Breaking: Senate Budget Proposal Makes Progress, Boosts Election Security Grants to Local Election Departments

CHICAGO — The Election Infrastructure Initiative released the following statement regarding the Senate Budget Committee’s budget proposal to add $75 million in Help America Vote Act (HAVA) election security grants to election departments.

“This budget proposal from the Senate is an important step forward after the House of Representatives recklessly proposed to zero out federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) election security grants to election departments,” said Tiana Epps-Johnson, Executive Director of the Center for Tech and Civic Life. “The Senate’s budget would be an important step forward to help replace older, vulnerable voting machines, ensure ballots are stored securely, and provide sufficient staffing and proper training for election officials. We’re grateful to see the bipartisan consensus in support of this funding.” 

In May, the Election Infrastructure Initiative sent Congress a bipartisan letter with a record number of signatories, including Local Election Officials, organizations, election experts and faith leaders. 

In June House Appropriators recommended eliminating HAVA funding. In FY24, Congress approved just $55 million for Help America Vote Act funding. By comparison, it cost Los Angeles County alone $53 million to administer a recent election.

According to a recent study from MIT, public spending on election services ranks near the bottom, about the same as what local governments spend on parking facilities. The Election Infrastructure Initiative has estimated that it would cost $53 billion over 10 years to fully fund the nation’s local election departments.

Media reports are full of stories this year already about election departments struggling with funding shortfalls. “...in Shutesbury, Massachusetts, town clerk Grace Bannasch is worried about the weather or anything that could disturb her computer and power system, since the town lacks an IT department. She recalls the night before last year’s local elections where she had to grease up her arm to reach behind an antique desk to find a backup power source. She was thankful she did because she did lose power briefly during the election the next day. Having a generator on site, or an IT department to call, would help alleviate her concerns, but the town is unable to afford it.” (NBC News, 3/6/24)

EII is a project of CTCL and IRG. 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 Institute for Responsive Government is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to ensuring state and federal governments work effectively for the very people they serve. IRG provides data, research and expertise to elected officials in order to find practical policy solutions that make government systems more efficient, accessible, and responsive.

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