New Campaign Launches to Seek Federal Funding For Secure Election Infrastructure in Congressional Infrastructure Bill
Private Funding is not a long-term solution for election administration
WASHINGTON -- With bipartisan support from election administrators, the Center for Tech and Civic Life and Center for Secure and Modern Elections have launched a new campaign at ModernizeOurElections.org calling on Congress to include $20 billion in funding for secure election infrastructure in the upcoming infrastructure bill.
The Department of Homeland Security in 2017 officially designated election infrastructure as “part of the existing Government Facilities critical infrastructure sector.” In making this announcement, DHS noted that election infrastructure “is vital to our national interests, and cyberattacks on this country are becoming more sophisticated, and bad cyber actors – ranging from nation-states, cybercriminals and hacktivists – are becoming more sophisticated and dangerous.”
“After the 2016 election when voting systems were designated as part of our nation’s critical infrastructure, the federal government affirmed the importance of conducting secure and accurate elections for our democracy. Now, Congress has an opportunity to further bolster defenses for our electoral processes by ensuring election administrators are funded as part of its new jobs bill,” said the Secretary of State of Washington, Republican Kim Wyman. “The success of the 2020 election, in spite of a pandemic, is further evidence election officials are essential to preserving fair, free, and safe elections.”
“Physical security is just as important as cybersecurity yet often overlooked in election administration,” said Grace Wachlarowicz, retired Director of Elections for the City of Minneapolis. “Our budget has little or no funding for capital investments needed to secure critical election materials that are deployed to the polls, as well as before and after each election. We are stretched in our ability to expand building capacity, replace aging equipment, or acquire the necessary equipment. Funding from Congress would allow us to make substantial improvements in these areas.”
“Philanthropic funding for election administration helped make ends-meet in 2020. It was a Band-Aid, not a long-term solution,” said Tiana Epps-Johnson, executive director for the Center for Tech and Civic Life. “Now is the perfect time for Congress to adequately fund the critical election infrastructure that undergirds the functioning of our democracy. Doing so will create budget certainty for election officials and set them, and voters, up for success, whatever challenges may come next.”
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 jurisdictions to provide early, mail and in-person voting opportunities, and maintain secure facilities for storage of election equipment and materials
Bolstering systems to execute election audits
Strengthening cybersecurity posture
Funding could not come at a more critical time. According to one recent study, as many as a quarter of local election officials in some of the nation’s largest voting jurisdictions are planning to retire before the 2024 election. Funding can help with staffing and training to manage and maintain our election systems just as election jurisdictions grapple with a wave of potential retirements and loss of institutional knowledge.
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.
