PROVIDENCE — East Providence native Rob Rock, Rhode Island’s Director of Elections under Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea, has been elected as the Chair of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).

ERIC is a bipartisan, non-profit organization made up of 29 states and the District of Columbia that uses secure data matching to improve the accuracy and efficiency of state voter rolls. ERIC states securely share information like social security death records and data from departments of motor vehicles to identify voters who have passed away or moved to another state.

Mr. Rock, who served the previous year as Vice-Chair of ERIC, was elected by board members during an annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in February 2020. He will serve as Chair for one year.

“I’ve seen first-hand how valuable ERIC can be for improving the integrity of America’s voter rolls and increasing voter registration for eligible citizens,” said Mr. Rock. “It’s an honor to be chosen to lead a group with such an important mission.”

Mr. Rock was appointed Rhode Island’s Director of Elections by Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea in February of 2015. Prior to that, Mr. Rock served as the Town Administrator for Richmond, R.I., and worked in the Secretary of State’s Elections Division for eight years. Rock studied Political Science at the University of Rhode Island and earned a Master of Public Administration from URI.

“I am incredibly proud of the work Rob has done to protect the integrity of our elections,” said Secretary Gorbea. “He is dedicated, hard-working, and has an amazing attention to detail. It’s no surprise that his peers chose him to lead during an election year. Congratulations, Rob!”

Rhode Island joined ERIC in 2015, Secretary Gorbea’s first year in office. ERIC was formed in 2012 with assistance from The Pew Charitable trusts. The group is governed and managed by states who choose to join.