New Letter From Secretaries of State Seeks Funding for Local Election Administration
WASHINGTON -- Secretaries of State from around the country issued a letter seeking $5 billion in the Biden Administration's next budget, part of an overall request for Congress to allocate $20 billion in funding to local and state election administrators for secure election infrastructure over the next 10 years.
The letter follows increased activity from state and local election officials for funding after Congress declined to allocate funding so far this year and as threats against election workers continue to increase.
“We’ve spoken to and worked with thousands of local election officials to help them deliver safe and inclusive elections during the pandemic,” said Tiana Epps Johnson, executive director of the Center for Tech and Civic Life. “The 2020 election might be over, but the funding needs have not gone away. From cybersecurity to personnel, the needs are only growing. We will continue to work with election administrators of all backgrounds, from Republicans to Democrats and nonpartisan officials, to make sure that all election administrators have the resources they need for the next election and the years to come.”
“Secretaries of state from every part of the country are feeling a real sense of urgency around meeting the deep and growing election infrastructure needs at the local and state levels. We call upon President Biden to prioritize this funding in his 2023 budget proposal and to work with us and local election officials to ensure we have the support required to run secure and accessible elections for the short and long-term," said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
"As the lead election officials of our respective states, we are entrusted with conducting, funding, and supporting local, state, and federal elections in jurisdictions across the country. Election security and integrity are a vital cornerstone of our democracy. But because of years of underinvestment by the federal government, too many voters and election workers contend with elections infrastructure that has reached the end of its shelf life," the letter states. Read the full letter here.
A previous letter by the Election Infrastructure Initiative was signed by over 250 bipartisan local and state elected officials and election administrators from around the country. The letter states that a significant investment in election infrastructure “will give local election offices the ability to modernize and secure equipment, and the certainty to plan and execute professional, accurate elections with integrity for voters for years to come.”
Lack of consistent funding has been a persistent problem for election administrators whether they are in red or blue states. Federal election infrastructure funding will bolster election security and resilience which improves voter confidence in our system. With federal funding, election departments will be able to make urgently-needed modernizations, including:
Replacing outdated voting machines
Upgrading voter registration databases and websites
Investing in election management equipment, including ballot sorters, envelope openers and stuffers, and ballot verification technology
Upgrading local election management systems, including software
Investing in physical infrastructure (including real estate) to allow local election secure facilities for storage of election equipment and materials
Bolstering systems to execute election audits
Strengthening cybersecurity posture
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.
Dec. 13, 2021
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