WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan group of state and local officials from around the country issued three letters today calling on Congress to allocate $20 billion in funding to local and state election administrators for secure election infrastructure over the next 10 years. 

A letter signed by 10 Secretaries of State—including Secretary Steve Simon (D-Minnesota) and Secretary Kim Wyman (R-Washington)—notes that “our success is dependent on a substantial dedication of resources, and a federal commitment to longer-term investment must start now.” 

In addition, a letter led by Mayor Tom Barrett (D-Milwaukee, WI) and Mayor John Giles (R-Mesa, AZ) was signed by over 50 mayors across the country from cities such as Minneapolis, Baltimore, and Tucson. The mayors note to Congressional leaders that “just as investing in roads, bridges, and broadband is vital to our country, so is investing in the security and modernization of our elections.”  

A third letter, led 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.”  

“Those who are closest to making our elections work are sending a clear message that now is the time for Congress to properly fund the critical election infrastructure that is the foundation 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,” said Tiana Epps-Johnson, executive director for the Center for Tech and Civic Life. 

The Department of Homeland Security in 2017 officially designated election infrastructure as “part of the existing Government Facilities critical infrastructure sector.” 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.”

The Center for Tech and Civic Life and the Center for Secure and Modern Elections launched the Election Infrastructure Initiative in May with bipartisan support that included the Secretary of State of Washington, Republican Kim Wyman and Jena Griswold, the Democratic Secretary of State of Colorado.

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 

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.

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.