As your constituent, I’m writing to urge you to support allocating at least $825 million in federal funding for election administration and security in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget to help defend our voting rights nationwide.
Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy – but they require investment. In 2020, Congress rightly appropriated $825 million to help states run secure, accessible elections. This year, however, that number has dropped to just $15 million – or less than $300,000 per state. That’s not enough to ensure safe, reliable, and equitable elections for millions of voters.
Across the country, local election officials are being asked to do more with less. They’re facing a perfect storm of challenges: Aging infrastructure, including decades-old voting machines, shortages of trained poll workers, disinformation and declining public trust, cybersecurity threats and physical threats to election workers, and new restrictive laws that make election administration more complex and costly.
At the same time, restrictions on third-party support and the elimination of key federal resources, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) election security programs, have left many local offices with fewer tools than ever.
This funding gap creates deep inequities. Wealthier communities can often fund election upgrades through local revenue. But rural areas and lower-income jurisdictions are left behind – making our elections less accessible and less secure.
Election funding has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, and recent polling shows that nearly 70% of Americans believe the federal government should play a stronger role in election funding. This is not a partisan issue – it’s about safeguarding our democracy and ensuring that every American can vote without barriers.
I urge you to support restoring election security grants to at least $825 million for FY26 and commit to consistent federal investment in the years to come.
Thank you for your attention to this vital issue.
First sent on August 11 by Jess Craven
