Training for election officials for each of Iowa’s voting precincts is nearing completion through ISU Extension, under the federal Help America Vote Act.

Alan Vandehaar, community development field specialist, said the Precinct Election Official Certification Program began in 2006 as a pilot project in Woodbury County and was recently expanded based on the success of its initial efforts.

Patrick Gill, Woodbury County auditor, said that 10 years ago precinct election officials were limited by law to only two hours of training.

Vandehaar said ISU Extension developed the training program in cooperation with the Iowa State Association of County Auditors, the Iowa State Association of Counties and the HAVA programs for Iowa’s Secretary of State’s Office.

As a result of the HAVA, the two-hour limit was expanded, because Iowa did well conducting elections but needed the most improvement in its election officials, Gill said.

By the end of 2006, 1,698 precinct election officials had received training – about three times as many officials than originally expected during the first year.

Because of the high demand, Vandehaar was able to renegotiate the contract with Iowa’s Secretary of State’s Office to increase the number of training sections from 90 to 180, and to increase the funding to $202,000 over three years.

This year, ISU Extension expects more than 40,000 people to go through the training.

“The demand for the training has been really high,” said Sandra Oberbroeckling, program coordinator of landscape architecture.

As a result of high demand, the program has progressed into a statewide program that serves all 99 counties.

The program costs $6 and there is a limit of 24 people per section. Vandehaar said the section is highly interactive because of the high number of people.

“We go through all roles and responsibilities of the poll,” Vandehaar said of the program. “I think that the people are interested in making sure the elections are fair and open.”

Vandehaar said the program helps provide the auditors with “free and fully honest sections.”

“It’s been very well received by the auditors,” Gill said.

Vandehaar said ISU Extension didn’t know how high the demand was at first, but it was able to train and respond well.

“I think it shows a lot of ISU Extension,” Vandehaar said.