June 20, 2023
The Honorable Mark Amodei
U.S. House of Representatives
104 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Sanford Bishop
U.S. House of Representatives
2407 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Jerry Carl
U.S. House of Representatives
1330 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Matt Cartwright
U.S. House of Representatives
2102 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Juan Ciscomani
U.S. House of Representatives
1429 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Michael Cloud
U.S. House of Representatives
171 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Rosa DeLauro
U.S. House of Representatives
2413 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Kay Granger
U.S. House of Representatives
2308 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Ashley Hinson
U.S. House of Representatives
1717 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Steny Hoyer
U.S. House of Representatives
1705 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Dave Joyce
U.S. House of Representatives
2065 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable John Moolenaar
U.S. House of Representatives
246 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Mark Pocan
U.S. House of Representatives
1026 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Norma Torres
U.S. House of Representatives
2227 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Steve Womack
U.S. House of Representatives
2412 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Re: Election Security Grants for Local Election Offices
Dear Representatives,
As a nonpartisan nonprofit organization founded by computer scientists, Verified Voting is committed to strengthening democracy for all voters by promoting the responsible use of technology in elections. At a time when public scrutiny of election systems and processes is higher than ever, we are requesting that Congress support election workers and safeguard our elections infrastructure by appropriating $400 million for Election Security Grants in the Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriation bill.
We commend the FSGG subcommittee’s allocation of $75 million in funding for election infrastructure in the FY 2023 appropriations package. This critical funding will support much-needed repairs and improvements to our nation’s critical election infrastructure. However, looking ahead to 2024 and the upcoming presidential election, we anticipate some local election offices’ needs will be unmet by this investment: Federal elections are the costliest for local election officials to administer, due in part to their higher turnout and longer ballots. Elections offices need the federal government to pay its share, which is why we are requesting your support in securing $400 million for FY 2024.1
We understand that there are competing fiscal priorities, but this need cannot be ignored. Currently, the voting equipment used by most in-person voters in jurisdictions in 20 states is no longer manufactured, making it difficult or impossible for election officials to acquire replacement parts.2Replacing deprecated equipment is costly and the need will only increase over the next several years.3Greater investment from the federal government would allow election offices to make these much-needed upgrades and replacements now.
Public confidence in our elections—and our democracy—remains at a tipping point. By adequately and responsibly investing in election infrastructure, Congress can ensure safe, secure, and fair federal elections. Verified Voting is committed to supporting these efforts and looks forward to working with members of Congress. Please reach out if you have any questions or require additional information.
Sincerely,
Megan Maier
Senior Program & Partnerships Associate
Verified Voting
- We advocate for this funding to be allocated with two-thirds of the funds sent directly to local election offices, where the need is greatest and best informed by local conditions, with one-third sent to state election officials to address statewide needs. [↩]
- See The Verifier — First Year in Use — November 2024, Verified Voting, https://verifiedvoting.org/verifier/#mode/navigate/map/fieldedEquip/mapType/ppEquip/year/2024 (last accessed June 20, 2023). [↩]
- Turquoise Baker et al., Voting Machines at Risk in 2022, Brennan Center for Justice (March 1, 2022) https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-machines-risk-2022; see also New Report Finds That More Than $50 Billion is Needed to Modernize and Run State and Local Elections Infrastructure, Election Infrastructure Initiative (December 14, 2021), https://www.modernizeourelections.org/updates/new-report-finds-that-more-than-50-billion-is-needed-to-modernize-and-run-state-and-local-elections-infrastructure. [↩]