June 24 - Four years ago, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act to try to avoid election problems like the 2000 Florida recount. Part of that bill included the creation of the Election Assistance Commission. The Commission is charged with overhauling election guidelines and reporting on ballot issues in federal elections.

That's a tall order, since the Commission has a small budget and no enforcement authority. Election Unspun producer Karen Miller spoke with Election Assistance Commissioner Rosemary Rodriguez about their primary activities in this election year.

Our role is not to take a side on the policy, but simply to make sure that voters know what's expected of them. And we do that through our website at EAC.gov and then the states plan to account for the extra work that they're going to have to do to processing voters, prepare for the voters.

That was Rosemary Rodriguez, Election Assistance Commissioner.

Interview: Eddie Hailes, The Advancement Project

The Election Assitance Commission may be expected to help states with their elections, but how much has really changed? Eddie Hailes says not enough, and that the Commission has been complacent on some big issues like Voter ID requirements. Hailes is an attorney and advocate with the voting rights advocacy group The Advancement Project. He lists the biggest obstacles facing the Commission:

That was Eddie Hailes with the voting rights advocacy group, the Advancement Project, speaking with Karen Miller.