ICYMI: [AZ Mirror] Decline in federal grant funding for local elections criticized by advocates
“WASHINGTON — The $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by Congress last week includes $75 million in Help America Vote Act grants — a major reduction compared to years past.
Experts say the $75 million is insufficient to fund local elections and leaves local election offices without resources to improve election infrastructure and protect the security of elections….Tiana Epps-Johnson, executive director of the Center for Tech and Civic Life, said she heard from departments that can’t hire adequate staff or afford facilities to process ballots, or that have such poor broadband access that they struggle to download basic files from the state.
“Hearing these stories coming out of 2020, it became really, really clear that one of the most, if not the most important thing we can do as a country to support the integrity of our elections, is to make sure that local election departments in every community have the funding that they need to be able to predictably and reliably provide a smooth process for voters,” she said.