The federal government does not run elections — that authority rests primarily with states. Federal agencies provide funding, voluntary guidelines, cybersecurity assistance, voting rights enforcement, and foreign threat intelligence to support state and local officials.
The only federal agency dedicated solely to election administration. Created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) after the contested 2000 presidential election exposed major problems with voting equipment and administration. The EAC is a bipartisan commission with four members (two from each party) appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
The lead federal agency for election security. CISA designated the U.S. election infrastructure as a critical infrastructure subsector in January 2017. It works through voluntary partnerships — it has no authority to compel state or local officials to accept its services. CISA provides free cybersecurity and physical security assistance to election offices of all sizes.
Despite its name, the FEC does not administer elections. It is a campaign finance regulator only. Created by the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) amendments of 1974. Its election administration functions were transferred to the EAC when HAVA was enacted in 2002.
Enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect Americans' right to vote. Key laws enforced include the Voting Rights Act (VRA), National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), and Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
Coordinates election-related foreign threat intelligence across the 18 agencies of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Produces public threat assessments before and after federal elections. Works with CISA and EAC to share relevant threat information with state and local election officials.