State and local election officials plead with Congress for election security funding  – CyberScoop

As the Trump administration takes a hatchet to the federal government’s election security work and attempts to place conditions on funding to states, state and local election officials are pleading with lawmakers to provide robust support  they say  is crucial to keeping American elections secure.

In a letter sent to leaders on the House and Senate Appropriations committees this week, 150 active and retired officials from across the country asked Congress to set aside $400 million next fiscal year for election security grant funding under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

“The federal government shares with state and local governments the responsibility to overcome funding shortfalls in the most essential charge our government carries: to ensure safe, secure, and effective elections,” the officials wrote. “Yet, Congress has recently provided inconsistent and insufficient funding to meet these requirements.”

HAVA, passed by Congress in 2002, has funneled billions of dollars to states over the past two decades, which have been used to replace older voting machines, conduct security training for staff, harden physical and digital protections for election systems and polling locations, and other improvements.

But in recent years the program’s funding has dried up substantially, and GOP leaders on the Hill have indicated waning support for the initiative. While the Biden administration requested $300 million for HAVA grants last year, Congress has approved just $70 million to states over the past two budget cycles.

Last year, House Appropriations Chair Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and other Republicans on the committee voted to zero out funding for HAVA grants while also dramatically slashing the budget of the Election Assistance Commission, the bipartisan agency responsible for disbursing the grant money.

“While [prior] funding has been welcome, it falls far short of the substantial and sustained investment necessary to ensure that all eligible Americans can exercise their fundamental right to vote,” the state officials continued.

HAVA grants follow a strict formula based on the size and population of every state, but election officials are also asking that Congress adjust the program to ensure that more money trickles down to local jurisdictions that often face even harsher budget constraints when it comes to funding election security improvements.

“In addition to the funding request above, we also urge you to include a requirement that two-thirds of future funding allocations be passed through directly to localities, to ensure that counties and municipalities have the resources they need to run safe and secure elections, regardless of their size and population,” they wrote.

As state election officials press Congress, the Trump administration has been searching for ways to cut off HAVA funding for states that don’t implement their preferred election policies.Election experts have told CyberScoop that the executive branch has no constitutional authority to dictate election rules to states, and a federal court rolled back some of the provisions in a March executive order, though the White House and the Democratic and civil groups suing have all said they intend to pursue the matter further on appeal.

The post State and local election officials plead with Congress for election security funding appeared first on CyberScoop.

  –

Read More  – CyberScoop