WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration with oversight over federal elections, is urging President Joe Biden to include $5 billion for election security grants in the upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget. In a letter with 32 of his Senate colleagues, King highlighted the importance of election funding to support free, fair, and secure elections, and stressed the need for more funding to modernize voting equipment, improve the administration of elections, and strengthen cybersecurity for election systems. These funds would help state and local governments improve the administration and security of federal elections after a recent report found significant concerns with the current level of election administration funding. Senator King has been one of the Senate’s most outspoken voices for the need to increase voter trust and promote access to the ballot for all registered voters.

“Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, and we know that you share our commitment to ensuring our elections are well funded so that all Americans can make their voices heard at the ballot box,” said the Senators. “During the 2020 general election, nearly 160 million Americans voted – more than ever before, in an election that the Department of Homeland Security called the “most secure in American history.” This was possible with help from the election security grants Congress provided in FYs 2018 and 2020, as well as emergency funding through the CARES Act in 2020.”

“While past funding has been critical, we must continue to help both state and local election officials modernize their voting equipment, improve the administration of elections, and strengthen cybersecurity for election systems,” continued the Senators. “One analysis published last December found that over the next decade approximately $50 billion would be needed for election administration and security. Based on this analysis, a group of Secretaries of State and Chief Election Officials have also requested that the federal government provide $5 billion in election grants for FY 2023.”

“In addition to annual appropriations, we remain committed to advancing legislation that will provide election officials a reliable stream of funding to make ongoing improvements to election administration,” the Senators concluded. “While funding is not a substitute for Congress passing comprehensive legislation to protect the freedom to vote and stop the ongoing attacks on our democracy, we must ensure that state and local election officials continue to receive the resources needed to administer, improve, and modernize our elections.”

Senator King has been one of the Senate’s most outspoken voices for the need to increase voter trust and promote access to the ballot for all registered voters. In October 2021 he delivered an impassioned speech on the Senate floor urging action on voting rights, stating that we are currently “at a hinge of history” that will determine the future of the American experiment in self-government. He built on these arguments in a speech from the Senate floor where he called for reforms to the filibuster to allow for common sense voting rights legislation to pass. In addition to the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, Senator King cosponsored the For the People Act and Senator Jon Ossoff’s (D-Ga.) Right to Vote Act, which would establish a first-ever statutory right to vote in federal elections — protecting U.S. citizens from laws that make it harder to cast a ballot. He also recently introduced the Electoral Count Modernization Act to establish clear, consistent, and fair procedures for the counting and certification of electoral votes for the presidency.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), Senator King is recognized as one of Congress’s leading experts on cyberdefense and a strong advocate for a forward-thinking cyberstrategy that emphasizes layered cyberdeterrence. Since it officially launched in April 2019, dozens of CSC recommendations have been enacted into law. 

The full text of the letter is available HERE and below.

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Dear Mr. President: 

We write to request that you include $5 billion in election security grants in your Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget for the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to distribute to states and local governments for improvements to the administration of federal elections. Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, and we know that you share our commitment to ensuring our elections are well funded so that all Americans can make their voices heard at the ballot box.

During the 2020 general election, nearly 160 million Americans voted – more than ever before, in an election that the Department of Homeland Security called the “most secure in American history.” This was possible with help from the election security grants Congress provided in FYs 2018 and 2020, as well as emergency funding through the CARES Act in 2020, which provided election officials with resources to take on the additional obstacles of administering safe and secure elections during the coronavirus pandemic. 

While past funding has been critical, we must continue to help both state and local election officials modernize their voting equipment, improve the administration of elections, and strengthen cybersecurity for election systems. Six states still widely use voting systems that do not produce paper ballots. The EAC also recently approved an updated version of the voluntary voting system guidelines that will lead to investments in more modern voting systems. In addition, election officials are facing a surge in threats and harassment that have left many worried for their safety, raising concerns about the ability of state and local governments to retain and recruit officials, workers, and volunteers for future elections.  

One analysis published last December found that over the next decade approximately $50 billion would be needed for election administration and security. Based on this analysis, a group of Secretaries of State and Chief Election Officials have also requested that the federal government provide $5 billion in election grants for FY 2023.

In addition to annual appropriations, we remain committed to advancing legislation that will provide election officials a reliable stream of funding to make ongoing improvements to election administration. While funding is not a substitute for Congress passing comprehensive legislation to protect the freedom to vote and stop the ongoing attacks on our democracy, we must ensure that state and local election officials continue to receive the resources needed to administer, improve, and modernize our elections. 

Thank you for your attention to this critical issue. We look forward to continuing to work with you to strengthen our democracy.