EASE 4.0 | H98210 24 1 0001

Opportunity Information: Apply for H98210 24 1 0001

EASE 4.0 is a discretionary grant opportunity run by the Department of Defense through the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP). The program is aimed at improving the absentee voting experience for voters covered by UOCAVA, meaning Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act voters such as military members, their eligible family members, and overseas citizens. The core purpose is to reduce the real-world barriers these voters face across the absentee voting lifecycle and to encourage practical, innovative approaches that make it more likely their ballots are successfully received and counted.

A central requirement in this opportunity is a firm prohibition: funded projects cannot involve electronic transmission of a voted (completed) ballot back to election offices. Any system that actually transmits the marked ballot electronically is not eligible for funding. Applicants are expected to be explicit in their proposals about how their approach avoids electronic return of voted ballots, since FVAP flags this as a key point for reviewers.

The main objective for EASE 4.0 is research-driven: produce data that helps FVAP advance its responsibilities around supporting electronic absentee voting practices for states and UOCAVA voters. In practice, this means projects should focus on research, development, testing, and evaluation of electronic absentee voting support tools and processes. The expectation is that funded work will generate measurable evidence about cost-effective methods that can be adopted and sustained by election offices, rather than one-off pilots that cannot scale or be maintained.

The types of activities highlighted include building or improving electronic tools that strengthen parts of absentee voting that are allowed to be electronic, especially on the outbound and administrative sides of the process. Examples called out include better electronic transmission of blank (outbound) ballots from election offices to voters, improved tracking of outbound mailed ballots, and identity or document authentication methods such as digital signature verification, including approaches comparable to using the Department of Defense Common Access Card on election documents. These examples point to a focus on speed, reliability, verification, and transparency for voters and election officials without crossing the line into electronic ballot return.

FVAP is also looking for work that increases the percentage of ballots successfully returned by UOCAVA voters using permitted return methods, and that reduces failure rates at multiple stages where UOCAVA voters commonly encounter issues. The opportunity specifically names voter registration, absentee ballot request, delivery of the blank ballot, ballot marking, ballot tabulation, and return verification. An important performance concept here is closing the gap between UOCAVA voters and the general electorate: success is framed as reducing UOCAVA failure rates relative to comparable stages and similar demographic groups in the broader voting population.

Another goal is building a continuing pipeline of ideas, techniques, and best practices that election officials can use to serve UOCAVA voters. In other words, FVAP is not only funding tools, but also the learning and operational know-how that can be reused by other jurisdictions, improved over time, and shared as proven practices.

Eligibility is limited to government entities: state governments and local governments at the county and city or township levels. The total funding available across all awards is $5,321,655.50, and FVAP indicates that multiple awards may be made from that total. The opportunity is listed under Funding Opportunity Number H98210 24 1 0001, CFDA 12.219, with an original application closing date of April 30, 2024.

• The Department of Defense in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "EASE 4.0" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.219.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-03-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,321,655.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments.

Apply for H98210 24 1 0001

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