Ottawa County voter information campaign earns national recognition

Ottawa County’s voter information campaign during the November 2020 election played a role in helping residents better understand how to cast votes — and now it’s earned national recognition.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission recently announced winners of the 2020 Clearinghouse Awards, also known as the “Clearie” awards, for best practices in election administration, recognizing Ottawa County’s #OttawaVotes” voter information campaign during the 2020 election cycle.

The county is among three winners for Outstanding Innovation in Election Cybersecurity and Technology, along with the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections (Maryland) and the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Communication, transparency

The #OttawaVotes project is based on an intentional effort at stronger voter communication and transparency that began in 2019 in advance of the 2020 election cycle, according to Justin Roebuck, Ottawa County Clerk/Register.

He attributes the project’s success to a team effort. 

“Consistent, factual communication with our voters is essential to maintaining the security of our elections,” says Roebuck. “I commend our elections team for their innovative approach to engaging with our community. By providing regular, accurate information and using a variety of outreach efforts, I believe we can build a relationship with our voters that inspires both accountability and trust in the process.” 

Promoting best practices

Established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), the EAC is charged with certifying voting technology and 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.

The award categories also include innovation in election administration; improving accessibility for voters with disabilities; and best practices in recruiting, training, and retaining poll workers. Winners were selected by two independent panels of election officials from the EAC’s advisory boards.

Now in its fifth year, the Clearie awards recognize the innovative efforts of election officials across America. Entries were judged based on each initiative’s depiction of positive results, innovation, sustainability, outreach efforts, cost-effectiveness, and replicability. 

“This year, we are pleased to receive a record-breaking number of 137 Clearie submissions, more than tripling the 2019 submissions,” says Donald Palmer, commissioner of the EAC. “The number of Clearie submissions highlights that, even though this was a challenging election year, officials continue to modernize and develop programming that will serve as helpful best practices for the coming years.”