Indiana Secretary of State Holli Sullivan (left) presents Jennifer Lewis (middle), deputy clerk of Vigo County, with her Certificate in in Election Administration, Technology, and Security (CEATS), at a ceremony at Ball State University's Voting System Technical Oversight Program (VSTOP) facility in the Oakwood Building in Muncie. Announcing the award is VSTOP and CEATS co-director Dr. Bryan Byers
Two Ball State University programs dedicated to lasting election integrity have received national awards honoring best practices in election administration and training from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC).
The EAC's annual Clearinghouse Awards on Thursday recognized Indiana's Certificate in Election Administration, Technology, and Security (CEATS), a program partnership between Ball State and the Indiana Secretary of State's Office, with its Outstanding Innovations in Elections award.
Additionally, the Indiana Voting System Technical Oversight Program (VSTOP) at Ball State, another partnership endeavor between the University, the Indiana Secretary of State's Office, and the Indiana Election Commission, was selected as honorable mention.
"We are honored to accept these awards in recognition of the hard work and dedication of Hoosier elections administrators and poll workers across the state," Indiana Secretary of State Holli Sullivan said. "Indiana's successful track record of election integrity is because of the people that work in all aspects of our electoral process and are continually willing to adopt training, share best practices and innovate."
The CEATS and VSTOP programs, co-directed by Drs. Jay Bagga and Bryan Byers, are part of Ball State's Bowen Center for Public Affairs, led by director Dr. Chad Kinsella.
"As a public university, Ball State recognizes our responsibility to support and to serve our community, our region, and the entire state of Indiana," said Dr. Maureen McCarthy, dean of Ball State's College of Sciences and Humanities. "Our mission is to provide exceptional educational experiences for our students, but we also recognize the importance of supporting the vitality and strength of our communities by protecting and encouraging civic engagement. I would like to congratulate Drs. Bagga, Byers, and Kinsella, and their committed VSTOP teams, for this wonderful recognition."
Outstanding Innovations in Elections The CEATS program provides an innovative collegiate level certificate program designed to provide substantive, researched-based training and education in election administration technology and security.
"The CEATS program fills an immediate need in the state of Indiana by having one educational experience to professionalize election administrators," said Dr. Byers, a professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Ball State. "This award recognizes the pioneering work of our program and the positive impact we are having in our partnership with the Indiana Secretary of State, the Indiana Election Commission, and the hard-working election officials in all 92 Indiana counties."
Throughout one year and 170 program hours, the Certificate in Election Administration, Technology, and Security provides instruction and experiential training on:
- Election law
- Election Day reporting
- Election personnel training and management
- Information technology and security basics
- Operations and troubleshooting of voting systems and electronic poll books
Participants also complete capstone projects and participate in mentorship with program faculty and state election officials. Capstone projects are designed to be useful in the participant's county.
"We are grateful to be honored by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission for the important work conducted by our CEATS program, in partnership with the Indiana Secretary of State and the Indiana Election Commission," said Dr. Bagga, a professor of Computer Science at Ball State. "CEATS is a foundational part of VSTOP's mission to ensure the integrity and security of our state's elections, and we appreciate the commitment of election administrators across the state to this critical endeavor."
Ball State's VSTOP program earned honorable mention in the category of Outstanding Use of HAVA (the Help America Vote Act) Grants in Election Modernization.
VSTOP is a HAVA grant-funded program overseen by the Indiana Secretary of State. The VSTOP team advises the Indiana Secretary of State and the Indiana Election Commission on the certification of voting machines and electronic poll books in Indiana.
VSTOP helped pioneer first-in-the-nation legislation authorizing the certification and testing of electronic poll books before they are permitted to be used in elections in Indiana.
The Clearinghouse Awards, also known as the "Clearie" Awards, are presented annually across the U.S. for best practices in election administration by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), the EAC is charged with serving as a clearinghouse for election administration information. To further this mission, the EAC launched the Clearies in 2016 to promote best practices in elections and celebrate the accomplishments of election officials.
Winners were selected by independent panels of election officials and members from the EAC's advisory boards, with the EAC Commissioners serving as judges for the sticker category.
Categories: Indiana, Education