The Election Assistance Commission has responsibilities in the following program areas:

• Voting Systems - developing, in consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Technical Guidelines Development Committee, voluntary voting system guidelines and providing for a national program for testing, certification, and decertification of voting systems.
• Voter Registration - maintaining the National Mail Voter Registration Form required by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), providing information to States on their responsibilities under that law, reporting to Congress every two years on the affect the NVRA has on implementing federal elections, and promulgating regulations related to the National Mail Voter Registration Form and to the biennial reporting.
• Payments & Grants - administering programs that provide federal funds for States to meet Help America Vote Act requirements, for the development of innovative election technology, for pilot programs to test election technology, and for certain programs to encourage youth to become involved in elections.
• Research - studying and reporting best practices and other matters relevant to the effective administration of federal elections.
• Outreach - communicating information on laws, technologies, procedures, studies, and data related to the administration of federal elections to those responsible for formulating or implementing election law and procedures, to the media, and to other interested persons.

Each January, the Election Assistance Commission submits a report to the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate detailing its activities during the fiscal year which ended on September 30 of the previous calendar year.

Detailed information regarding these programs is available at The Help America Vote Act of 2002, Sections 202, 205 through 209, 221 through 222, 231, 241-247, 801 through 804, and 902 and at The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, Section 9.