Senators advocate for increased election security funding in 2020 budget

A group of 39 Democratic senators recently sent a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees urging the panels to better fund election security.

The senators requested funding for election security grants and for the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) in the Fiscal Year 2020 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill.

The EAC is an independent and bipartisan commission established in the Help America Vote Act that ensures elections across the country are secure, accurate, and accessible. It sets voting standards, certifies voting equipment, and conducts the Election Administration and Voting Survey.

The senators urged the committees to fund the EAC fully. Currently, the House has appropriated roughly $16.2 million for the commission, and the Senate has appropriated nearly $12 million.

The commission has half the staff it did when it was founded in 2010, and EAC’s budget for salaries and administration is $10 million less.

The Senate Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government recently voted to approve $250 million in election security grants to state and local governments. In June, the House voted to approve $600 million.

The senators urged the highest possible appropriation in the budget as well as language that would help strengthen the nation’s elections.