© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Congress Allocates $425 Million For Election Security In New Legislation

Courtney Parker votes on a new voting machine in Dallas, Ga., last November. Whereas Georgia voters statewide are expected to vote on new machines in 2020, millions of voters across the country are expected to use machines that are more than a decade old.
Mike Stewart
/
AP
Courtney Parker votes on a new voting machine in Dallas, Ga., last November. Whereas Georgia voters statewide are expected to vote on new machines in 2020, millions of voters across the country are expected to use machines that are more than a decade old.

Congress has allocated about $425 million in new funding for election security ahead of the 2020 presidential election, a Democratic congressional source confirmed to NPR on Monday.

The funding is part of a spending package expected to be passed by the end of the week.

It also represents a compromise. Democrats in the House had originally hoped for $600 million. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., indicated earlier this year he would support $250 million.

The batch of funding unveiled on Monday was the second tranche to come from Congress since Russia's attack the 2016 election exposed just how vulnerable election systems across the U.S. might be to cyberattacks.

There's no evidence any votes were changed three years ago, but Russian attackers were able to hack into government networks in at least two states, found former Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller.

Congress also allocated $380 million toward election security improvements in the spring of 2018. The money, in both instances, is given via grants to the states, which become responsible for deciding how it is spent.

While election security advocates are sure to laud the government for providing more support for states, they are also already worried about how late the money is coming.

"A year late & a billion dollars short on #electionsecurity," tweeted Maurice Turner, a senior technologist with the Center for Democracy & Technology.

Even though the funding is being appropriated in 2019, that's probably too late to have much of an effect on the 2020 election.

By April of this year, a full 13 months after last year's funding was allocated, just 29 percent of the money had been spent according to congressional testimony by the Election Assistance Commission, the federal entity tasked with doling out the grants.

"The thing they want is consistency"

Elections officials and security officials have lamented the sporadic attention and funding from Washington.

Although Congress has agreed to support elections infrastructure around the nation, it does so in large, unpredictable chunks as opposed to predictable year-over-year appropriations — which many election officials would prefer.

One reason for that is partisanship: Many Republicans argue that because states bear the responsibility for running their own elections, that means paying their own way as well.

Many Democrats in Congress say they favor a more federal system that would include more regulation of security, protocols and equipment, as well as annual funding from the federal government.

Chris Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within DHS, said at the time of the McConnell compromise earlier this year that it was "a good start" — but he also said local and state officials need a regular flow of support, not occasional lump sums.

"The thing they want is consistency, something they can set their budget clocks to," said Krebs. "If the federal government is going to play in this space, we have to be dependable partners."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Miles Parks is a reporter on NPR's Washington Desk. He covers voting and elections, and also reports on breaking news.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content