badges display the judge's name. This move was made to add privacy security for volunteers who serve as election judges. Tazewell County is the first Illinois county to win a Clearinghouse Award in the program's nine-year history, according to John Ackerman, Tazewell County Clerk and Recorder of Deeds. Pekin news: Pekin nursing home fined $25,000 after resident wandered off for three days 'Our office is extremely proud to be recognized by the United States Election Assistance Commission, and as such Congress, for our administration of Tazewell County elections' Ackerman said in a release. 'We deeply value the approximately 500 election judges that serve the citizens of county each and every election. These volunteers serve a vital role in making sure our elections are safe, secure, and accurate. This was opportunity to for us to add a layer of safety and security to these positions.' The office also received an honorable mention in the 'I Voted Stickers: Creative and Original' category for their 2024 series celebrating Pekin's bicentennial and its affinity for marigolds. This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Tazewell County program wins 'clearie' from U.S. Election Assistance Commission
