Stunning: Proposed Senate Budget Omits Federal Funding for Local Election Officials
New Poll Showing Strong Bipartisan Support for More Election Funding; Congress Should Add Election Funding to the Budget
CHICAGO -- The Center for Tech and Civic Life released the following statement after the Senate released a budget proposal today that omits federal funding for local election departments. Politico previously reported late last week that Congressional leaders were close to adding billions in funding for election infrastructure.
“I am already hearing from stunned local election officials who are disappointed that no money whatsoever could be found to help ensure that our local election infrastructure is safe, secure and accessible,” said Tiana Epps-Johnson, executive director for the Center for Tech and Civic Life. “Federal funding from Congress is the best way to create budget certainty and set local election departments up for success. The decision from Congress to take a pass on funding is a double hit for many election officials who can no longer accept private funding for election administration. I hope that Congress reconsiders and allocates money so that local election departments can keep their workers safe, strengthen election cybersecurity measures and make our elections more accessible to voters.”
"Elections infrastructure is vital infrastructure and fundamental to a well-functioning democracy,” said Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. “It is critical that the federal government fund elections infrastructure to ensure state and local elections officials all across the country have the resources to provide the highest standard of secure and accessible elections.”
"The security threats election departments face when it comes to both physical and cybersecurity have only surged in recent years," said Maribeth Witzel-Behl, Madison (Wisconsin) City Clerk. "Funding from Congress will boost physical and cybersecurity measures and improve voter confidence in our election outcomes.”
While robust public funding is the best way to fund elections, at least eight states have passed new laws preventing local election departments from accepting private grants for election administration. That means without additional funding from Congress, many election departments will have fewer resources than before to ensure safe and secure elections.
Meanwhile, a new poll found strong bipartisan support for the federal government to provide funding to local election departments. A July 29 poll commissioned by Secure Democracy and Protect Democracy found strong bipartisan agreement (79 percent) that the federal government should ensure local officials have equal access to funds for election security upgrades.
Previously, a bipartisan group of state and local officials from around the country called on Congress to allocate $20 billion in funding to local and state election administrators for secure election infrastructure over the next 10 years. The letters included:
A letter signed by 10 Secretaries of State—including Secretary Steve Simon (D-Minnesota) and Secretary Kim Wyman (R-Washington)
A letter led by Mayor Tom Barrett (D-Milwaukee, WI) and Mayor John Giles (R-Mesa, AZ) signed by over 50 mayors across the country.
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.
According to the Associated Press, many election departments are still running elections on outdated Windows 7 software -- a consequence of the chronic lack of consistent funding. 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.
If you want to learn more about why federal funding for local election officials is so critical, listen to Tiana Epps-Johnson on the Battleground podcast here. Read more about the Election Infrastructure Initiative here.
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.