In the wake of Tropical Storm Helene, Buncombe County Election Services was able to activate an incident accident plan to be flexible, adapt, and work together to make sure Buncombe County residents had the opportunity to securely vote in the 2024 election. On April 16 the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) recognized that effort with a Clearinghouse Award in Contingency Planning: Exemplary Contingency Planning and Emergency Response Efforts.
Election Services and Emergency Services staff began working together in 2022 on an Incident Action Plan (IAP) for implementation in the event of an emergency during an election and that plan proved critical in compassionately overcoming problems never encountered before.
Election Services also garnered a second Clearinghouse award in Communications: Distinguished Voter Education and Communications Initiatives for a Buncombe County Communications and Public Engagement (CAPE) department-produced video project “NC Together.”
The NC Together video project was a collaborative effort between the North Carolina State Board of Elections, Buncombe County CAPE, and Buncombe County Election Services. This three-part video series was designed to build trust by connecting voters to their local election officials in a personal and relatable way. The clips were woven together, creating a vibrant, statewide tapestry of election officials reassuring voters: We are here to help. NC Together.
The Clearinghouse Awards recognize best practices in election administration and celebrate programs that took place during the 2024 presidential election year. Winning jurisdictions range from counties with less than 25,000 registered voters to states with over 22.9 million.
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 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. 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 the EAC’s website.