New Omnibus Budget Fails to Invest in Election Infrastructure
Election Infrastructure Initiative Will Continue to Push for More Funding to Support State and Local Election Departments
CHICAGO – Yesterday, the House Congress passed an FY 2022 omnibus budget bill. With only a modest $75 million in Help America Votes Act (HAVA) grants, the budget does not contain adequate levels of election infrastructure funding to bolster physical and cybersecurity measures for local election departments.
“While HAVA funding is always important, it is disappointing that this budget does not do more to reverse years of underinvestment from the federal government in our election infrastructure,” said Tiana Epps-Johnson, executive director for the Center for Tech and Civic Life. “Since the 2020 election ended, countless state and local election officials from both parties have made the case that they need more support to be able to ensure safe and inclusive elections. From increased costs for postage and paper ballots to growing security expenses, funding needs are increasing. We will push harder for funding from the federal government so that all election departments have the resources for safe, secure, and accessible elections in 2022 and beyond."
The $75 million in HAVA grants also marks a decrease from recent Congressional funding efforts to protect local election officials and give them the tools necessary to administer elections. Prior to this budget, Congress has appropriated funding that included local election departments three times since 2010: In 2018 and 2020, Congress appropriated $380 million and $425 million respectively in Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Election Security Funds. It also allocated an additional $400 million in emergency 2020 election support funding through the CARES Act.
The Election Infrastructure Initiative (EII) – which includes the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) and Center for Secure and Modern Elections (CSME) — estimated election funding needs at $53 billion over 10 years. That includes $49.3 billion needed for election administration and operations, $1.8 billion needed to replace antiquated voting machines, $935 million needed to update statewide voter registration systems, $256 million to bolster post-election audits and $999 million for cybersecurity improvements and maintenance.
The Washington Post recently reported, “Election officials and voting experts are now warning as the midterm elections get underway that new funding is needed to avoid significant problems in November.” Additionally, according to the Associated Press, many election departments are still running elections on outdated Windows 7 software — a consequence of the chronic lack of consistent funding.
Previously, a bipartisan group of state and local officials from around the country called on Congress to allocate $20 billion in funding to local and state election administrators for secure election infrastructure over the next 10 years.
The Center for Tech and Civic Life is a nonpartisan nonprofit harnessing the promise of technology to modernize the American voting experience. We connect Americans with the information they need to become and remain civically engaged, and ensure that our elections are more professional, inclusive, and secure.
The Center for Secure and Modern Elections is dedicated to advancing pro-voter policies at the state level that modernize the voting process and ensure that every American, whether they are Republican, Democrat, or Independent, can have their voice heard.
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