{"id":131598,"date":"2016-02-28T18:43:23","date_gmt":"2016-02-29T01:43:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=131598"},"modified":"2016-02-28T18:43:23","modified_gmt":"2016-02-29T01:43:23","slug":"meet-the-nations-new-election-integrity-watchman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2016\/02\/meet-the-nations-new-election-integrity-watchman\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the nation’s new election integrity watchman"},"content":{"rendered":"
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With Election 2000\u2019s voting debacle<\/a>\u00a0still raw, President George W. Bush, in 2002, signed into law<\/a> the \u201cHelp America Vote Act<\/a>,\u201d which he promised would help \u201censure the integrity and efficiency of voting processes in federal elections.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Thomas

Dave Levinthal \/ Center for Public Integrity<\/p>

Thomas Hicks became chairman of the Election Assistance Commission on Feb. 24, 2016. He previously served as the agency’s vice chairman.<\/p><\/div>\n

A key component: the Election Assistance Commission, a new, bipartisan federal agency tasked with<\/a>\u00a0adopting voting system guidelines, distributing grants and otherwise aiding states in improving their election processes.<\/p>\n

But the little commission soon hit downdrafts. Congress routinely cut its already modest budget<\/a>. The federal government moved its headquarters from prime digs in downtown Washington, D.C., to a nondescript office tower in suburban Maryland. Then, in 2010, the Election Assistance Commission began a nearly five-year stretch where it lacked enough appointed commissioners<\/a> to conduct meetings, and, therefore, conduct its most important business. Some members of Congress\u00a0tried<\/a>, and failed, to kill what had effectively<\/a> become a zombie agency.<\/p>\n

Now, after years of such turbulence, three of the agency\u2019s four commissioner slots are filled \u2014 enough, at least, to function. And today, Thomas Hicks, a Democrat and former attorney for the Committee on House Administration, assumes the Election Assistance Commission\u2019s chairmanship. For Hicks, the post is years coming: President Barack Obama initially nominated<\/a> him in early 2010, but the U.S. Senate didn\u2019t appoint him to the Election Assistance Commission until late 2014<\/a>. His challenges are numerous, from helping ensure elections are free and fair to grappling with advocacy groups<\/a>\u2019 outrage over the actions<\/a> of his agency\u2019s executive director.<\/p>\n

The Center for Public Integrity<\/a> recently spoke with Hicks about his plans for his one-year chairmanship, which will coincide with 2016 presidential and congressional elections. The interview has been edited for length and clarity:<\/p>\n

Center for Public Integrity:<\/em><\/strong> What are your top agenda items for the year that you\u2019ll have the chairmanship?<\/em><\/p>\n