Secretary of State
Kentucky Election Official to Chair National Elections Board

(Washington, D.C) The Standards Board of the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC) has selected officers to serve through June 2008 and Kentucky State Board of Elections (SBE) Executive Director, Sarah Ball Johnson, has been chosen as the Board’s chair.

“Sarah’s appointment is a testament to the faith other election officials in the country have in her leadership,” remarked Secretary of State Trey Grayson who appointed Johnson as executive director of the SBE and as his representative to the EAC Standards Board.  “Having her in this position will only benefit the citizens of Kentucky and reinforces that Kentucky has a nationally recognized leadership team executing our elections in the Commonwealth.”

The officers were selected by the executive board of the Standards Board, which consists of nine members elected by the Standards Board. Officers serve one-year terms.

"Congratulations to these new officers, and I thank them for their continued commitment to the Commission," said Commissioner Gracia Hillman, EAC's designated federal officer to the Standards Board. "We rely on their expertise and input to make sure the work we do will assist election officials and serve voters throughout the country."

The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) designates a 110-member Standards Board to assist the EAC in carrying out its mandates under the law. The board consists of 55 state election officials selected by their respective chief state election official. The other 55 members are local election officials selected through a process supervised by the chief state election official. HAVA prohibits any two members representing the same state to be members of the same political party. The board selects nine members to serve as an executive board, of which not more than five are state election officials, not more than five are local election officials, and not more than five are members of the same political party.

“I am proud to have been selected by my peers to this position,” stated Johnson. “I look forward to representing Kentucky and my fellow election officials as we work closely with the EAC on all facets of the election process.”

The EAC is an independent bipartisan commission created by HAVA. It is charged with administering payments to states and developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and accrediting voting system test laboratories and certifying voting equipment. The EAC also serves as a national clearinghouse and resource of information regarding election administration.

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