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Federal Election Commission | United States of America

Hans A. von Spakovsky

Headshot of
Republican
January 2006 to December 2007

Commissioner Hans A. von Spakovsky was nominated to the Federal Election Commission by President George W. Bush on December 15, 2005 and was appointed on January 4, 2006.

Prior to his appointment, Commissioner von Spakovsky served as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Justice, where he provided expertise and advice on voting and election issues, including of the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

Commissioner von Spakovsky has had a wide range of experiences in election related issues, including as a member of the first Board of Advisors of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections, which administered elections in the largest county in Georgia. He served on the Voting Standards Committee of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and on the Election and Voter Service Technical Committee of the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS), which were developing standards for voting equipment and electronic data interchange.

Commissioner von Spakovsky is a past member of the Board of Advisors of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, the Georgia Election Officials Association and the International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials and Treasurers. The Commission on Federal Election Reform organized by President Jimmy Carter and Secretary James Baker has also sought his expertise. Commissioner von Spakovsky has testified before state and Congressional legislative committees and published articles on voter fraud, election reform, e-government, and Internet voting. He has appeared before numerous organizations including the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors.

Prior to entering public service, Commissioner von Spakovsky worked as a government affairs consultant, in a corporate legal department, and in private practice. He received a J.D. from the Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1984 and a B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981. He is a member of the Georgia and Tennessee bars. He is a first-generation American whose parents immigrated to the United States in 1951. They met in a refugee camp as displaced persons after the end of World War II. He is originally from Huntsville, Alabama.

Statements and opinions

Advisory opinions

Enforcement

Rulemaking and litigation

  • Statement on the Adoption of New Travel Regulations, December 14, 2007  (PDF)
  • Statement on Proposed Interim Final Rule Exempting Certain Grassroots Lobbying Communications From BCRA's Electioneering Communications Provisions, August 3, 2006  (PDF)
  • Statement on Commission's Decision Not To Open New Rulemaking on 527 Organizations, May 31, 2006 (PDF)
  • Statement on Internet Rulemaking, March 27, 2006  (PDF)
  • Statement on Definitions of "Solicit" and "Direct," February 23, 2006  (PDF)
  • Statement on Final Rule on Definition of Agent for BCRA Regulations on Non-Federal Funds or Soft Money and Coordinated and Independent Expenditures, January 23, 2006 (PDF)
  • Statement on the Commission's Implementation of the Supreme Court's Decision in Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC, November 20, 2007 (PDF)

Audits and public financing

Media and appearances

Speeches and articles