The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is an independent division of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The OIG was created in 2005 and operates under the authorities vested in it by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended (IG Act). The mission of the OIG is to enhance the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of EAC’s operations by: conducting audits, reviews, evaluations and assessments of EAC programs and operations; detecting and preventing fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement of EAC programs; promoting better EAC management; preserving and protecting EAC employee and program integrity; and communicating with the Commission and Congress to keep them fully informed of the status of EAC administration and operations and the need for and progress of corrective actions.