National and State Organizations and Local Elected Officials Support Federal Funding for Election Administration

View a PDF of the letter here.

September 28, 2023

Dear Member of Congress,

As organizations and election officials deeply committed to safeguarding and expanding voting access, we are writing to urge your leadership in preserving the $75 million currently allocated for Election Security Grants in the Senate Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill. Protecting this $75 million appropriation is one of the most critical voting rights priorities for the 118th Congress. With changing laws in state legislatures across the country, including restrictions on nonprofit support and limiting local tax revenue, elections offices are left with limited options to meet urgent gaps in equipment, personnel, and facilities.

We commend Congress’s efforts in securing last year’s $75 million allocation, which has played a pivotal role in addressing the needs of voters across the nation. However, the challenges we face moving into an election year require a more substantial and sustained investment to ensure that all Americans can exercise their fundamental right to vote.

Election officials in every state encounter a multitude of challenges each electoral cycle, demanding substantial financial resources. These challenges encompass navigating a dynamic landscape of cybersecurity threats, modernizing voting equipment to eliminate technical issues and ensure accurate result tabulation, continuous improvements to voter registration systems for precise voter rolls, and comprehensive training and education for election staff, poll workers, and the public.

When election administration is not adequately resourced, the core functions of our elections and the democratic process are threatened, as is the ability of large numbers of voters to participate. Frontline election workers who keep our democracy running year in and year out are unable to serve their communities, and voters, especially voters of color and those in low-income communities, risk disenfranchisement. Inadequate funding of election offices can cause long lines, delays in processing voter registrations or mail ballots, and other problems that can become insurmountable for significant numbers of would-be voters.

Given the critical nature of these needs, we strongly urge your support in preserving the $75 million allocated for election infrastructure in the Senate FSGG Fiscal Year 2024 bill. As we approach the 2024 presidential election cycle, we cannot afford to reduce funding for election offices and put at risk the cornerstone of our democracy.

In the next appropriations process, we urge you to match the level of Federal investment in the last Presidential Election of $825 million in HAVA Security Grants, with two-thirds of the funding going directly to local elections offices. A study by MIT’s Election Lab found that ensuring the integrity and accessibility of our elections requires an investment of $50 billion over 10 years. The amount of $75 million over the past few budgets is a good start but far more is needed if we are to successfully prepare critical election infrastructure for the challenges ahead. We also urge you to include a requirement that a certain portion of future funding allocations be passed through directly to localities, where a good deal of election administration takes place, to ensure these frontline democracy workers have the resources they need to run safe, secure, and modern elections.

We understand that federal resources are limited and face competing demands, but funding our election infrastructure is an investment in every facet of our lives; federal funding for elections will bolster voter confidence, ensure that every citizen’s voice is heard, and safeguard the integrity of our electoral process–all essential ingredients in a healthy democracy.

Thank you for your dedication to our democracy. We appreciate your consideration of this crucial
request.

Sincerely,

Organizations
AFL-CIO
All Voting is Local Action
American Civil Liberties Union
American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees
American Federation of Teachers
American Oversight
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC
Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote)
Blue Future
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
Business for America
California Environmental Voters
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Common Ground
Center for Popular Democracy
Center for Tech and Civic Life
Chispa LCV
Church World Service
Civic Nebraska
Clean Elections Texas
Clean Water Action
Coalition on Human Needs
Connecticut League of Conservation Voters
Conservation Colorado
Conservation Voters for Idaho
Conservation Voters of PA
Declaration for American Democracy Coalition
Democracy 21
Democracy SENTRY
Elections Infrastructure Initiative
Elevate
End Citizens United//Let America Vote Action Fund
Endangered Species Coalition
Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund
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Fair Elections Center
Fair Fight Action
FairVote
Faith in Public Life Action
Fix Democracy First
Franciscan Action Network
Friends Committee On National Legislation
Georgia Conservation Voters
Get Money Out
– Maryland
Greenpeace USA
Illinois Environmental Council
Indiana Conservation Voters
Indivisible
Indivisible Santa Fe
Interfaith Alliance
Interfaith Power & Light
Issue One
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Kent Street Coalition
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
League of Conservation Voters
League of Women Voters of the United States
Licking County Board of Elections
Maine Conservation Voters
Missouri Voter Protection Coalition
Movement Advancement Project
NAACP
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
NALEO Educational Fund
National Action Network
National Council of Churches
National Council of Jewish Women
National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)
National Education Association
National Voter Corps
Nevada Conservation League
New Hampshire Campaign for Voting Rights
New Jersey League of Conservation Voters
New York League of Conservation Voters
NextGen America
Ohio Association of Election Officials
Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund
Oregon League of Conservation Voters
OSET Institute, Inc.
Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions
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People Power United
Progressive Democrats of America
Project On Government Oversight
Protect Democracy
Public Citizen
Public Wise
Secure Elections Network
SEIU
Sojourners-SojoAction
Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund
Stand Up America
The Alaska Center
The Episcopal Church
The Sierra Club
The Workers Circle
Union for Reform Judaism
Union of Concerned Scientists
United Church of Christ, Justice and Local Church Ministries
Verified Voting
Vermont Conservation Voters
Voices for Progress
Voters Rights and Protection Taskforce
Voto Latino
Washington Conservation Action
We The Veterans
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
Local Elected Officials
Tim Arsenault, Town Clerk, Vernon, Vermont
Dawn Behem, Clerk, Riley Township, Michigan
Juli Briskman, Supervisor, Loudoun, Virginia
Krissi Brott, City Clerk, City of Greenville, Michigan
Bill Burgess, Deputy City Clerk, City of Romulus, Michigan
Robin Cleveland, Township Clerk, Williamstown Township, Michigan
Kristin Connelly, Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters, Contra Costa County, California
Erica Eklov, City Clerk, City of Three Rivers, Michigan
Susan Esmond, City Clerk, City of Portage, Michigan
Dusty Farmer, Clerk, Oshtemo, Michigan
Eileen Harryvan, Deputy Clerk, City of Farmington, Michigan
Wendi Heyliger, Clerk, Buchanan Charter Township, Michigan
Halley Hilton, Township Clerk, Township of Southfield, Michigan
D’Sjonaun Hockenhull, Executive Director, City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Lori Lascoe, Ray Township Clerk, Ray Township, Michigan
Sally Ober, Town Clerk and Presiding Officer for Elections, Town of Lincoln, Vermont
Shelby Vance, Deputy Clerk, Buchanan Charter Township, Michigan
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Anthony Vega, County Clerk and Recorder, Lake County, Illinois
Jason Walker, Election Program Supervisor 1, Baltimore City, Maryland
Leslie Wilson, County Clerk, Marion County, Oregon
Claire Woodall, Deputy Clerk of Elections, Park County, Colorado