Help America Vote College Program

The purpose of this program is: (1) to encourage students enrolled at institutions of higher education (including community colleges), to assist state and local governments in the administration of elections by serving as nonpartisan poll workers or

The purpose of the HAVCP Poll Worker grant is to encourage college students to assist state and local governments in the administration of elections by serving as nonpartisan poll workers or assistants, and to encourage jurisdictions to utilize these efforts. The purpose of the HAVCP Service Day Mini-Grant is to elevate civic participation on college campuses through a day of service and inspire college students to volunteer their time and talents to ensure safe, secure, accessible, and transparent elections.

The following are eligible to apply for the Help America Vote College Program: (1) State controlled institutions of higher education; (2) private institutions of higher education; (3) community colleges; (4) non-partisan student organizations; and (5) non-profit organizations, other than institutions of higher education (including faith-based, community-based, and tribal organizations). EAC encourages applicants to forge robust partnerships to implement the grant and to sustain activities beyond the grant period of performance. The recommended partners for the HAVCP are institutions of higher education as defined in Section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); community and technical colleges and systems, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and other Minority Serving Institutions Program (MSIs) as designated by the Higher Education Act's Title III and V funding by the Higher Education Act's Title III and V funding.

College and University Students, election officials.

Help America Vote College Poll Worker Grant Program - The EAC is particularly interested in supporting programs that propose partnerships between various student and university organizations and local election officials to garner college student interest in elections and create meaningful activities for students leading up to and on Election Day. As applicants develop their proposals, they should keep in mind that a successful poll worker program should be designed to encourage participation among college students without partisan or ideological bias. Allowable activities may include, but are not limited to:  Salaries for Project Coordinators and assistants  Recruitment materials such as flyers, brochures, and t-shirts  Websites and social network strategies for marketing  Training materials  Community volunteer recruitment and training  Travel expenses for students serving as poll workers on Election Day  Surveys and analysis of participation rates, reactions, and recommendations  Establishing operational policies and procedures that help ensure student poll workers will be used in a constructive and effective manner on Election Day  Stipends for poll worker training and for service on Election Day. Help America Vote Service Day Mini-Grant Program - Help America Vote Service Day Mini-Grants will help elevate civic participation on college campuses and inspire college students to volunteer their time and talents to help others participate in the democratic process as poll workers. The mini-grants will support poll worker recruitment efforts on National Poll Worker Recruitment Day. Help America Vote College Program Service Day grants will support projects that recruit, train, and encourage college students to assist state and local governments in the administration of elections by serving as poll workers or assistants. Project funds must be used for tasks and activities carried out without partisan bias and without promoting any political point of view regarding election issues or candidates. Pre-award costs can be requested by applicants approved for funding under this Notice, but are subject to approval from EAC per Office of Management and Budget guidelines.

Help America Vote College Poll Work Grant funds may only be used for eligible activities related to the recruitment and training of poll workers.

Help America Vote College Poll Worker Grant Program - 24 months Help America Vote College Service Day Mini-Grant Program - 12 months

Poll Worker Grant Program - The EAC will assess the applications based on the Program Design/Strategy (50%), Organizational Capability (35%), and Budget (15%) selection criteria using the scoring rubric included in the application kit. Service Day Mini-Grant Program - The EAC will assess the applications based on the Organizational Characteristics (20 points), Program Design/Strategy (5 points), and Budget (5 points) selection criteria using the scoring rubric included in the application kit. The EAC will also consider the priorities and strategic considerations detailed in the Notice. All staff reviewing applications will be screened for conflicts of interest. Additional details will be available in the notice of funding opportunity published in the Federal Register, at EAC.gov, and at Grants.gov.

Upon selection of awardees, the Election Assistance Commission will issue a Notice of Grant Award. EAC will authorize the Treasury Department to disburse funding identified in the agreement through an electronic funds transfer to the applicant on reimbursement or advance basis to be drawdown as expenses arise. Per 2 CFR §200, the timing and amount of advance payments must be as close as is administratively feasible to the actual disbursements by the non-federal entity for direct program or project costs and the proportionate share of any allowable indirect costs. Grantees will be able to request payments as often as practical for their program.

As specified in announcement or application instructions.

Potential awardees will be required to pass two checks during the application review process. First, the EAC will conduct an initial review confirming that the application complies with all application requirements as outlined in the application kit. This initial review will also confirm the applicant is an eligible applicant as outlined in the application kit. The second check EAC will perform prior to determining awardees will be a pre-award risk assessment. The risk assessment will involve a due diligence verification that the applicant is eligible to receive federal funds, a review of the applicant organization's operational and financial management capabilities to manage any federal funding, the applicant's past performance managing EAC grant funding, and any other programmatic risk identifiable through publicly available information.

Final funding decisions are made by the Election Assistance Commissioners. After notification of award or denial, applicants have 10 business days to request to review the application's scores and appeal the decision based on one of the following criteria: - Incorrect information was provided by the EAC. - Historically underrepresented groups will be denied services without HAVCP funding - Scores are not representative of work done by the program Appeals must be addressed to the commissioners and received in writing by the deadline outlined in the notice of funding decision. Appeals must include a written justification for the appeal based on one or more of the above criteria. Appeals not based on the above criteria will not be considered. The commission will make a final decision about all appeals within 60 days of receipt.