(Washington, DC) April 28, 2026 – Today members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) Board of Advisors met today including J. Christian Adams, President of the Public Interest Legal Foundation and Hans von Spakovsky, Chairman of the PILF board. They introduced and passed a motion changing the rules of the Board of Advisors to make a report to the appointing organization for any absent member.
The commonsense motion was not unopposed. Members of the Board of Advisors opposed von Spakovsky’s motion, wondering what “absent” means. Others opposed the motion because they questioned how one would discern if a board member was absent or not. Board Member Don McGhan (designee of Speaker of the House) noted that every legislative body has a way to determine who is absent, starting with a roll call.
Von Spakovsky’s motion eventually attained the two-thirds majority required to amend the EAC Board of Advisor by-laws, but not without a fight.
Board members are designated by various agencies and offices, according the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). Adams was designated to the board by the United States Commission on Civil Rights.
Von Spakovsky’s earlier motion to prohibit proxy voting by absent members lost 8-29. Some questioned whether HAVA allows proxies.
The Board includes representatives from the DOJ Civil Rights Division, DOD Federal Voting Assistance Program, experts in science and technology, and state and local election officials. The HAVA-mandated EAC Board of Advisors reviews the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines and best practices recommendations.
The EAC is an independent, bipartisan federal agency that certifies voting systems, maintains voluntary voting system guidelines, and acts as a national clearinghouse for election administration information to ensure secure, accurate, and accessible elections. This release is not affiliated with the EAC, is done in a private personal capacity, and should be confused as the position of the Election Assistance Commission.
The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) is the nation’s only public interest law firm dedicated wholly to election integrity. The Foundation exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections. Drawing on numerous experts in the field, PILF seeks to protect the right to vote and preserve the Constitutional framework of American elections.
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