[Image via EAC]

On Wednesday, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission will host a “summit” in Washington, DC focusing on the 2018 federal election. The news release has more:

Ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission will host an all-day summit to highlight a spectrum of issues that state and local election officials will face as they work to administer secure, accessible and efficient 2018 federal elections. The event, scheduled to take place from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on January 10 at The National Press Club, will feature keynote speakers and expert panelists who will address topics such as election security, voting accessibility, and how to use election data to improve the voter experience. 
 
Among the day’s events is a keynote address from Undersecretary Christopher C. Krebs of Department of Homeland Security’s National Protection and Programs Directorate, as well as three panels (Election Efficiency and Integrity: Improving the Voter Experience; Election Security: Solutions and Opportunities; and Election Accessibility: Protecting Privacy and Improving Reliability) led by EAC Commissioners Thomas HicksMatthew Masterson and Christy McCormick.

Here’s the full agenda:

EAC Summit: The 2018 Federal Election
Security. Efficiency. Accessibility. Integrity.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (registration open at 9 a.m.)
Holeman Lounge, The National Press Club
529 14th Street NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045

9:00 – 9:30 A.M. Doors Open/Registration

9:30 – 10:00 A.M. Welcome & Remarks

10:00 – 11:00 A.M. Panel 1 – Election Efficiency and Integrity: Improving the Voter Experience
EAC Commissioner Christy McCormick (Moderator)
Secretary Barbara Cegavske, Nevada Secretary of State
Krysha Gregorowicz, Senior Researcher, Fors Marsh Group
Michael Scarpello, Registrar of Voters, San Bernardino County, California
Charles Stewart III, Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Political Science, MIT

11:00 – 11:15 A.M. BREAK

11:15 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. Panel 2 – Election Security: Solutions and Opportunities
EAC Chairman Matthew Masterson (Moderator)
Jeremy Epstein, National Science Foundation’s Deputy Division Director for
Computer and Network Systems Research
Secretary Nellie Gorbea, Rhode Island Secretary of State
Jeramy Gray, Assistant Executive Officer for Technology and Planning, Los
Angeles County Board of Supervisors, California
David Stafford, Supervisor of Elections, Escambia County, Florida
Kim Wyman, Washington Secretary of State

12:30 – 1:30 P.M. Lunch Break (On your own)

1:30 – 2:00 P.M. Keynote Speaker – Undersecretary Christopher C. Krebs, DHS
Undersecretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate, Department of Homeland Security

2:00 – 3:00 P.M. Panel 3 – Election Accessibility: Protecting Privacy and Improving Reliability
EAC Vice Chair Thomas Hicks (Moderator)
Virginia Atkinson, Senior Access and Inclusion Specialist, International Foundation
for Electoral Systems
Michelle Bishop, Voting Rights Specialist, National Disability Rights Network
Cameron Sasnett, Director of the Office of Elections and General Registrar,
Fairfax County, Virginia
Stafford Ward, Secretary of the Board & Technology and Voter Services Advisor, U.S. Vote Foundation

3:00 – 3:30 P.M. Discussion/Open Mic & Closing Remarks
EAC Executive Director Brian Newby, EAC Commissioners Masterson, Hicks, McCormick

This event will be a fantastic curtain-raiser on what promises to be an eventful year. I’m planning to attend and I look forward to sharing more from the meeting. Thanks to the EAC for pulling this meeting together … stay tuned!