Election Assistance Chairman DeGregorio Speaks February 22

SALISBURY, MD---U.S. Election Assistance Commission Chairman Paul DeGregorio speaks on election policies and reform 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 22, in the Great Hall of Holloway Hall.

DeGregorio was nominated by President Bush and confirmed by unanimous consent of the U.S. Senate in 2003 to serve an initial two-year term on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). He was elected chairman of the EAC for 2006 after serving as the agency's vice chairman in 2005.

He is nationally renowned in the elections field with areas of expertise including U.S. election administration, democracy building and international elections. In 2004, he received the NASS Freedom Award from the National Association of Secretaries of State in recognition of his accomplishments.

As a commissioner, DeGregorio has focused his efforts on EAC’s mandates to review state election reform plans and distribute $2.3 billion to states, establish new voluntary voting system guidelines, develop best practices in election administration, provide guidance and advisories to election officials and conduct studies on election reform issues.

All of these efforts represented the first time in U.S. history that the federal government provided such significant assistance to the states to improve the conduct of elections and strengthen American democracy.

Prior to his appointment with EAC, DeGregorio served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), a leading institution involved in the promotion of democracy worldwide. From 1985 to 1993, he served as director of elections for St. Louis County, Missouri’s largest jurisdiction.

DeGregorio was a special assistant in President Ronald Reagan’s administration and served as an assistant to John Ashcroft during his first term as Missouri attorney general.

Co-sponsored by SU’s Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement and the Political Science Department, his talk is free and the public is invited. This event is dedicated to the memory of Charles R. "Chuck" Fulton, who with his wife Martha founded the Fulton School of Liberal Arts. For more information call 410-677-5045 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu. "